The Avslova factor

The Avslova factor

Pittsburgh's Playoff Run

At first glance at the title of this post, you might think to yourself, "Ugh, not more Penguins talk. I hate Sydney Crosby, he's such a d-bag." Then you might have looked at the author of this post, and think, "Hmm, isn't he the baseball guy? Wait just a gosh darn minute! He knows nothing about hockey, and it's too early to rant about how much the Ravens suck. Is he talking about the Pirates? Nah, he can't be, even he's not that farfetched."

Then you would check the MLB standings and see that the Bucs are only two games under .500 and 6.5 games behind the Cubbies. They're not so bad now, are they? I'm not going to say they're going to win the division, and I'm not going to say they're going to get the wildcard. All I'm saying is, if they do happen to do it, here's why it would happen. It's like O.J. Simpson's book, except not as deadly.

As of right now, the Buccoes are 4th in the National League in runs scored. That says a lot for a team that couldn't cross the plate at all in recent years. It seems as though their youngins are finally maturing, and are able to play ball with the big-boy teams and not wet their pants. Strictly being a station to station club on the basepaths, they have made up for their lack of stolen bases with clutch hitting and brilliant relief pitching. Especially by youngster Matt Capps, woodsman John Grabow and Hawaiian Tyler Yates.

They do have some issues though, as one could imagine. "Oh gee, if their bullpen is so good, and they're scoring a lot of runs, why aren't they in first?" Good question, GEO. (I know, right) Anyway, even though 8th isn't a bad place for homerun totals, they're still only batting .250 as a team. They've struck out the 7th most times, and they do have that base stealing issue. SOLUTION: Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay need to step up. If McCloth and Nady keep producing the success they've been having at the plate, then that would be one hell of a lineup. Jack Wilson should be coming back soon from the DL also, so he should bump that average up when he comes back (assumingly).

But the more important issue is their starting pitching. Besides Matt Morris being a major bust, they really don't have a bad rotation. Everyone is just performing poorly. If Ian Snell and Tom Gorzellany can produce like they did all of last year, Pittsburgh might have a shot at this thing. All that needs to happen is for Zach Duke and Paul Mahlom to pitch decently, and they got themselves a team. I think that if the Pirates consider themselves in the hunt, and can get themselves another starter via trade, they could become contenders. That is, if all of the above happen. ;]

I'm not sayin'...I'm just sayin'.

NHL and NHLPA To Examine Goalie Equipment

It was decided upon in February at the General Managers meetings in Florida that the size of the Goalie's Equipment needs to be reviewed once again. If you remember, the size of the equipment was reduced after the lockout when then new CBA was put in place, as well as the size of the nets.

The league and it's players association have formed the group that will determine whether or not the size of the goalie's equipment needs to be changed again. The group says that reducing the size of their pads will help increase offense. The league will be represented by Doug Risebrough from Minnesota, Garth Snow from the NY Islanders, Jim Rutherford from Carolina, and Brett Hull from Dallas. The players will be represented by goalies Martin Brodeur, Rick DiPietro, and Ryan Miller, along with skaters Dany Heatley and Mike Cammalleri.

The group will meet on June 11th in Toronto to discuss the issue. A unanimous decision was reached at the GM meetings to do something about the size of the equipment. If it is determined that the size of the equipment needs to be reduced, and it will not jeopardize the safety of the goalies, the new rules will be submitted to the NHL's Competition Committee for consideration.

Source: NHL.com

Is that really necessary? I see nothing wrong with the size of the pads that they have now, especially since they were already reduced once. How many times is the league gonna change their size? And what I don't understand is how does the size of the goalie's equipment effect the games offense? If they keep reducing the size of their pads, they might as well get rid of goalies altogether and make it a free for all on the net if they want more offense. The goalie is there to prevent the other team from scoring, not to allow them to score, and if their equipment keeps getting smaller, that will become a harder task for them to accomplish.

With the new CBA in place, the game is already faster and allows for more offense. How much more do they want? In my opinion, high scoring games are boring and really take away the spirit of competition from the game. The lower scoring games are more exciting because you're on the edge of your seats, watching to see who's going to finally score and give their team the win. Not to mention, higher scoring games would take longer because of all the stoppages in play after each goal, on top of penalties, icing calls, and tv timeouts. Games would take forever.

