NCAA Gets Rid of Really Stupid Rule to Encourage You to Complain Less About Relatively Less Stupid Rule Changes

No, I'm not talking about the "plan" to expand the NCAA basketball tournament to 96 teams that was really just a ploy to make everyone give the NCAA a pat on the back for "only" expanding the tourney to 68 teams...

The NCAA rules committee made some changes this month in regards to the rules of college hockey. I think most of the major changes were ill-advised, but the most egregious change has already been retracted by the committee.

The icing rule that was adopted, then rescinded:

Icing would be enforced for the entire game – even for teams on the penalty kill.

n This would have been a radical change to the game. I understand that the rules committee wanted to figure out a way to get more goals into college hockey, but this was the wrong way to go about it. Allowing shorthanded teams to clear the puck not only allows them to get fresh skaters onto the ice (critically important when killing a penalty), but also incentivizes careful puck play by the team with the man advantage. If teams on the power play did not need to worry about puck clearances, they could be much more liberal in the chances that they would take, and I believe the overall quality of the play would suffer. I would much rather see skilled passing on the power play resulting in good scoring opportunities than teams driving the puck at the net at every chance they could get. Far more faceoffs and slower play would be the result of this rule change, and I’m glad it’s only a hypothetical.

Rule changes:

1) A “contact to the head” penalty now carries a minimum of a five minute major and either a game misconduct or a game disqualification.

n If referees decide to call CTH penalties with the same frequency that they have in previous years, this is a horrible idea. For each CTH call, a player would be removed from the game, regardless of intent. Remember, college hockey officials are told to have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to CTH, meaning that we have seen a slew of two minute minors handed out to players when contact was minimal, and incidental. If the rules committee chooses to have such a policy, the repercussions for CTH should not be as severe as they will be next year. For blatant head shots, game misconduct penalties should certainly be assessed. However, if the same zero-tolerance standard is to be applied for contact to the head, the new rules that mandate five minutes and a game misconduct amount to mandatory jail sentences for all automobile violations, whether it’s a case of a parking ticket or vehicular homicide.

n I tried to look up the number of CTH penalties that were called in ten random games in 2009-10 for Miami, but USCHO’s box scores did not list a penalty summary. I would guess that there is at least one called every game, and most times it’s more like two or three. Maybe Mike could look this up. I’m interested, but I am also very sleepy.

2) Icing has been modified. If it appears to the linesman that a player of the team that has iced the puck would reach the puck before a player from the non-offending team, icing is waved off.

n Seems pretty subjective to me, but I’d rather have a hybrid system between the NHL’s system of strict touch up icing and no touch icing than strictly the latter. Since the tie goes to the defender, though, and the whistle will be blown as the players cross through the faceoff circle, I expect that the best races will be blown dead anyways, and treated as if the rule was no touch icing.

3) Another icing change – previously, if the linesman ruled that an iced puck could have been received as a pass by a player on the offending team, icing was waved off. This is no longer the case.

n Again, not a major change. I doubt I’d have much of an opinion on this at all if not for the style of hockey that Miami tends to play. They are less willing than many of their opponents to stretch the ice with long passes through the neutral zone that could turn into iced pucks. Since this rule change discourages long passes through neutral ice, and rewards teams (like Miami) that can pass more crisply, I’m all for it. In the long run it encourages fundamentally sound hockey at the cost of some excitement on the breakaway.

4) The teams will now switch ends as they do in pro overtime. No effort was made to rein in the CCHA’s shootout system, but a lack of an endorsement of this system by the NCAA has fueled speculation that the CCHA will revert to the old overtime system and get rid of the shootout.

n It’s a topic for another day, but I think the shootout has been a failure in the CCHA, partially because I’m fine with ties in hockey, but mostly because it made it far too confusing to compare CCHA records to the other teams in college hockey. By the middle of last year we were expressing CCHA records as (W-L-T) anyways, and the national media never reported CCHA records with the shootout records intact. Bottom line is that all of college hockey should be on one system for how records are decided. We use the pairwise system to compare records and decide who goes where in the tournament (if the pairwise lets them go at all). If we’re going to use such a system, we had better express records the same way throughout the NCAA.

5) If a goal is scored on a delayed penalty, even with the extra attacker, the wronged team is still rewarded with a power play.

n I think this one is crazy, but it could have been a lot worse if the penalized team was no longer allowed to ice the puck. This change won’t affect too many games, but forcing a team to kill a penalty after giving up a goal with the extra attacker on the ice seems too harsh for my tastes. The whole point of the extra attacker coming on to the ice is that it extends the power play. The team with the extra attacker has more chances to score, and if they can control the puck well during the 6 on 5, the other team is worn down from trying to touch up the puck. Don’t penalize a team doubly for taking a minor penalty. Remember, there are some good times to take a penalty, so taking a good one shouldn’t cost your team two goals.

