The Pursuit Of Leisure

100% correct, 50% of the time. A tongue in cheek look at culture both high and low.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

NBA Notes Shortly...

Now that the Raps and SUns are toast I will be back tomorrow with ideas on both, including trades between the two teams that would benefit each, whether Sam Mitchell should be fired (yes) and whether D'Antoni should be fired (depends on your point of view. I say no.)

Friday, April 25, 2008

Bluesfest Lineup.

After the worst winter I have have experienced the current great weather is exciting beyond any and all comprehension. It's really easy to forget what a fantastic city Ottawa is in the summer.

One of the annual highlights is Bluesfest and this year's group of headliners has me pretty excited. The Hip always put on a good show, The Black Crowes and Wyclef Jean should be great and Donna Summer will be fun. Steely Dan is a band I have always liked and never thought I would get a chance to see (same as Brian Wilson) but the headliner who I can't wait to see is James Taylor. I love this guy and I am absolutely staking out a good spot to hear him on what may be my only opportunity.

Should be a great 11 days.

- A quick Happy Birthday to Al Pacino and Rene Zellweger. What are the odds that the single worst big name actor and the single worst big name actress in Hollywood share the same birthday? That's one hell of a coincidence.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Assorted Sports Thoughts.

- Home court advantage in the NBA is so important (home teams are 13-3 so far) that I usually go by the thought that you are really not in trouble in the NBA playoffs until you lose on your home court. Having said that a couple of teams that some people thought might have a chance (so that does not include the Hawks or Nuggets) that are down 0-2 are worth looking at.

1. Phoenix
The Suns are not out of it against the Spurs - yet. They were leading both games in the second half and fell just short. They are fully capable of winning both games at home. Nash, Amare and Shaq are doing their part but Barbosa, Hill and Diaw have been terrible. Without two of those three guys playing very well they are toast.

The Spurs game plan has been really smart. They are leaving Shaq and Duncan to go head to head but are having Manu and Parker go to the rim at every opportunity. Nash can't guard Parker and Amare might as well be a turnstile on D. Barbosa and Diaw are there only decent defenders so it is up to them to stop Ginobili.

2. Dallas
The Mavs are completely finished. While the Suns played the Spurs close the Mavs got destroyed by Chris Paul and the Hornets. They just can't stop Paul and they just look defeated throughout the whole game. I expect to Mavs to put up a fight and win Game 3 then get killed in 4 and 5.

3. Washington
It's best not to provoke LeBron by calling him out, flagrant fouling him and calling him overrated. The Wizards are getting swept.

4. Toronto
I've never been a TJ Ford fan and I absolutely hate him right now. He bitched and moaned about coming off the bench so Calderon gave up his starting spot for him. The Raps have been down a combined 40 points after the first quarter of each game so far with Ford playing terrible. If he starts tonight instead of Calderon coach Sam Mitchell should be fired at the first timeout. I'm serious. There is absolutely no excuse to start Ford. If they do they are done in 5.

- It's too bad the Bengals turned down the trade of Chad Johnson to the Redskins. Johnson fits in perfectly with Dan Snyder and the 'skins. He's glitzy, overpaid, runs his yap, and chokes in the clutch.

- I would consider the Reds firing their GM less than a month into the season ridiculous except for the fact that they brought on Walt Jocketty to run the show. Jocketty is on of the 5 best GMs of the past 25 years and should have Cincy winning that lousy division in 2 years.

NHL Round 2.

My only real rooting interest now is against the Habs and hoping Georges Larocques kills Sean Avery in the open ice.

East

Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Montreal did not look impressive at all against the Bruins and if they don't get their power play going they are going to lose to Philly (enabling Montrealers to debate the worthiness of a captain who can't speak French, which since Montreal fans like to bitch more than see their team win they are secretly hoping for). I think they will get it going though and Martin Biron will hurt the Flyers with bad goaltending.

Habs in 7

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers

This is the conference finals because either of these teams will beat the Habs or Flyers. I think Pittsburgh is the most talented team in the east and more importantly they know they are. They are not arrogant but they have a very quiet confidence to them. The Rangers are going to need Jaromir Jagr to show up every night and I think that is asking a lot. And I can't wait to see what Gary Roberts does to Sean Avery when they are in the corner together.