While smaller equipment would make for ease of motion and better flexibility for goaltenders, I don't think it would be a wise decision to change the size of their equipment. As I pointed out already, goalies are there to prevent scoring chances and goals, not add to them.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you think it's necessary for the goaltender's equipment to be reduced again, or do you think it's fine the way it is? I want to hear what you have to say, so feel free to comment.

Why Pat Burrell is Hitting .337

It comes as a pleasent and unexpected, yet welcomed shock that Pat Burrell is hitting the ball in April. Many of us, including myself, thought that "Pat the Bat" wouldn't get it going until at least mid-May, but as of now he's tied for 2nd in the Majors in dingers (8) and tied for 2nd in RBI (25). How is he doing this? Other than the fact that he's half-man, half-machine, it's because he buckled down and finally went to Spring Training not only on time, but bright and early when the pitchers and catchers reported...just kidding, he does that every year. Some blog that would have been, right? It's going to be tough without video, but I'm going to break down his swing and explain how he transformed himself from a strikeout victim, to a run-producer.

Stance:
If you noticed, he seems a little less showy than in recent years, and a little more focused on what he's at the plate to do. Part of his problem last year during most of his at-bats, he was always late on pitches and he would either strikeout or pop it up as a result. This season, he limited his bat movement before the pitch, therefore he now has more time to react to incoming pitches.

A second thing he changed was his lower half. I remember my mom and I would always make fun of him for flailing out at the end of every swing, with his big-ass sticking out on the follow-through. Now his feet are a little farther apart, creating more power, and a smaller swing radius making less room for error.

Contact:
At the point of contact, he is getting to the ball much quicker than he used to. He's seeing the ball much better, which allows him to drive his hands and back knee quicker, and hit line drives to the outfield. In the past, he was all upper-half and when he made contact, it was always a weak pop-up or a routine grounder. His mechanics are much more refined and he's able to hit for average and RBI's, rather than trying to hit a grand slam with two men on base.

Finish:
Instead of flailing himself out of balance every swing, he has learned to shorten up his swing and keep himself in a position to hit. Throughout your swing, it is said to keep your front leg-back leg balance 50-50 as best you can, but your body will naturally take you 60(front)-40 if you do everything right. Burrell has perfected that theory and has become a more effective hitter because of it.

Am I Milt Thomson? Nope, he's the guy who fixed Pat and gave the Phillies another weapon in the clubhouse. I'm the guy who knows how to hit, and praises improved players when they diserve it.

The NHL NEEDS Caps To Win Tonight

Some may think that it's my personal bias towards Philly sports that keeps me from rooting for the Flyers tonight in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference QF against the Washington Capitals, but that would be incorrect. In truth, I just want want is best for the game.

If the Flyers win, we'll see Montreal-Philadelphia and Pittsburgh-New York in the second round. Great. Nothing that exciting though.

If the Capitals win, we'll see Montreal-New York and Pittsburgh-Washington. Amazing.

Start out with that first matchup, Montreal and New York. Both teams are huge markets and both are original six teams. One is the current pride of Canada while the other is a major city in America. There's the possibility of a US-Canada type series and that kind of competition can only be good.

The second game is much more compelling. We'll see Alexander Ovechkin vs Sidney Crosby - Part 1. Can there be anything better than the two most marketable players facing off in the playoffs? The Penguins are the better team and the Capitals are the Cinderella. But in terms of star players, they're equal.

And lets face it, Philadelphia is a much more stable market than Washington, a city that has waited five years to see their beloved Caps in the playoffs. Those fans from Philly will be back next year but an early Playoff exit could see the Caps starting all over again.

So please, Washington, win the game tonight.

The NHL needs you.

Da Crew's Top 6 In Each Conference

Three months after the Giants did the unthinkable, the NFL scene is slightly different. A 6 year 57 million dollar contract from the Eagles has helped Asante Samuel forget about his dropped interception in the final two minutes of the Super Bowl, Brett Favre may or may not be playing next year, and Michael Turner will take himself and all of his hype to Atlanta to be part of a Falcons re-building project. Fresh off a title in the 2007 NFL Predictions Contest, I'll take a look at Top 6 teams in each conference if the season started today. Oh yes, things will change, things will most definitely change with the draft along with potential trades and other developments in Training Camp, but let's dive right into things and see where the teams stand right now.