The elephant in the room:

The committee decided to look into the idea of allowing players to wear half face shields – the visors that most NHL players wear. These would protect the eyes while allowing for far better vision than the bars that college hockey players currently sport. More trips to the dentist’s office for the players, but they would be able to better anticipate hits coming from outside of their current field of vision, and hopefully avoid more serious injuries, such as concussions. Some coaches, most notably Jack Parker of BU, have also suggested that the face masks give the players a sense of invincibility that causes them to level some of the blows to the head that the NCAA is trying to crack down on with the CTH rule. Maybe by allowing the face shields the NCAA could decrease head injuries through a better field of vision for the players and more cautious play when it comes to hitting high – sans the draconian penalties that will be in place for next season in the cases of contact to the head.

NBA Finals Game 1

Lakers 102, Boston 89

The tone of the series was set last night and it will be a physical one. Within the 1st 30 seconds after tip-off, Paul Pierce and Ron Artest received double technicals for elbowing and jawing under the basket. The first battle in this series was won by the Lakers with Kobe Bryant scoring 30 points. Pau Gasol was ultimately the best player of the night showing his finesse and toughness throughout the game with 23pts and 14reb. Andrew Bynum had arguably his best game of the playoffs while only providing 10pts. Artest added 15 himself and provided solid defense he had been lacking in the last few series.

Pierce led the Celtics with 24pts, followed by 16 from Kevin Garnett, 12 from Ray allen, and 13 from Rajon Rondo, who also had 8 assists. Nothing went right for the Celtics from the start and even culminated in a jump ball of Nate Robinson 5'9 agains Pau Gasol 7'0. Rondo I feel did not keep the Celtics offense together like he needs to if they are going to move forward in this series.

The Lakers proved that they are not just the finesse team that they are known as. They can be physical with the rest of them. The Celtics will continue to be that physical, but hopefully they can translate that into more successful play. They were out rebounded by the Lakers and will need to use that physicality to be better around the glass. I look for a closer game in game 2, as I do not see the Celtics being this bad the rest of the series. We shall see though when the series resumes Sunday at 8:00 in Las Angeles.

Who Will Be MLB's Next Big Thing

MLB’s annual amateur entry draft is set to begin June 7^th. Now to many, this is not as big of a deal as the drafts of the NFL or NBA and that was probably a fair assessment in the past. Those drafts feature impact players who can provide in year 1. That never used to be the case for MLB, but in recent years those drafted in the early 1^st round are becoming more and more likely to reach the majors in the subsequent year. In 2007, David Price was drafted 1st overall and subsequently helped the Rays make the World Series in 2008. Last year Stephen Strasburg had so much hype after being drafted 1^st overall by the Nationals. That seems to be fair praise as he has dominated in the minors and will debut June 8^th against Pittsburgh. Now you might be saying these guys were the top picks and are different than others, but many drafted last year have come in and made an impact on their teams. Just look at Cincinnati’s Mike Leake, who didn’t even throw a single pitch in the minors and has been the Reds best pitcher so far (4-0 2.45ERA in 66 innings). Others who have already reached the majors or are about to include Washington’s Drew Storen, Baltimore’s Matt Hobgood, Seattle’s Dustin Ackley and San Francisco’s Zach Wheeler.

Now that we have seen the potential impact of these early 1^st round picks, lets take a look at the top 5 picks and potential options. Now obviously these are just guesses because I cannot judge what teams feel which players have the highest ceiling, most major league ready, and of course signability.

(Team, Age, Position, School)

1. Washington, Bryce Harper, 17, C, College of Southern Nevada

Harper has been the unanimous #1 since last year’s draft. After landing the front page of Sports Illustrated at 16, he dropped out of high school, got his GED, and enrolled in junior college to play against a better level of talent in a wood bat league. This only proved to further his stock as he even hit 4 home runs, a triple, and a double in one game in May. He has incredible power and athleticism that has not been seen since Alex Rodriguez. I doubt he’ll continue to play catcher though, as it has been proven to limit players in the Majors and would probably take 4 years to reach the majors. Expect him to move to a corner outfield and hit his way to the big leagues by 2012 when he’ll be the ripe age of 19.

Alternative Pick: They would be the worst management baseball if they choose someone else.