Pens in 6

West

Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche

This will be a better series than people think. Joe Sakic is playing great and the Avs are getting scoring from their second line. The Wings are getting by with very average goalie play and it will catch up to them. Just not in this series.

Wings in 6

San Jose Sharks vs. Dallas Stars

You could look at the Sharks and say any team that need the "leadership" and "character" of Jeremy Roenick to win a Game 7 is in deep shit. Or you could say that the first round threw a proper scare into them and they will start playing better. I'll go with the latter.

Sharks in 6

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

NL (Mini) Preview.

I am embarassed to be doing my NL preview this late but oh well. SInc ethe seaon is three weeks old I will do an abbreviated preview given that the NL still stinks. Honestly, the DBack's would be looking at a third place finish in the AL West and I have them going to the World Series.

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (92-70)

The heart of their order returns intact as does there starting pitching. No reason they won't repeat.

2. New York Mets (89-73)

Sure they picked up Johan Santana but this team will rely too much on guys that are just old like Moises ALou, Carlos Delgado and Pedro Martinez.

3. Atlanta Braves (86-76)

Old pitching and a lousy bullpen. And their offense will struggle to score runs.

4. Wahington Nationals (70-92)

They have some talented young guys in Lastings Milledge, Ryan Zimmerman and Elijah Dukes but they are a few years away from contending with their lousy rotation.

5. Florida Marlins (68-94)

Jeffrey Loria should be taken out in the street and horsewhipped for destroying two teams. This team is just awful and when they start to be good again he will sell off the parts again.

NL Central - The worst division in baseball by a country mile.

1. Chiago Cubs (88-74)

A good heart of the order and decent starting pitching is enough to win this division regardless of how effective Kerry Wood is in the closer role.

2. Milwaukee Brewers (86-76)

Their lineup is fun to watch but their starting rotation is pretty thin past Ben Sheets. And Eric Gagne closing? Eric Gagne? Jesus.

3. Cincinnati Reds (83-79)

The Reds are the team most likely to come out of nowhere and win a division this year. They play in a bandbox and will score a lot of runs and if their young starters develop quicker than expected they will win a lot of games and win the Central.

4. Houston Astros (76-86)

An old lineup with lousy pitching outside of Roy Oswalt who may get traded byt the all-star break.

5. St. Louis Cardinals (73-89)

Their rotation would be average in Triple A so they have no chance. I would think Albert Pujols will pack it in by mid-summer and get the elbow surgery he needs.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates (70-92)

At what point can you declare a team officially dead? There is no excuse for them being so bad for so long in what has been a bad division for years.

NL West

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (94-68)

This is a damn fun team to watch. I like teams with a lot of speed and gap power and they are suited to their park perfectly. Adding Dan Haren as the number 2 starter was huge for them and will help in the playoffs. I'm not sure Brandon Lyon is suited to be the closer but in the NL a bullpen by committee will work just fine.

2. Colorado Rockies (92-70)

Last year's World Series run was no fluke. Troy Tulowitzki is the second coming of Cal Ripken Jr. (minus the games played streak), matt Holliday s consistently great and even an aging Todd Helton should hit .315 again. They lack depth in the rotation past Jeff Francis but they will score enough runs to grab the Wild Card.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (87-75)

I'm not exactly clear if there was a reason to bring in Joe Torre other than his name. I don't think Torre will be able to develop the young guys this team has the way better managers could. As is stands they are one bad 20 game stretch away from Andrew Jones, Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciaparra being enormous pains in the ass. They have a strong top three with Derek Lowe, Brad Penny, and Chad Billingsley but I just don't see them being great.

4. San Diego Padres (75-87)

Sit back and enjoy Greg Maddux pass Roger Clemens on the all-time win list this year Padre fans because that will be the best thing to happen to your team this year. Jim Edmonds and Brian Giles might have scared people 5 years ago but not anymore. And Trevor Hoffman isn't getting any younger.

5. San Francisco Giants (64-98)

Dave Roberts, Omar Vizquel, Ray Durham, Rich Aurilia? Why in the hell are these guys still around? This team is going to be awful so they might as well try to trade some of these guys and get something, anything in return and play some young guys. And will Barry Zito continue to slip? Remarkably yes. He may not win 10 games on this club.

