Martin Brodeur's Nightmarish Last 80 Seconds

Martin Brodeur is arguably the best goalie in the history of the NHL. However this does not make him perfect. In Game 7 of the first round of the 2009 playoffs it appeared that the New Jersey Devils were going to close out the Carolina Hurricanes as the score was 3-2 with 2 minutes left in the game. Then everything went downhill as Jussi Jokinen lit up the lamp 18 minutes and 40 seconds into the third period to tie the game. What made this goal particularly frustrating is that Jokinen was camped by the side of the net with almost no opposition. Therefore a quick pass cross-ice to Jokinen would and did result in a easy goal. After this goal, although deflated, the Devils fans had a game 7 overtime to look forward too. Unfortunately 48 seconds later Brodeur gave up another goal, stick side under his arm, similar to another goal he gave up earlier in the game. Ultimately the Devils lost to the Hurricanes and have an offseason to think about those last 80 seconds. 

The Devils in this game seem to have been guilty of counting their chickens before they were hatched. Who could blame them. Leading the game with a one goal lead and Martin Brodeur between the pipes with only 2 minutes left in the series. Clearly the Devils lost this series. The two goals let up late in the third period were "soft" goals as they could have easily been prevented. Jokinen's quick shot off the cross-ice pass was a result of the defense breaking down around Martin Brodeur. However Martin Brodeur foots the bill for the second goal. Not only did he let up the second soft goal of the game but it was the exact same shot. Eric Staal drifted to the glove side of Martin Brodeur and shot across his body slipping the puck under the right arm of Brodeur. Earlier in the game Brodeur let up a goal in the same fashion. Now despite giving up these two soft goals, it is tough to say that Brodeur lost them the game. If the defense had kept face on the Jokinen goal the Hurricanes may not have been able to win that game. Therefore this game was not lost on the weight of Martin  Brodeur's performance but on the defense as a whole. 

Lions Making a Big Decision

Today the Detroit Lions have made a big decision. They have changed their logo to a lion with fangs and lettering that is more aerodynamic. This was a much needed change. Coming off a record low, for the NFL, season at 0-16 it is clear that the lion on the logo truly needed a makeover. What better way to wash the shame of the worst record ever to be recorded in the NFL than by changing the logo. It is doubtless that this change will boost the morale of the fans, ownership, and players. Now that the logo has teeth the offensive line will not give up 52 sacks over the course of the season. The sharp new lettering will give the defense the confidence they need to pick off more than 4 passes in the season. Do not underestimate the power of these two changes. The new lion and lettering will undoubtedly move the offense up out of the current 27th ranking. Yes these changes were truly needed. It is hard to think of how spending time on the draft, free agency, and administration could be a better use of their time than changing the logo. Good for you Detroit. I for one am glad that you have your priorities so right and have truly learned from your 0-16 travesty. 

Wang Problems

For the third start in a row Chien Ming Wang has been absolutely dreadful. This season Wang has pitched only 6 innings total while giving up 23 hits, runs, and earned runs. On top of that he has walked 6 batters and given up 2 homeruns. What is truly troubling about these starts is that Wang has been giving up homeruns. As a sinkerballer Wang is at his best inducing groundballs and going deep into ballgames. Since he is giving up line drive hits and walking men something needs to be done. Normally this kind of struggling would be chalked up to rust from injury. However Wang has not escaped the second inning in his last two starts and is definitely harming the team. Manager Joe Girardi needs to do something with Chien Ming Wang. He can not be sent down to the minors as he is a 3 year veteran which prevents him from being sent down without either being put on waivers or without his permission. In a best case scenario Wang would accept the move to be sent down to the minors, which he should do. The reasoning behind this is twofold. First Wang will be able to work out his problems without hurting the team. Second the bullpen will not be as taxed as they have pitched 21 innings over the course of Wang's three starts. The only question would be who should be brought up. In my opinion Phil Hughes would be the logical choice to replace Wang. Hughes has had major league success and is familiar with the Yankees. Unless Girardi thinks Wang will have an immediate turn around, the decision seems to have been made for both of Wang and Girardi. If Wang wants to truly help the team he will realize the importance of a stint in the minors to the team.