2. Pittsburgh, Manny Machodo, 17, SS, Brito Miami Private High School

Machado entered the season as the top high school position player and has done nothing to diminish that evaluation. Big and athletic, he can do just about everything on the baseball field, with the ability to hit for plenty of average and some power as he matures. He's got more than enough arm to play shortstop and is fine there for now, though there is some concern he'll outgrow the position. Even if he does, he'd be just fine at third, both in terms of handling the position defensively and providing the kind of offense teams look for at the hot corner. Expect him in the big leagues by the end of 2013, 2014 at the latest, as he is young and will need a lot of polishing in the minors.

Alternative Pick: RHP Jameson Taillon

3. Baltimore, Jameson Taillon, 19, RHP, The Woodlands HS, Texas

Taillon is the complete package in a high school pitcher, with tremendous size, stuff and a feel for pitching. He's got three plus pitches in his fastball (can reach up to 99mph), slider and curve. Even his changeup, while not used that much, is solid. He uses his size to his advantage and has tremendous mound presence. He is projected as a starter and could reach the majors by late late 2011 or 2012. He needs to work on his control to accomplish this however.

Alternative Pick: OF Michael Choice (or SS Machado if available)

4. Kansas City, Drew Pomeranz, 20, LHP, Mississippi

Pomeranz has established himself as the top lefty arm in a Draft class that hasn't got a deep the southpaw pool. Big, strong and durable, he's got the makings of an above-average three-pitch mix. He commands his fastball and breaking ball very well, and, while the changeup is a bit behind, it's improving quickly. His path to the majors will depend if he becomes a relief guy or a starter. Late 2011 if relief or could be as late as 2013 if he starts.

Alternative Pick: LHP Chris Sale (really is a toss up between the 2)

5. Cleveland, Chris Sale, 21, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast University

Sometimes good things come out of smaller schools. Sale took a strong Cape Cod League performance and carried it over into his junior season. With the chance to have three outstanding pitches, all of which he can throw for strikes, to go along with outstanding mound presence, Sale has developed into one of the better lefties in the Draft class. His arm slot is not typical of a starter, but with these combinations of pitches that is what he’ll be. Expect him up by late 2012 or early 2013.

Alternative Pick: LHP Drew Pomeranz (After stocking up on position players after trading 2 Cy Youngs and many other starters the Indians will for sure go pitching)

Now I know this is the top 5 only and I don’t have faith many will make it to the majors in a year, but expect older players to reach the bigs in the later picks. This draft is leaning towards more high school players that need longer to develop.

Now another major concern is signability and super-2 status that affects who is chosen and when they first appear in the majors. First signability. Expect Bryce Harper to go for a record contract this year, but come a little short of it. The nationals signed Strasburg last year to the highest draft contract in history. He was more polished and accomplished coming out, than Harper, and many aspects could affect Harper over the years of development (injury, position change). That being said, it is common for players to not sign contract and re-enter the next year hoping for more money. This isn’t all bad for teams as they get a compensation pick 1 below their current pick if they fail to sign. Example being Texas who now has the 15^th pick because they failed to sign their 14^th choice last year. However, teams rebuilding need to sign these prospects and not wait another year to get things going.

Another BIG issue is what we call Super-2 status. Rookies determine their arbitration status based on their amount of service time in the majors. Normally, players become arbitration eligible after 3 years, but a top group who play 2 years and a certain number of days on the big league roster are eligible after their 2^nd year. This means teams will most likely be on the hook for millions more. This is why Strasburg has not been to the majors yet. However some teams don’t care and want their best talent up right away (Jason Heyward, Atl and Mike Leake, Cin). But the likes of Carlos Santant, Cle and Buster Posey, SF have not reached the majors yet or are starting to recently (in Posey’s case). The guessed line for this Super-2 group is June 1 so expect many more rookies to pop up for struggling teams (Cubs, Indians, Baltimore, etc). So all of these things factor into who teams draft and when they call them up.

Now you understand a little bit about the process and why MLB’s draft has become the bottom feeders of drafts, because it is so complicated. That being said, June 1 has passed so expect some major names to start popping up, cough Strasburg cough. This leads into my next blog topic, Current Rookies and Soon to be Rookies. See you then.

Nobody's Perfect (Except for Armando Galarraga)

By now you have heard all about what should have been Armando Galarraga’s perfect game that was spoiled by first base umpire Jim Joyce’s blown call. The cries for replay in baseball are predictably vociferous, but to me, the more surprising reaction resulting from the incident has to do with the perceived role of umpires in our national pastime.

In an ESPN.com poll, 58% of respondents say that Joyce should have called the runner out even if he believed the play to be a tie in order to preserve the perfect game for Galarraga. In essence, the argument in this hypothetical situation is that an umpire should make what he believes to be a bad call (after all, tie goes to the runner) in order to help a pitcher make history. This sentiment – expressed by the overwhelming majority of respondents to the poll, completely contradicts what are this morning also overwhelming calls for instant replay to take on an expanded role in baseball.