Wild Card

D'Backs over Cubs
Rockies over Phils

NLCS

D'Backs over Rockies

World Series

Tigers over D'Backs

NL MVP - Matt Holliday
NL Cy Young - Brandon Webb

Monday, April 21, 2008

RIP: Isiah Thomas and His Relationship With The NBA



It was a sad day for commentators, columnists and bloggers everywhere when new Knicks President Donnie Walsh did the only thing he could do with Isiah Thomas - Can his ass. The amount of material this guy provided was endless.

Isiah is not only the most hated guy in the NBA, he is also one of the lousiest GMs. Although he was one of the top 25 players in the history of the league he has made so many enemies in his post playing career there is no way in hell he will ever be employed by another team.

My guess is he will be an in studio analyst somewhere and continue to alienate everyone around him.

Jays Cut The Big Hurt.

It's not really a big surprise that the Jays released Frank Thomas. JP realizes that this year is his last chance and he couldn't afford another slow start from Thomas. If Thomas had started out hot I don't think the $10 million they would have owed him for next year once he reached 376 plate appearances would have mattered at all.

As it stands the Jays aren't on the hook for the $10 million next year, and they can replace him in the lineup with matt Stairs and Shannon Stewart and whoever else they can find. The release does indicate a sense of urgency for this year and that is a good thing. The Yankees will have a lot of free agent cash to spend this winter and their young starters will be ready to win 16 or 17 each next year. Therefore they Jays have to do something this year or blow things up completely because unless some unknown guys develop quicker than expected and star next year, this year is their best shot at the division or Wild Card.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

NBA Playoff Preview.

After what was unquestionably the best regular season in the past 20 years the playoffs are going to be even better. For the last month I have been trying to figure out whether Phoenix or San Antonio would win the title. And now they are meeting in the first round!

But now that the playoffs are starting I can't shake the feeling that this is just the Celtics year. They don't have anyone who can match baskets with LeBron in a second round match up, Rasheed Wallace can play Garnett to a stand still in the Eastern Finals and Tim Duncan can match him in the Finals but I still just think they are going to win. It's too storybook not to happen. Celtics over Spurs in 7 in the Finals. And my dragging my ass to work for the next 6 weeks after watching these games on the Raptors channel, the best HD channel ever invented.

And as always placing wagers based on my predictions makes you a complete idiot.

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8)

The Hawks will consider this season a success just for making the playoffs for the first time in eons. And that's good because they are going to be done in 4 games. The Celtics are just too good and too fired up to let the Hawks even beat them once. No need to break this series down, the Celts are just better in every way you can measure.

Celtics in 4

Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7)

The Sixers are another team that should be pretty happy just to have made the playoffs but I think they can win a game. They can't win the series but they can compete. Andre Igoudala is a star in the making, Samuel Dalembert can give the big guys on the Pistons some trouble on the inside and Andre Miller will make Chauncy Billups work. The Sixers just aren't deep enough to contend yet.

Pistons in 5

Orlando Magic (3) vs. Toronto Raptors (6)

This is the only series in the east that will be interesting. The Raps play the Magic well because Jose Calderon and TJ Ford can exploit the Magic's weak play at point guard by Jameer Nelson and Chris Bosh's speed and agility forces Dwight Howard to play away from the basket. The x factors in this series are how well Jose Calderon plays for the Raps and how well Hedo Turkoglu plays for the Magic against Andrea Bargnani. I know Calderon will get the better of Nelson but I am damn certain Turkoglu will light up Bargnani who has looked awful this year. And that will be the difference.

Magic in 7

Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Washington Wizards (5)

The Wiz have three of the four best players in this series in Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas. Unfortunately for them the best player in the series is LeBron James. LeBron has become an absolute force of nature and I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to drag the bunch of stiffs he plays with to the Finals again. LeBron averaged a staggering 30-8-7 this season and by the way he's only 23. He's also starting to figure out how to play defence because he realizes Ben Wallace and Zudrunas Ilgauskas are essentially useless at this point and he has to do everything. It's terrifying to think what this guy will do when he has real teammates.

Cavs in 6

Western Conference - Where I have absolutely no clue what will happen after the first round. Or during the first round.

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Denver Nuggets (2)

If you liked the NBA in the 80's you'll love this series because the Nuggets don't play any defence at all. Kobe must be licking his chops knowing he will score about 45 a game. I'm still not convinced the Lakers are the team to beat because I need to see Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol prove they can do anything other than be terrible in the playoffs but they will beat the Nuggets. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony will score enough points for Denver for them to win a game or two but they can't win.