Jets To Play Last Regular Season Game At Giants Stadium

The NFL released the schedules for every team today. Normally this is an uneventful occurrence but this time is a bit different. Since the Giants and Jets will be moving into a new stadium after this season is over they will each have one last home game at the current stadium. The schedule makers have opted to adorn the last home game at the Meadowlands in green giving the game to the Jets. This also would not be notable, however I left out one tiny detail that changes the view on this decision. Currently both the Giants and Jets play their games at Giants Stadium. Lets recap, the Jets will be playing the last regular season game at Giants Stadium. 

Now there are other factors which make this even more questionable. First the stadium, although sometimes referred to as the Meadowlands, is called Giants Stadium. Unfortunately for the Jets this means that when they play their home games they are playing at Giants Stadium. This gives the illusion that the Jets are renting the stadium from their landlords, the Giants. Next the Giants have most recently won a championship. Therefore all of last season the stadium featured a banner which took up an entire side of the stadium. Lastly it only makes sense that the Giants would close out the regular season in the stadium that bares their name. This is where we enter the grey area. The Giants are favored to be a playoff team this season. This does not guarantee that they will play a game in Giants stadium at any point during the playoffs. Best case scenario the Giants get home field throughout the playoffs and win the NFC Championship game to go to the Superbowl. Worst case scenario the Giants do not make the playoffs and Giants Stadium's last home game will be a Jets game. The schedule makers messed up big time here. 

Michael Kay Doesn't Get It

In his second start of the season A.J. Burnett threw six innings of no-hit baseball. Until he gave up a single to left off the bat of Carl Crawford, in a very good at-bat, Burnett's only blemish was a walk to Pat Burrell. Needing a rest, the Yankee bullpen had worked eight full innings the night before when Chien Ming Wang gave up 8 runs in only 1 inning of work. This start was exactly what the Yankees needed as Burnett is shaping up to be the stopper in this young season. However there was something in the game that truly bothered me as a baseball fan. Play by play Announcer Michael Kay, from the third inning on, relentlessly mentioned the no-hitter Burnett was working toward.  

I can not quite remember when it began. Maybe it was in Little League when the team would rally behind the hitter. Maybe it was later on in Babe Ruth when I would tap the corner of the plate with my bat before every pitch. Maybe it was when I saw Bull Durham for the first time. Maybe it was when I would make sure I wore the exact same outfit to every Yankee game for good luck. Whenever it started one thing held true: baseball is superstitious... point blank. Being as unique a game as baseball is, players will do anything that can help them remain in the zone. People who know baseball understand this. Michael Kay is not one of these people. As I was listening to his radio show a caller said he had a problem with how he called the game. Citing the fact that Kay mentioned the no-hitter as his problem with the broadcast. To this criticism Kay went berserk saying that he did not make any difference in the game and that people who believe that "belong in Salem", referring to the Salem witch trials. 

First of all let me state that I truly believe that baseball and superstition go hand in hand. However I also believe that superstition only applies to the players and anything I do watching the game is solely to appease my own superstitions and have no real effect on the game. With that said the announcer has an obligation to respect the fan's wishes. You do not talk about a no-hitter while it is in progress. Period. A true fan will know whats going on and it does not need to be repeated after every batter. Watching the game I grew increasingly more angry with Michael Kay as he would not let up. Anyone who believes that superstitions in baseball are a bunch of malarkey then I offer this piece of advice from Crash Davis "If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you ARE! And you should know that!" 