The main point here ought to be that umpires, through whatever means, whether that is their own judgment on the field, instant replay, or something else, should get the call right. The runner was either safe or out, and the correct call should be applied. For an umpire to call the runner out when he believed him to be safe would be umpiring’s version of malpractice.

It should be noted that in the case last night, this is not what happened – Joyce blew the call. He can’t be criticized for somehow deciding to screw Galarraga – he simply got it wrong. I’d rather see an umpire blow the call that he believed he got right than see him call a runner out that he knew to be safe in some misguided attempt to help the pitcher make history. Blown calls are part of the game (for now at least). Making a safe/out call based on the context of the play rather than what the umpire saw on the field calls into question the integrity of the game.

Clearly, in the real case rather than the hypothetical one, the runner should have been called out. Now it appears that MLB is considering reviewing the call – a course of action that shouldn’t be taken lightly, but given the clear nature of the evidence and the historical importance of the game, must be considered.

Stanley Cup Finals: Game Two

As predicted by yours truly, game two of this series resembled the third period that we saw in game one - low scoring and gritty. This wasn’t a terribly bold prediction, as it was clear that both sides were terrified of playing another game that was unpredictable to the extreme. A few things that I took away from this game and what to look for tomorrow night in game three:

Both goalies showed that they can bounce back from off nights, but I still have far more confidence in Antti Niemi than in Michael Leighton. Niemi only allowed one goal, and it was on a very tough chance – a knuckling puck through traffic. Additionally, he made far more big saves than did Leighton – especially when he closed the door on Mike Richards’ breakaway and gloved Aaron Asham’s one-timer. Leighton gave up some juicy rebounds, and had the Blackhawks positioning been a little better, this game could have been won by an even larger margin.

The Hawks’ top line of Toews, Kane, and Byfuglien was still quiet, but it inspired more fear offensively than it did in game one, in addition to holding its own defensively. The play of Jonathan Toews was notably better, as the captain was able to control the puck and create a couple of chances for himself on the offensive end. Kane got three first period shots, leading the Hawks after the first twenty minutes, but failed to register a shot on goal for the remainder of the game. In fact, it was Ben Eager who was on the ice with Toews and Byfuglien when he tallied the Hawks’ second, and game-winning, goal - a chance that was created by a nifty Byfuglien takeaway in the neutral zone. It would be truly amazing if the Blackhawks could win this series without major offensive production from Toews and Kane, and while there is still plenty of time for those guys to heat up, Chicago has proven that they can win with role-players stepping up into the spotlight.

Shifting the series back to Philadelphia will add an interesting wrinkle to the strategy behind the bench as Peter Laviolette will have the benefit of the last change for his Flyers. On the road, Laviolette showed a willingness to roll with whatever match-up Coach Joel Quenneville threw at him. This lead to unfavorable match-ups for Philadelphia throughout the first two games. Coach Q, on the other hand, has employed quick changes off faceoffs throughout the playoffs when his squad is on the road, meaning that the Flyers’ top scoring lines will likely still have to contend with the Blackhawks checkers tomorrow night.

Dan Carcillo is quickly becoming the most hated man in Chicago, and this is likely to persist as long as the Flyers trail in this series. Generally, the Blackhawks did a good job of maintaining their poise when Carcillo tried to mix things up. Until I looked at the box score this morning, I didn’t realize that Ben Eager and Chris Pronger received matching ten minute misconduct penalties at 20:00 of the third period. Meaningless as far as game two is concerned, but it should be interesting to see if any of the extracurriculars spill over to tomorrow night, when an increasingly desperate Flyers team takes to their home ice.

By every metric, game two was played very evenly, both teams dominated for stretches, and ultimately Chicago’s goal-tending was a little bit better and they were able to pull out the win – just like we expect to see in Stanley Cup hockey. Peter Laviollette is unquestionably telling his squad that to this point, Chicago has done what they are supposed to do, and haven’t done so completely convincingly. If the Flyers can come out and win game three, they have an excellent opportunity to tie the series up and seize the momentum with a win in game four. The question remains: how long can the big guns – on both sides – be held down in this series? If Chicago can steal the third game in Philly with big games from Toews and Kane, it’s all but over for the Flyers. We’ve seen them come back from a three to zero hole once; we won’t see it again.

Tommy Wingels Signs Pro Contract

Forward and captain Tommy Wingels has officially forgone his senior season with the Hawks and signed a standard entry level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Wingels was drafted by the Sharks in the 6th round in 2008.