Lakers in 6 with the winning team in each game scoring at least 120.

New Orleans Hornets (2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (7)

This is where the Jason Kidd trade blows up on Dallas. Chris Paul is absolutely going to embarrass Kidd in the open court, half court, and any other way they can play. The Hornets don't have to defend Kidd int he half court so they can double up on Dirk, which will give the Diggler fits. Kidd will be tired from trying to stop Paul so he will be ineffective on the break. A lot of people say the Hornets are still a year away from winning everything, and I agree with them, but they are good enough to send this Mavericks team into the grave.

Hornets in 5 and Mark Cuban blowing Dallas up in the off season.

San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (6)

It's not too often you get the Conference Finals in the first round. This is an absolutely fascinating series. Shaq is fired up to prove he can still play and wants to get ring number 5 before Duncan does; the Spurs looked washed up about 4 different times this year then came back with long win streaks; Steve Nash isn't getting any younger and this may be his last realistic shot; Manu Ginobili has become one of the 5 or 6 best players in the league and nobody seems to realize it; Amare Stoudemire has been playing out of his mind since they got Shaq.

I think Shaq and Duncan will cancel each other out and Tony Parker will get the better of Nash because Nash can't guard him. The Spurs don't have anyone who can guard Amare so he will go for 25-13 a game. Grant Hill will be effective for the Suns as will Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas (a steal at the trade deadline). So it comes down to this - Can Leandro Barbosa outplay Ginobili? That question has to have every Suns fan ready to puke. After all they have gone through this year Leandro Barbosa is their key to winning. And that ain't a good thing.

Spurs in 7 which is a shame because I really want to see the Suns win the whole damn thing.

Houston Rockets (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5)

Here's is how good the west was this year - The Rockets won 22 in a row and finished 4th. And will lose in the first round as they did when these two teams met last year. The Jazz are better than last year and the Rockets are worse without Yao Ming. They just don't have anyone who can match Carlos Boozer inside or Deron Williams on the break or half court. Add in Kyle Korver draining threes and this one is actually a mismatch. I think it's great what the Rockets did this year without Yao but they just aren't deep enough.

Jazz in 6. The Jazz are actually my dark horse. That is if you can call a 54 win team a dark horse. They are so damn good at home that if the they can win a few games on the road they can beat anybody.

Monday, April 14, 2008

MLB Preview. Better Late Than Never.

I know I'm about two weeks late on this but time constraints killed me. So I now present my admittedly half-assed American league preview (NL to follow hope fully tomorrow).

AL East - still the best division in baseball, which means the Yanks will miss the playoffs because the wild card is coming out of the central (I'll explain my logic as we go).

1. Boston Red Sox (94-68)

The Sox have every piece back from last year and will have Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz for the full year. Most importantly they have a motivated Manny in a contract year who will win the MVP award. And they still have Josh Beckett, the best big game pitcher going.

2. New York Yankees (91-71)

The Yanks are probably the third best team in the AL but will likely miss the playoffs because of the unbalanced schedule. They have to play the Jays, Red Sox, and improved Rays so often they won't win enough divisional games to get through.

Their offense is what is going to keep them in contention. Their pitching is still suspect especially with Mike Mussina now a 5 inning guy, An old Andy Pettitte and a piss poor middle relief. I expect Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain to be great, just not this year. They also have a very old starting lineup that needs to stay healthy, which is always a tough task.

Beat them this year while you can though because Giambi, Abreu, Pettitte and Mussina are gone at the end of this year so they will be loading up on good young guys over the winter via free agency.

3. Toronto Blue Jays (88-74)

If things break perfectly for the Jays they can win the Wild Card. But they won't. They have the second best rotation in the league (though no lefty starter is a concern) but an average bullpen with no guarantee BJ Ryan will be healthy all year. Scott Rolen is also likely to be injured part of the year. The offense is good, just not good enough.

4. Tampa Rays (85-77)

This team is much improved because of its great young starting pitching. Getting Matt Garza for headcase Delmon Young was a steal and having him as their number 3 shows you how deep their staff will be. They also have a nice combination of speed and pop in the lineup with BJ Upton, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford and Rookie of the Year to Be Evan Longoria. These guys are the reason the Yanks will miss the playoffs.