Usain Joint

Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica told the German newspaper Bild that when he was younger he tried marijuana. The full quote is this "In Jamaica, you learn as a child how to roll a joint. Everyone here has tried it. I did too -- but I was real young then. My family and my friends don't smoke and I don't hang out any longer with people who smoke." In his home country of Jamaica marijuana use is illegal but there have been several movements to decriminalize it. Aside from Cool Runnings, Jamaica's biggest tie to pop-culture is undoubtedly Bob Marley. As many know Bob Marley was an avid marijuana user and became a cultural icon, in part, because of it. Unfortunately many people then associate the Jamaican people with that type of lifestyle. Although some people in Jamaica, as with any country, are into that lifestyle, it is understandable that some people would find what Usain Bolt said of Jamaican culture a bit troubling. However there is no real problem with what Bolt said. He admitted to being young and curious. Aside from those admissions nothing of substance was said. Being an Olympic athlete he was tested regularly and never failed a test. Unlike the pictures of Michael Phelps hitting a bong, this quote is about past events and Bolt even admitted that he no longer associates with that type of person. Therefore Bolt has said or done nothing wrong. The only gripe here is that which was said about Jamaican culture which may or may not hold some truth.

Beantown

The past few days have been tough on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On Thursday Nick Adenhart, the 22 year old top pitching prospect, was killed by a drunk driver, a terrible tragedy no team should have to endure. Then on Sunday Josh Beckett nearly drilled Bobby Abreu in the head with a fastball on a called timeout. The benches cleared and Torii Hunter, Justin Speier, and manager Mike Scioscia were all ejected. The Angels won both games mentioned above and should be commended for their resilience in such a tough time. 

I would like to put the Josh Beckett incident under the microscope. This pitch was a bit fishy. Bobby Abreu came up to bat in the bottom of the first with 1 out and a man on second. The count was in favor of Josh Beckett at 1-2. With Chone Figgins, a threat to steal a base, at second base Josh Beckett was checking second base to make sure Figgins did not take off. However the amount of time taken to throw the pitch was highly inordinate at 11 seconds. Since Bobby Abreu was in the batters box for this whole time he chose to call time and the umpire granted him time out.  Apparently aggravated by such a preposterous decision to call time after an 11 second wait at the plate Josh Beckett threw a fastball near the head of Bobby Abreu well after time was called. Beckett was already in his windup but that does not excuse the pitch. Since Jason Varitek was setting up low and away before the pitch, up and in was clearly not where the pitch was supposed to go. 

After the pitch was thrown Bobby Abreu took a step back and looked at Josh Beckett with the "what the hell" look we are all familiar with. The umpire immediately went to restrain the stationary Bobby Abreu from advancing on Josh Beckett. The only problem with this is that at this point Josh Beckett was charging the plate. Inevitably the benches cleared and people were ejected. The people ejected were Justin Speier, Mike Scioscia, Mickey Hatcher, and Torii Hunter. Only Torii Hunter truly deserved to be ejected as he reacted with anger and needed to be restrained. Clearly Mike Scioscia was pulling an old managerial trick by getting ejected on his own volition. One person who was not ejected was pitcher Josh Beckett. Not only did Josh Beckett throw the pitch with intent to send a message, maybe not to hit Abreu, but he also charged the plate which may be a first as the pitcher is the one who threw the pitch. I do not know what the umpire was thinking in this situation. Over the past few years Beckett has established himself as a very accurate pitcher and knows where he is throwing the ball. Given this information it was clear that Beckett was throwing at Abreu. Lets say he hit Abreu which would have been in the head. Abreu might not be able to come back from an injury like that...ever. Think about that Beckett would have ended his career over a called time-out mid-windup. Really Beckett, did it annoy you that much to risk the career of Abreu. 

Suspensions were handed out and Josh Beckett was handed his due punishment. He was suspended 6 games and fined. Of the Angels ejected, Hunter, Scioscia, Speier, and Hatcher, only Hatcher was suspended for one game and the rest were fined.   

The Meaning Seems To Be Lost

With the 2008-2009 NBA season coming to a close it is time to give out the end of the season awards. Probably the most interesting of the award races is the MVP race. The race is clearly between Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both of these players are the leaders of their team. The difference between the two players is that LeBron James' team is in first place and Dwayne Wade's team is in fifth place. In comparison the two players have similar stats but it appears that LeBron James will win the award. A similar occurrence happened last year when Kobe Bryant won he MVP award over Chris Paul who was arguably more qualified. It seemed as though Kobe was given the award in large part because he did not already have an MVP award and also because his team was in first place. This seems to miss the whole point of the award.