This is undoubtedly a huge blow to next years Redhawks. Wingels provided great leadership and proved pivotal in the Hawks run into the Frozen Four these past two years. It's a shame to see him go, he will surely by missed. That being said, I hope him the best of luck on his professional career and hope to see him up and playing with fellow Redhawk alum Dan Boyle very soon.

Official article from the Sharks Team Site: http://sharks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=530670

Next on my plate will be an analysis of next weeks MLB draft and its top 15 picks.

Until then Love and Honor,

Chris

A Lesson in Sports Ethics--Collusion

Amare Stoudemire is set to join the list of NBA free agents that will discuss their future plans with one another. This club includes Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and of course, LeBron James. Now let's not kid ourselves. Did we actually think these superstars would not send out feelers to determine what each one was going to do? These guys are all going to get their money, but the exception of Wade, none of them has been able to win a title. So of course they are going to try and engineer a way to the Larry O'Brien trophy. However, when Wade explain that these men would be meeting to discuss their plans with one another, he essentially started a discussion of collusion.

Collusion is essentially defined as working together to own the market of a given good or service. So this question has to be posed. If all these free agents are working together to play on teams together for the purpose of winning championships, it may ruin the parody of the league. But, it is not collusion. These players have every right to play for whatever team they want. They have every right to play with any player they wish to have on the court. As a result, if they added a 6th person to this list and the players paired off to play for the Bulls, Nets, and Clippers for example, Chicago, New Jersey and L.A. have become potential championship contenders. But as much griping as there may be, these players are not stopping any other team from bidding on them or from earning a championship.

Take the Lakers. Of course they would love to add James or Wade. Having a real big man who bangs around the rim like Bosh or Stoudemire would make them clear favorites in the Western Conference. But it is extremely likely none of these players will be in a Lakers uniform next season, yet the Lakers will still have a legitimate shot at the NBA championship.

It's going to hurt teams like Milwaukee. The Bucks are not in a major market. People don't seem to have the urge to play in Wisconsin. As a result, adding major talent to teams like Chicago and New Jersey will strength the Eastern Conference, diminishing the parody. Yet, Milwaukee still is in an open competition for these free agents, and they still have the ability to compete against these loaded teams for the NBA Championship. While it is likely they would be several games behind the teams they finished ahead of this year, they have not been denied the opportunity of the open market.

What it comes down to is this. It is ethical for these players to talk with one another and try to play together to win championships. Just because it is ethical does not mean we have to like it. These players may win their championships, but part of what makes us continually watch sports is the parody and the underdog. If the NBA becomes a league of four or five super teams, the product may struggle. Sure, ratings will be through the roof if a Bulls team with Lebron James and Amare Stoudemire is facing a Heat team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but when Andrew Bogut leads Milwaukee against Danny Granger's Indiana Pacers for a regular season battle, people are going to tune out. While the best thing for NBA is having its stars spread out to induce parody, the NBA may be headed for a few years of only a few contenders. And because it is technically not a result of collusion, there is nothing we can do about it but hope these stars decide to make our squads one of the "Chosen Teams."

NBA Finals Preview: Who will make it to 17 or 18

A Boston Celtics/ LA Lakers finals is probably the most storied rivalry in NBA history. Obviously, anyone who knows basketball knows Magic vs Bird, which went as far back as their college days, but there have been many more great moments in this rivalry. Starting with greats such as Bill Russell and Bob Cousy for Boston and Elgin Baylor and Jerry West for Los Angeles who competed not once, not twice, not even three times, but 6 times in 8 years for NBA’s prized trophy (all won by Boston). The rivalry renewed with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 80’s, meeting 3 times in the finals with the Lakers taking 2 of them. After these great series, the rivalry took quite a long hiatus, until now. They are set to compete again for the 2^nd time in 3 years with Boston winning it in 6 games in 2008.

Now that we have looked back on history lets look to the present:

Lakers:

The Lakers have a strong starting 5 with some question marks though. Led by the leagues best scorer (and arguably best player some believe,) in Kobe Bryant. Bryant has had the injury bug towards his fingers the last few years, but that clearly has not affected his game. The starters have great height in All-Star Pau Gasol at 4 and Andrew Bynum at 5. Bynum has some serious knee problems that have clearly shown throughout the playoffs. He recently had his knee drained this week in an effort to finish the season and then have the required surgery. We’ll see how that goes. Veteran Derek Fisher leads the charge at point and his experience is vital if the Lakers want to win. Then there’s Ron Artest. I have not been impressed with Artest at all this season, especially the playoffs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know he made the winning shot in game 5 against the suns, but has made poor decisions all together and his defense has not been what we have come to expect. Even with these issues, the starters are strong. Don’t be fooled.