AFC
1. New England Patriots- The loss of Asante Samuel hurts as the secondary is now just as big of a question mark as the aging linebacking corps, but the Pats still have Randy Moss along with the best coach and the best quarterback in the NFL. That combination will always have them hovering around the top of the AFC.

2. Indianapolis Colts- After a dissappointing playoff loss to the Chragers in which Billy Volek led a comeback drive against their defense, the Colts did little in free agency; however, a healthy Dwight Freeney and a healthy Marvin Harrison could result in another big playoff run for Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Fresh off a seven year contract extension, Quarterback David Garrard and the underrated Jaguars should challenge the Colts for AFC South supremacy. The Jags were a lot of people's darkhorse pick in the playoffs last year and now have something they lacked last season- Potential playmakers at the wide receiver position in Troy Williamson and Jerry Porter.

4. San Diego Chargers- Some might suggest I have a team as talented as the Chargers a little low, but it will be interesting to see how Philip Rivers responds to offseason knee surgery at the start of the season. With the emergence of Vincent Jackson to complement LT and Antonio Gates, the Chargrs can be Super Bowl contenders if Rivers plays well and Norv Turner mangaes to not screw things up too much.

5. Cleveland Browns- No this is not a misprint- The Cleveland Browns are a good football team. With the additions of Donte Stallworth, Shaun Rogers, and Corey Williams, the Browns are the favorites over the Steelers in the AFC North. Brady Quinn may be waiting in the wings, but he'll have to sit and watch as Derek Anderson leads the Browns deep into the playoffs.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers- The Titans and Bills came to mind here, but I'm going to say that even with the loss of Alan Faneca, the Steelers should still be good as a few different coaching decisions would have resulted in a playoff win versus the Jaguars last season.

NFC

1. Dallas Cowboys- The Cowboys should once again be near the Top of the NFC. An aging wide receiving corps and a suspect secondary will be question marks, but the real questions is whether Tony Romo who seems to transform into Tim Couch at 11:59 p.m. on November 30 can deliever late in the season.

2. Green Bay Packers- Only in the NFC can a team with a first year starter at Quarterback possibly be the second best team in the conference. To say Aaron Rodgers has big shoes to fill might be the understatement of the century, but he'll have a good supporting cast in Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, and Greg Jennings to help him out.

3. Philadelphia Eagles- I'll take some heat for this, but the fact is that the Eagles lost 6 games by 8 points or less last year and improved in the offseason with the additions of Asante Samuel and Chirs Clemons. The team still lacks the playmaker it desperately needs at the wide receiver position, but with a healthy Donovan McNabb, the Eagles could soar in 2008.

4. New York Giants- Maybe a little low for a Super Bowl champion, but the Giants lost three defensive startes in free agency. Tom Coughlin has his new contract extension and things seemd all well and good in Giants Land, but turmoil could flare up if the team gets off to a slow start.

5. Seattle Seahawks- For years people have predicted someone to overtake the Seahawks in the NFC West, and it never happens. Expect another division title for Seattle as Matt Hasselbeck and Mike Holgrem try for one last run at glory before Holmgren calls it quits.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- My sleeper team in 2007- The Bucs should once again hold off the Saints and win the NFC South. An rejuvenated defense along with winners at the coach and Quarterback position in Jon Gruden and Jeff Garcia should result in the Bucs once again making noise in 2008.


That't a wrap for now. Feel free to comment, and in the next addition we'll discuss the rule changes, the NFL draft, and why the Bengals need to trade Chad Johnson before it's too late.

Umpire Games

Ozzie Guillen, the manager of Major League Baseball's Chicago Whitesox, was fined by the MLB offices on Friday after being ejected on Monday for accusing umpire Phil Cuzzi for having a personal vendetta against him. It is Guillen's 13th ejection since taking the White Sox job in 2004.

Cuzzi later commented, "It's nothing personal against Ozzie. I remember umpiring games back when he was a scrawny kid playing shortstop." He later added, "It's simply all part of a game. A few years ago at our annual umpire convention in Punta Cana we put all the managers names in a hat and picked out Ozzie's. The rules are simply, whoever gets Ozzie fined the most money in the proceeded five years wins."