5. Baltimore Orioles (57-105)

What Peter Angelos has done to this once very proud franchise is a disgrace. This is easily the worst team in the Majors. Their pitching is awful and they can't score any runs. They might lose 110 games.

AL Central - The Tigers and Indians are making the playoffs because they get to beat up on the other three teams in this division.

1. Detroit Tigers (95-67)

They are playing lousy right now but I am not too concerned. Their starting pitching is too good for them not to win. Especially with that lineup they have. You've got new addition Miguel Cabrera batting 5 which is all you need to know about how deep they go.

Don't expect a hell of a lot from Dontrelle Willis though. His mechanics are just terrible. He over strides with his front leg which leaves his arm too far back when he lands putting too much stress on his shoulder and elbow. He is a surgery waiting to happen.

2. Cleveland Indians (93-69)

The Indians still have the best 1-2 starters in the AL in CC Sabathia (who will be the opening day starter for the Yanks in their new park next year) and Fausto Carmona and a strong lineup which should be bolstered by a comeback year by Travis Hafner. They also have a strong defense and a good 'pen.

3. Minnesota Twins (78-84)

A lot of people are writing the Twins off but they shouldn't be that bad. Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Delmon Young (who shouldn't get into too much trouble in Minny) are a strong middle of the order and their rotation is decent with the addition of innings eater Livan Hernandez and the return of Francisco Liriano. This team won't be great but they should compete.

4. Chicago White Sox (75-87)

The White Sox tried to make themselves younger with Nick Swisher but Swisher is a pretty average player. They key guys on this team like Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko are still old. And their starting staff is not very deep past Mark Buehrle. If they don't start out well they will check out for the second half of the year as all veteran teams do when things go bad. I also suspect they have had enough of Ozzie Guillen's bullshit and he will get sacked at the end of the year.

5. Kansas City Royals (69-93)

It's going to be another very long year in KC. But at least they have some building blocks in Alex Gordon, Billy Butler and John Buck. And at least their fans get to watch this perennial mess in a beautiful stadium.

AL West

1. Anaheim Angels (90-72)

The addition of Torri Hunter gives the Angels someone to protect Vlady Guerrero and the best lineup in the division. They also have the best starting staff and best closer in Francisco Rodriguez. That all adds up to another division title for this team.

2. Seattle Mariners (88-74)

Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez could win 40 games between them, it's the rest of the starters that concern me. Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista have very little left and they may need to trade for another starter. Their lineup should be better than last year though. Brad Wilkerson was a nice pickup and Richie Sexson is in a contract year so I expect big things from him. If they can get anything from the bottom of their rotation they could win the Wild Card.

3. Texas Rangers (76-86)

This team just hammers the ball. Josh Hamilton can easily hit 40 home runs playing full time in this hitter's paradise. Milton Bradley is crazy but he is also consistent, Michael Young is good for 200 hits and Hank Blalock should hit .300. The Rangers problem is their pitching is terrible, both starters and relief. They are going to play a lot of 11-8 games this year.

4. Oakland A's (72-90)

I hate Billy Beane so I am openly rooting for this team to be awful. And they will be. Their lineup has no power aside from Jack Cust who will challenge the record for strikeouts in a season, no speed at all and nobody who will hit over .285. The only chance they really have to compete is Rich Harden staying healthy, which is one hell of a thing to gamble on. Huston Street is a pretty good closer but he won't have many chances. I think he will be traded by early July.

Wild Card - Detroit over Anaheim
Boston over Cleveland
ALCS - Detroit over Boston

MVP - Manny Ramirez
CY Young - Josh Beckett
Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Bill Buckner

It must have been one hell of a tough decision for Bill Buckner to accept returning to Fenway to throw out the first pitch yesterday. As he correctly pointed out it was more so the media that has killed him not the fans so it was great to see him get an ovation yesterday.

Of course if he hadn't let Mookie Wilson's dribbler go through his God Damn legs he never would have had these problems in the first place now would he? Thank God the Sox have won 2 Series in the last 4 years.

Masters Preview.

You would have to be a complete and utter imbecile to call anyone other than Tiger the favorite at Augusta this week. You can pick someone else to win but if you do you are basing your decision on a hunch not reality.