The Lakers bench, in my opinion, could be there downfall. The most important player is Lamar Odom. Odom is big and can stretch the floor for a 3 guard. When on the court with Fisher, Bryant, Gasol, and Bynum, the Lakers are HUGE. Rebounding is tough against this group. After Odom, there’s not much to be said. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown get minutes at guard, but besides an occasional outburst have been unimpressive. Others to see action will be forward Didier Mbenga and guard Sasha Vujacic.

Offensively the Lakers can score points, easily. They did struggle tremendously against the zone in the previous series against the suns, but still managed to score over 100 points in every game. Defensively will be the make it or break it point in this series for the Lakers. The allowed over 100 points in every game against the suns and must be a lot better since I doubt they can keep up that scoring pace.

X-Factor: Sure it’d be easy to say Kobe Bryant since the Lakers succeed or fail on his shoulders, but I’ll go with coach Phil Jackson. He is the most accomplished coach in NBA history and surely his adjustments throughout the series will be crucial if the Lakers want to win.

Celtics:

The starting 5 for the Celtics has 4 All-Stars in Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. The odd man out is Kendrick Perkins. The big 3 (Garnett, Allen, and Pierce) all will contribute similar numbers in mid-teen points, 6-7 rebounds, and a few assists. This has been consistent over the years and usually if one scores 20, another will score under 10. So all-in-all they’ll even out to their usual numbers. Rondo has been huge this season, especially in the playoffs. He is a double-double machine (points and assists) and has done a tremendous job keeping the pace at where the Celtics want it. Perkins is almost irrelevant with these guys on the court, but provides an occasional burst.

The Celtic bench has many key contributors. Rasheed Wallace provides invaluable experience, but has underperformed to what people expect from him. That being said, he still provides a great deal off the bench by stretching the floor. Tony Allen has been a huge defensive lift and provides some highlight reel moments. Glen Davis is another key contributor and provides solid minutes for them, as well as mid-season signee Michael Finley. The x-factor in this group though is Nate Robinson. Robinson is a guy who can shoot miserably or score 40 points, even off the bench. We shall see how he performs in the series.

Offensively, the Celtics can struggle at times. There are long scoreless droughts at times and this must be limited if the want to win. Defensively, the Celtics have been amazing this postseason. They do have a daunting task in defending the Lakers, but if they play like they have, the Lakers will have trouble reaching 90 points.

X-Factor: For this team, there are 3 and all are important if you ask me. First, Rondo will be the most important player on the floor. He is 1^st team all –defense and is pivotal running the offense. It’s amazing how they struggle when he’s not in. Second, the Celtics are old and injury prone. Coach Doc Rivers took a gamble and rested players the last month of the season instead of fighting for a higher seed. He knew they must be healthy if they wanted to make a run, and that risk has paved huge dividends. That being said, the big 3 are ticking time bombs and role players have had injuries throughout the playoffs. Finally, their attitudes can lead to problems. Now this has been good to get into the other team’s head, but I have seen it cost them greatly too. Perkins is 1 technical foul from suspension and Garnett takes stupid fouls for no reason (i.e. elbowing Dwight Howard for no reason last series) that make him come out of the game. These 3 are important to their success and I’ll be watching closely.

Prediction: Will the Celtics win number 18 or the Lakers 17^th.

This one was tough but I think the Celtics in 6. I expect their defense to continue in this series and be the ultimate reason for their win. That being said, don’t expect Kobe Bryant to go down that easily.

New Look, Same Great Taste!

Hey everyone, it's been a week and they haven't shut us down yet, so either we must be doing something right or not enough people care to read what we have to say! Either way, we've changed things around a bit, so now it should be a little easier to navigate. On the side bar you'll see a list of pages. From now on, that's where we'll be posting the bulk of what we have to say, so be sure to check it out. We want to branch out a bit from hockey, so we've added a lot more stuff over there. Look for expanded coverage on the NBA finals, the MLB now that baseball is in full-swing, and World Cup coverage from yours truly starting next week.

Speaking of which, in order to accommodate for more sports coverage, we've added a new member to the team. Along with Pat, Mike and myself, please welcome Chris Stratmoen to the fold, as he'll be covering the NBA finals as well as all the action from the baseball diamond.