"I got fined a lot of money. That's all I can say. A lot of money," Guillen said before Friday night's game against Detroit. "I could buy land in Venezuela with that money."

Even journalist and frequent Around the Horn participant Jay Mariotti got in an the action. In a short statement the Chicago-Sun Times writer stated that the nickname "Blizzard of Oz" was purely to try to get Ozzie to lose his temper. And it worked. Put $500 in Jay Mariotti's total.

These recent fine pushes Cuzzi to the top of the leader board. This is the second time Cuzzi ejected Ozzie since the game started.

Lecavalier Excited For Real Season To Start

As the Tampa Bay Lightning's disappointing season winds down, Vincent Lecavalier can now embrace a big smile on his face. While he may be best known as a captain of the NHL Lightning, his heart is truly elsewhere.

When the season kicks off on April 26th, Lecavalier looks to extend his streak of MCAHL MVP titles to three.This will be Lecavalier's third season in the Manatee County Adult Hockey League, and he already has two championships under his belt.

"What can I say? I guess I'm just better than the competition," Lecavalier commented on his MVP streak, "I joined this team looking for something to do throughout the NHL Playoffs. Sure, we won the cup a few years ago, but it was clear things were all downhill from there." When asked about his visible lack of motivation on the ice this NHL season he said, "I was simply saving my energy for the MCAHL. That's where the real fun is at."

Unfortunately, the MCAHL doesn't pay as well as the NHL. "You have to pay the bills somehow, otherwise I wouldn't even be in the NHL anymore. Lets face it: the Bolts suck. I'm miserable, and they traded away my buddy Brad Richards for a backup goalie. I have to come up with the $1,500 fee for players in the MCAHL somehow."

Last season, in 44 games (including playoffs) Lecavalier put up 128 Goals and 112 Assists for the Palm Cup winning Palmetto Seabreezes.

Penguins Win The Atlantic Division

That's right, the Penguins are your 2007-08 Atlantic Division Champions and I for one couldn't be happier. This is a Penguins team that two years ago barely had more than half of the points that they did last season or this season, now they've made the playoffs two years in a row, with last year being their first appearance since 2001, and now this year they capture their first ever Atlantic Division Title and are one win away from clinching the conference. The future certainly is bright for this Penguins team. I will certainly be shocked if Michel Therrien doesn't win the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year this year. With the all the adversity the team faced this season with injury(278 man games lost due to injury), Therrien and his staff still found ways to lead this team to victory, even without star and team captain Sidney Crosby. If this were any other team, or the Penguins of a few years ago, their season may have been over a long time ago, but other players stepped up and worked as a team. Plus, you can't forget the addition of three new players in Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis, and Hal Gill that have only had a little over a month to get used to the team and the system, and they've been playing very well nonetheless. It will definitely be even more exciting if the Pens clinch the conference this Sunday. Even if both the Pens and Habs win their last regular season game, the Pens would still clinch the conference because they have the tiebreaker over Montreal with more wins. Now the question is, who will we play in the first round? Right now, it looks we could be playing the Capitals, and wouldn't that be exciting? The NHL's marketing team would certainly have a field day with this matchup, and I certainly hope we do play the Caps, but we could possibly play the Bruins or Flyers(if they should win on Sunday).

In other Penguins news, the burning question among most Pens fans is will star Right Wing Marian Hossa re-sign with the team in the offseason? I would say there is a good chance of it since the ownership team said they are willing to spend the money. But at the same time, you have to look at the other players we have to re-sign this offseason:

Marc-Andre Fleury: The team has high hopes for him and it's easy to see why, so I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon. Since coming back from a high right ankle sprain, he's been spectacular in goal, posting a 10-1-1 record with a 2.37 GAA and a .920 Save Percentage, and he won back the #1 goalie position from Ty Conklin.

Ty Conklin: Let's face it, without his stellar performance while Marc-Andre Fleury was injured, we might be further down in the standings than we are, perhaps even on the outside looking in on the playoff race. It wasn't just his play, but the entire teams performance, but without a good goalie, you're not going to do very well. While Dany Sabourin certainly exceeded my expectations in terms of his performance this season, I think it would be a mistake to let Ty Conklin go.