Tiger is going to win this thing by five strokes unless he has a heart attack on either of the first two days. In the event that he does have some freak accident I would put my money on Jim Furyk or Lefty who are two of the only five or so guys who can mentally challenge Woods.

So the question becomes can Tiger win the Grand Slam? Well, yeah he can but it may not be likely. He is a lock to win this week and he absolutely rips Torrey Pines where the US Open is this year. It really comes down to the British Open. If he wins there there is no way he would let the PGA get away from him. But I don't think he will win the British. And if he doesn't do it this year he never will.

NHL Playoffs.

The NHL regular season was pretty ho hum but the playoffs always offer a big payoff. That is for the first two weeks I watch until the weather gets good. So I probably won't be paying much attention when the Ducks beat the Penguins in the Finals.

East

Montreal Canadiens (1) vs. Boston Bruins (8)

The Habs won all 8 regular season meetings and I don't see that trend stopping. With Price in net the Habs are going to be very tough to beat this year.

Habs in 5

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Ottawa Senators (7)

After the Sens knocked out the Pens last year I said enjoy it while you can because nobody in the East will beat the Pens for the next 5 years and I stand by it. The Sens have no chance in this series. They made it to the finals last year on the hot play of Ray Emery, who is well on his way to the Swedish Elite League, and the leadership and play of Daniel Alfreddson. Alfie is their best player and is hurt as is their best checker, Mike Fisher. On top of that the Sens team defense is really bad this year, which means they can't stop the Pens high powered attack. This one will be ugly.

Penguins in 5

Washington Capitals (3) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6)

The Caps are the hottest team in the east but momentum doesn't mean much once the playoffs start. They are slightly better than the Flyers though because the Flyers goalies are terrible. Ovechkin must be so excited to play against these guys he can't sleep at night.

Caps in 6

New Jersey Devils (4) vs. New York Rangers (5)

Martin Brodeur is the player who is most likely to carry his team on his back for 2 months in the east, even more so than Ovechkin, and he will have to because the Devils just can't score goals. Unfortunately for them they are playing a team with the second best goalie in the east in the Rangers. I think Chris Drury starts being Chris Drury again and that is the difference.

Rangers in 7

West

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Nashville Predators (8)

The Wings goaltending is what will kill them this spring. But not in this series.

Wings in 4

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Calgary Flames (7)

The Sharks definitely have the talent to win but they have the talent to win every year so I'll believe it when I see it. I still think they are mentally weak but they are good enough to get by a one line Flames team

Sharks in 5

Minnesota Wild (3) vs. Colorado Avalanche (6)

This is the lowest profile series because either of these teams will get bounced in the second round. I think the Wild's team speed will get them by and Peter Forsberg will finally retire because teams will finally get it through their heads that he is just to banged up to be a high performer anymore.

Wild in 6

Anaheim Ducks (4) vs. Dallas Stars (5)

I really don't see how anyone can pick the Stars in this series with annual choker Marty Turco in net. The Ducks are just as good as they were last year and the Stars are just old.

Ducks in 5

Monday, April 07, 2008

Memphis vs. Kansas

I will start by saying nothing could have made me happier than watching North Carolina fall behind 40-12 Saturday night to Kansas. If there is one thing you can always count on it's a Roy Williams team tightening up and losing to an inferior opponent in a big game. The guy is like clockwork.

Tonight's game will be fantastic. Both teams want to run and the game should be played in the high 80's. There a couple of big areas for concern for both sides though. Memphis' starting guards are so big that I can't see Kansas' guards stopping then in the half court or transition. I think Douglas-Roberts and Rose will each have huge games. Memphis needs to be concerned with their transition defense. Memphis hasn't played a team that can run with them all year and haven't shown they can slow down Kansas when they start running. Memphis also may not be able to match Kansas' rotation of four big guys up front.

Ultimately it comes down to whether Kansas can stop Derrick Rose, who is truly the best player in college ball. Forget Hansborough or Beasley, he is better than both of them. I think he will be the difference tonight as Memphis wins 92-87.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Bengals Say "See Ya" To Henry.

- I'm glad the Bengals decided to cut Chris Henry after he punched an 18-year-old in the face. The Bengals have had more off field PR problems than any team in the NFL the past few years and it takes away from their on-field performance. I think they have a very good nucleus and getting rid of idiots like Henry is a good way to get them back on track. As would firing Marvin Lewis but that's a topic for another day.