Love and Honor,
Matt

Here’s a shot… and a goal! Hawks/Flyers, Game One

At seven minutes and twenty seconds into the second period of last night’s Flyers Blackhawks red light special, I attempted to completely divest my emotions from the game – Philadelphia had just taken a 4-3 lead on a Blair Betts slapshot, and the game and the series were completely up for grabs. It was clear that any joy or agonizing over a marker was futile – someone else would score within a few minutes. Once we got past the second intermission, the flow of the game settled into the sort of a contest that we are far more familiar with in playoff hockey, much to the delight of my blood pressure. A few thoughts of mine on the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals:

Philadelphia set the tone early by sending the message that they were going to be a team that would at least try to forecheck the Blackhawks. Chicago has not been forced to deal with such a level of sustained pressure from the opposition in their own end throughout the postseason, and we saw dividends of that pressure paying off for the Flyers on the turnover-created goals that Mike mentioned. While the Flyers did seem to wear down as the game went on (shots were, period by period, 17, 9, and 6), the Blackhawks must adjust to the aggressive defensive nature of the Flyers and limit turnovers going forward.

I thought before the game that Marian Hossa could break out the goal scoring and have a real impact on this series. Instead, Hossa continued to do what he has done throughout the playoffs: possess the puck really well, kill penalties, and create offensive opportunities for his teammates. Hossa was a plus-two with two assists and just two shots in roughly eighteen minutes of ice time. This has been a good enough formula for the Hawks to win with (he lead the team in plus/minus to get them into the Stanley Cup Finals), but he is ultimately a goal scorer. Clearly the Hawks can win if he doesn’t light the lamp (he’s only done that two times in the playoffs), but it sure would make things a lot easier for Chicago if he did.

Instead of Hossa being the goal scorer, it was Tomas Kopecky who tallied the game –winning goal for the Blackhawks. As I watched Kopecky, I found clear similarities to his play to that of his fellow countryman Hossa. He has an impressive wingspan and skates strong with the puck which allows him to buy time and space. Hossa’s assist to Troy Brower on the fifth goal and Kopecky’s assist to Kris Versteeg on the fourth were virtual carbon copies of each other – numbers 81 and 82 created space behind the net and fed it out to the slot for numbers 22 and 32 respectively. Kopecky was only dressing because of the injury to Andrew Ladd, and with his performance, my guess is that if Ladd is ready to go for game two, either Ben Eager or Adam Burish will find himself the odd-man-out.

The play of what has been called “the best line in hockey” by some in the national media was both good news and bad news for the Blackhawks. Unfortunately, it was only good news because the Hawks found a way to win despite Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Byfuglien all posting minus-threes with no points. The play of Toews especially was troubling for Chicago fans. While Byfuglien was involved in battles with Chris Pronger in front of the net all night, and Kane managed to create space at times as he usually does, it seemed as if one could count the number of times that Doc Emrick used Toews name during play by play on one hand. He was simply not involved. The Blackhawks captain and best player needs to do better – he’s the key to that line as he can play goal line to goal line. Great for the Blackhawks to steal a game with this line playing so poorly, but they will not win the series unless their best players play like their best players in future games.

I don’t think that this was the game that either of these teams wanted to play. It was out of control for forty minutes, and the pace seemed to tire both teams, especially Philadelphia, by the end of the game. I expect game two to resemble the third period of game one to a far greater extent than it will resemble either of the first two periods. If the best Blackhawk line can get into gear and the rest of the team can give the Hawks half of the offensive production that they did in game one, the Hawks should be looking at a two to zero series lead going back to Philadelphia.

Game One: Blackhawks 6 Flyers 5

It looked more like a baseball game than a hockey game, but 11 goals after the opening draw, Chicago came away a winner in Game 1 in Chicago. If you are a Chicago fan, there is a lot to hang your hat on with the game. If you're a Philly fan, you're ready to turn the tables in game 2. Let's break down the 6-5 Chicago victory.

1. Antti Niemi did not have his best effort, but the team picked him up the way the netminder had gotten Chicago to the Stanley Cup.
If you give the argument that not every goal was entirely his fault, I'll agree. The defense struggled (see below). But he gave up a couple of very uncharacteristic soft goals. In any event, giving up 5 goals on 32 shots is not likely to win you a cup. But the way Niemi has played, a bad game played turns into 2 or 3 outstanding efforts. If history holds true, the Hawks may be able to use this as a jumping point.

2. The defense was horrendous.
Chicago may have their worst defensive game of the year. Multiple Flyer goals were results of sloppy Blackhawks turnovers. If Chicago can return to the defensive game and stop over rotating or making bad decisions with the puck (i.e. play like they did after game against Nashville, Vancouver and San Jose) they'll significantly cut down on Philly goals.