Decoding the acronym M.V.P. one would find the phrase Most Valuable Player. Sometimes the meaning of these words can be a bit blurred. While it is true that the best player on the first place team, e.g. LeBron James, is valuable in his own right, it is not always true that that player should win the award. The supporting cast that LeBron James sports is far more impressive than Dwayne Wade's. Made up of mostly younger players and declining veterans, the Heat rely heavily on Wade to pick up the slack in every game. If Wade has a poor game then the team's chances of winning decline greatly. On the other hand LeBron James' team, although a huge part of their team, can have a less than average game without diminishing his team's chance of winning too much. Looking at the stats the two players are fairly even with LeBron slightly ahead as he has 2 more rebounds per game. Aside from the rebound differential the other stats are simply too close to call. 

However the x factor in this race is that the Heat would not be a playoff team if you took Wade out of the lineup. Lets not forget the game against the Chicago Bulls when he hit the shot to send it to overtime. Then while in overtime he stole the ball and hit a three to win the game. Taking James out of the Cavaliers lineup would obviously drop their seed but they would still be a playoff team. Dwayne Wade deserves the trophy but LeBron James will take home the hardware because the writers will be swayed by the number 1 seed. That is not to say that LeBron James does not deserve the award, he had an amazing season and would be a legitimate MVP winner. What this does mean is that Wade is more deserving of the award.

Jack Elway following the advice of Fleetwood Mac

Jack Elway, son of NFL Hall of Fame quaterback John Elway, decided to give up on football and quit the Arizona State Univeristy football team. That was the formal way of saying it. I prefer to say that Jack Elway realized that he did not have to follow in the footsteps of his father. In fact the very notion that this is even news is unbelievable. This piece of information should not be on the Yahoo.com mainpage but rather a small story in the The State Press, the ASU student newspaper. In fact this story is not the headline of the ASU homepage. Essentially this story is relevant to two groups of people. The coaching staff of the ASU football team and the Elways. Otherwise this is not news. Jack, good for you. It can be very difficult to step our of your parents shadow especially when it is someone as iconic as John Elway. You are making it your own way, and I for one wish you good luck on your future endeavours.  

UNC Cruises... I mean Cruises

The nets have been cut down in the NCAA tournament and North Carolina came out on top. Coming back after a crushing defeat in the Semifinal game last year both Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough chose to forgo the NBA Draft and return to win the national title. And they did just that. However it is tough to say they would have expected to cruise to the championship the way they did. The Tarheels did not face a #1 seeded team throughout the tournament. Furthermore they did not win a game by less than 12 points. In case you needed clarification that is udder domination.

Hansbrough and Lawson clearly made the right choice in coming back for one more season. The championship is the cap to Tyler Hansbrough's four year career in which he set the ACC record for points in a career surpassing J.J. Reddick. Experts feel that Hansbrough will not have a fruitful NBA career but that is yet to be seen. During the tournament Ty Lawson put on a clinic. His star rose immensley in the eyes of NBA teams looking for a point guard.

Despite not beating a #1 seed, North Carolina grabbed the competition by the throat and did not let up till the final buzzer was sound. Welcome back to dominance.

The Raiders... Watch Out Jeff Garcia

What can be said about the Oakland Raiders that has not already been said about spoiled milk, the good times have passed and it makes everything stink. To be fair to the Raiders, they are only 6 years removed from a Superbowl appearance and have not been the worst team in the league for the past two years (an honor bestowed to the Dolphins and Lions respectively). However the Raiders have the unique distinction as the team that nothing goes right for. It seems like the Raiders misfortune can be traced way back to 2002 in the infamous "tuck rule" game. In that game New England Patriots quaterback Tom Brady seemingly fumbled the ball late in the game giving the raiders possession. Ultimately this cost the Raiders the game and the Patriots went on to win the Superbowl. Its difficult to say that the next year was unfortunate as the Raiders made it to the Superbowl, in a losing effort. The next six years have not been, we'll say productive for the Raiders.