- I don't think news that Velvet Revolver has dumped lead singer Scott Weiland can come as a real shock to anyone. Weiland's troubles are well documented and he already got the boot from the Stone Temple Pilots a few years back.

I will say I am/was a huge STP fan and Weiland's voice was the reason why. Unfortunately he abused himself so badly that his voice was wrecked by the time he joined Velvet Revolver and he sounded terrible with them. The fact that they are a pretty good group is due to the rest of the band, not Weiland.

- How many more thwarted terrorist attacks do we need on Canadians for us to admit that yes, Canada is indeed a potential target and stop burying our heads in the sand?

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

NHL MVP.

- Usually I would argue that unless your team at least makes the playoffs you can't win the Hart Trophy. However, Alex Ovechkin scoring 63 goals for the Caps this year and carrying them on his back deserves the MVP regardless of what happens in the next two games (and how hilarious would it be if the Sens missed the playoffs after the 15-2 start they had).

Ovechkin is the most exciting guy to come into the league since Mario Lemieux. I'm not saying he is the best player because I still say Sidney Crosby is better but Ovechkin is the guy I would pay to watch. The stuff he is with the puck is unreal and he is a mean and physical player too (as is Crosby). If the NHL can't market these two guys effectively in the US they should just give up on places in the south and move teams back to Winnipeg, Quebec City, and even Halifax.

- Here is the thing about Matt Leinart's partying - He needs to win something in the NFL before he can get away this type of stuff after being injured most of the year. I realize he is a 24 year old millionaire so this type of thing will be glossed over by some people but I don't think it shows much commitment to the team paying you those millions to get caught in stupid situations. Get your team into the playoffs at the very least and people will be a lot more lenient.

- Chad Johnson may be the biggest joke in the NFL. At least Terrell Owens and Randy Moss can say they have been to a Super Bowl and have had playoff success. Chad Johnson has never done much other than score touchdowns and rack up yardage in 28 point wins and 21 point losses. In other words, he is a gutless loser who will never catch balls in traffic in tight fourth quarter situations. The Bengals should do themselves a favor and cut this guy immediately. I'm sure Carson Palmer absolutely hates this guy.

- Ottawa city council is trying to limit the number of new pubs and bars in the Byward Market is getting to rowdy. I don't think the number of bars is the problem, I think the problem is the growing number of homeless people and shelters all over downtown Ottawa that are the real travesty. The stretch of Rideau between Colonel By and King Edward is a complete disgrace and reeks of piss 24/7. Cleaning that up should be the number one priority.

- The main problem I have with student activism is that 99% of the time it is activism for activism's sake and no real thought is put into it. So along those lines I find it ridiculous that the Ottawa U student newspaper has banned Canadian Forces ads. What's really sad is that the paper's won staff didn't have the guts to run the ads after a bunch of snivelling unappreciative undergrads voted against running the ads.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

This and That.

- I know the Nuggest blew a 22 point lead last night but I still think they will make the playoffs as will the Warriors. Which means I think the Mavs will be the odd team out at the end of the season, which will look good on Mark Cuban after pulling off the stupid Jason Kidd trade.

It was Cuban who refused to spend money to keep Steve Nash citing cap concerns then turned around and gave Eric Dampier almost the same money and then put together the league's highest payroll. Stupid.

- The whole Johnathon Roy fighting incident in the QMJHL is completely overblown. Not so much the reaction of hockey people but why the hell is Jean Charest getting into it? Other than getting his mug on the front of the sports page I mean?

It was a bad incident but not one that happens every month in hockey. I'm all for handing on longer, tougher suspensions for acts such as this but banning fighting is not going to stop fighting from happening. There is no fighting in baseball but you still get 2 or 3 bench clearing brawls a year.

- Is celebrity gossip less prominent these days? I tend to agree that blogs are pulling away readers but I'm fine with that. Anything that gets Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan of my TV and out of the corner of my eye in the grocery store lineup is fine with me.


- Now that the minimum is being upped every year to $10.25by 2010 in Ontario, look for a lot of students to have a very hard time paying for school when employers won't be able to hire them. Hiking the minimum wage that high is a very bad idea that is going to hurt a lot more people than it helps.