Ryan Malone: He's having a career year with career bests in goals(27) and points(51) and he's certainly stepped up in his leadership role as an Assistant Captain, especially while Crosby was out. He could be the odd man out, but letting him go wouldn't be too smart and would certainly hurt the team chemistry, especially his line with Malkin and Sykora, referred to as "The Steel City Line", which has been one of the better lines in the league recently.

Jarkko Ruutu: Easily one of my favorite players on the team. The fans love him, and why not? He's great at what he does. He agitates the other teams players better than a lot of people, and just seeing him get that smirk on his face when he's getting in the face of another player is classic. He also does a great job of standing up for his teammates, and he drops the gloves when it's needed. He can also score from time to time, and he's also surprisingly good in shootouts. He's a class act and not re-signing him would be stupid.

Georges Laraques: Another key piece to this Pens team. He's also very good at protecting and standing up for his teammates, and he's widely regarded as the heavyweight champion when it comes to dropping the gloves. He's not a big scorer, but he does find the back of the net from time to time. Plus, he does a lot of great things for the community here in Pittsburgh. He's certainly another class act.

Brooks Orpik: He's a gritty, tough defenseman that's certainly been a force on the Pens blueline. He looks out for his teammates, and drops the gloves like some others do. He also makes big hits, which not all the Pens D-men do.

Mark Eaton: He's had some problems with injuries the past two seasons, but he's one of our best penalty killers and one of the best shot blockers we have.

Pascal Dupuis: He may be new to the team, but he fits in well. He's got good speed and can put up points.

Gary Roberts: If he decides to come back for another season, it would be a mistake to not re-sign him. He's a grizzled vet that has playoff experience, and he's a force on the ice. He makes big hits and drops the gloves with the best of them, not to mention he also provides good leadership for a young team.

Plus, you can't forget about contract extensions for Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, who could become free agents after next season. And there's also players that will need re-signed after next season, such as Daryl Sydor, Petr Sykora, Sergei Gonchar(either next season or the season after) and Hal Gill to name a few. And with the salaries of some of our star players, we won't be able to re-sign all of these players.

So, who do we let go to free agency and who do we re-sign? Feel free to comment.

ESPN MLB Airtime

Every year, I seem to watch the Red Sox and Yankees more than any other team. Actually, it's a fact, I do. It's not really that big of a deal to me, because they are the two teams with the biggest fanbase and two premier teams. But I've always begged someone to answer me the question: "Why are these two teams the most popular?" One could point to the 26 Championships, a very valid point. There are probably equally as many people who like the Red Sox simply because they don't like the Yankees.
I blame ESPN for this evil. The evil of seeing and hearing about these teams more than any other. Why do you think kids choose these teams? When you're forcefed two teams more than any other in baseball, they're going to take over. I think it's a terrible thing for baseball that teams like the Royals and Pirates are never shown. These teams can become better without huge fanbases, but the owner needs some kind of monetary motivation. The Bucs don't garner any interest from fans and the owner is unwilling to lose some money to field a better team. If the team isn't any good, young kids aren't going to bother and they won't get any national attention. It's a neve ending cycle for that team.
After this season, I will have proof that the teams shown the most on ESPN are the teams that are the most popular. I'm keeping a tally of the number of times each team has been shown. Here are the standings as of April 3rd, I will update here after the second week of the season.

0 - Arizona Diamondbacks
1 - Atlanta Braves
0 - Baltimore Orioles
2 - Boston Red Sox
1 - Chicago Cubs
0 - Chicago White Sox
0 - Cincinnati Reds
0 - Cleveland Indians
0 - Colorado Rockies
0 - Detroit Tigers
0 - Florida Marlins
1 - Houston Astros
0 - Kansas City Royals
1 - LA Angels of Anaheim
1 - Los Angeles Dodgers
1 - Milwaukee Brewers
1 - Minnesota Twins
0 - New York Mets
2 - New York Yankees
2 - Oakland Athletics
0 - Philadelphia Phillies
0 - Pittsburgh Pirates
1 - San Diego Padres
1 - San Francisco Giants
0 - Seattle Mariners
0 - St. Louis Cardinals
0 - Tampa Bay Rays
0 - Texas Rangers
2 - Toronto Blue Jays
1 - Washington Nationals

As you see, the perennial favorites are already off to a good start.