The Raiders woes have not been due to a lack of talent. In fact talent might be their biggest attribute. However that appears to be the problem itself. Despite all the talent present of the team, players do not play to their abilities on the Raiders. For example JaMarcus Russell. Russell showed so much promise to be an NFL quaterback, he had size, a cannon for an arm, mobility, and the ability to throw on the run. His rookie year was practically preseason as he held out for much of the year. This past season was dismal as he threw for 13 touchdowns with 8 interceptions completing just over 50% of his passes, and averaged 6.6 yards per pass. Another example of a recent draft pick that has not quite lived up to his potential is Michael Huff. After two seasons of starting at the safety position, this past season Huff was benched in favor of Hiram Eugene. Many forget but Huff was an excellent safety in college and showed a great deal of promise as well. I know what your saying now: "Those are really young players how much can you really expect from them". To which I say you have a fair point but it is not just rookies who have not performed. Undoubtedly the biggest case of Raideritis would be Randy Moss. In two seasons Moss was ineffective and a shell of his former self. Some people even felt that Moss was at the end of his career, which he proved was not the case in '07 and '08. 

Don't get me wrong, the Raiders have several players who are effective and contribute positively to the team. Several of the defensive players are excellent football players. Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the premier cornerbacks in the league, arguably the best, and Kirk Morrison, the defensive leader, has had several great seasons for Oakland. The problem is the attitude in Oakland. They have just experienced a coaching change switching from Lane Kiffin to Tom Cable, their fifth different head coach in the past 7 seasons. As you would guess this constant shifting of coaches does not allow for the team to move forward. Which finally brings me to my point: Jeff Garcia. Garcia is the best quaterback that has never been locked down. He always finds his way onto the field regardless of situation. In Philadelphia Garcia lead the seemingly doomed Eagles to the playoffs following McNabb's season ending knee injury early in the season. He also took the starting role from Chris Simms in Tampa Bay and led the Bucs to the playoffs. I fear for you man. You have all the makings of a crash and burn. First you are a solid quaterback which means something about the black and silver may make your skills diminish. Second your a journeyman meaning you may have one bad year and everyone may be skeptical of your value. Look out Jeff, like the picture, that Raider curse is coming for you.

Winning isn't everything... or is it

On Tuesday the University of Kentucky made an investment that may change their program around. By signing John Calipari the University of Kentucky made a statement. They said "We are not going to sit around and let our program go down the tubes". After winning the National Championship in 1998, the wildcats have not made the Final Four since and have missed the tournament all together this year for the first time in 18 years. John Calipari on the other hand has been in the Final Four as recently as last season, building up the Memphis Basketball program. Over the next 8 years John Calipari will be returning Kentucky back to where the program used to be. In case you were wondering the program has 7 NCAA titles second most in the history of the NCAA behind UCLA. 

As you can imagine the program will need an overhaul. However John Calipari has no intention of making this a gradual process. He has come out and said that he will meet with every player individually to assess their worth to the team.  This does not mean that the players will be evaluated to see how they play together. No. What he means by this is that those players he deems "good enough" will remain with the team and those who he deems not "good enough" will  no longer be with the program. Weeding out the weak players will most likely prove to be an effective strategy for rebuilding the program. However this process is not very fair to current players. Essentially what Calipari is saying is that those players who are just happy to be playing for Kentucky may not be playing with Kentucky anymore. For these players who have no NBA aspirations a coaching change may prematurely end their basketball careers. Put yourself in their shoes. The player doesn't get closure on their season with the last game. No time to say goodbye to their school in their last home game. These players may have to end their basketball unceremoniously in a meeting with the coach who had no affiliation to the program, player, or even the state. 

Calipari has not made any official decisions yet on the players. He may even keep all the players on the current roster. Although given the way in which he was talking about the team in his press conference it seems he will be making a splash in the coming offseason. Lets all hope Calipari does this the right way, through recruiting and being a solid coach which we all know he is capable of doing.