3. Guys stepped up on the scoresheet.
This is clearly a team that doesn't want to lose. That sounds obvious I know. But when your top line is a -3, the team is not usually winning. Just ask San Jose. Kane, Toews and Byfuglien all had the negative hat trick, yet the Blackhawks got two goals and an assist from Troy Brouwer, a goal and an assist from Dave "Breakaway" Bolland, a goal and an assist from Kris Versteeg, goals by Patrick Sharp and Tomas Kopecky, who was only playing because of the injury to Andrew Ladd, and the "Cursed One" named Marian Hossa had two assists. If Chicago has this much help from its bottom lines in this series, the game where Chicago's top line returns to form, could be the day the Blackhawks are too much to stop for the Flyers.

4. No Powerplays No Problems
The Blackhawks got exactly 0 chances with the man advantage. 0. In a game that is often decided on special teams, scoring 5 goals even strength and 1 shorty bodes well for the team when they start getting powerplays. This is Philadelphia they are playing. 0 penalties is not a standard. It is an anomaly.

5. They stood up to the Chris Pronger effect.
Physicality. That embodies the Philadelphia Flyers, and no one is more physical that Chris Pronger. Just watch what he did to neutralize Byfuglien. But the Blackhawks, who did struggle with the physical game in the first period made simple adjustments that allowed them to stick with the Flyers and eventually come out ahead. The biggest key to this series was going to be if the Blackhawks would be able to deal with a team as physical as Philadelphia. I think the answer is yes.

Now if you are the Flyers, yes you lost game one. But you have once again showed that you are not your everyday 7-seed. And you have every reason to believe that this series may end with the Stanley Cup in your hands.

1. Leighton struggled, but Boucher looked pretty good.
Michael Leighton looked like the goalie Chicago got rid of many years ago. It was a matter of time before he fell back to earth. Philly fans just hoped it wouldn't be so soon. But Brian Boucher, after not playing for a few games due to injury, came back and looked good in the 24 minutes he played. 12 shots on goal, only 1 slipped past him. If I'm a Flyer fan, the fact that my goalie came in cold and effectively stopped the Blackhawks, with the exception of the Kopecky gives me a lot of hope for when he is ready to start prepared.

2. 5 goals. 5 goal scorers.
Philadelphia was going to need all the offense they could get considering how Niemi was playing. Having 5 different guys on the scoresheet means that all cylinders are working for Philly and guys are stepping up at the most important time. It also means Chicago has to have every man covered because the Flyers showed that anyone on the ice can score. Blair Betts? Point made.

3. Chris Pronger
A lot was made of the Chris Pronger-Dustin Byfuglien matchup. Advantage Pronger. Not only did Pronger have 2 assists and a +2, but he completely stopped DB, making more trouble for Toews and Kanes. The fact that DB could never set up in front of the net means Pronger is in the head of the Blackhawks' big forward and once a guy is in your head you are never going to be as effective.

4. You can play with Chicago.
Philly now knows they can play with the best. They forced bad turnovers and lost the game by 1 goal on the road. There are no moral victories, but don't think for a second the Flyers lost any confidence. They gained it.

5. Daniel Briere is a monster.
1 goal and 3 assists in this game. The stars need to step up when the lights are brightest. Briere joined Pronger in that trend. Chicago can't necessarily expect its 3rd and 4th lines to be consistently providing the scoring, but Philly is expecting guys like Briere to step up, and he did just that.

It was fantastic game 1 for the 2010 Stanley Cup. Even if you are not a hockey fan, you could not helped but be hooked by this contest. Expect more viewers for game 2, but not more goals. I don't see this being a 6-5 series the entire way. The goaltending is too good. This will be the biggest key for game 2. Will Niemi return to form? Will Boucher be starting (I think probably)? Will the 1 line for Chicago be effective? Can Briere duplicate his masterful performance? Will the Hossa curse hit? We'll just have to watch to find out. It's going to be fun.

The Hossa Curse - Previewing the 2010 Stanley Cup

Well, here he is again. Marian Hossa in his third straight Cup finals appearance. In 2008 it was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing in 6 games and watching a puck leave his stick with time expiring, only to watch it slide agonizingly across--but not over--the goal line. Not long after that, he announced that he would be leaving to play for the Detroit Red Wings, as they gave him "the best chance to win the Cup." He was almost right, as the Red Wings came alive in the playoffs and entered into their second consecutive Cup finals. This time, he had to watch from the bench as the Penguins, the same Penguins he left a year before, skated around the Joe with Lord Stanley's Cup. But what will he be doing this year? Will Marian Hossa finally lift the most glorious 40 pounds in the world in triumph? Will he lead the Blackhawks to their first cup win since the 1960s, or will history repeat itself and the curse be reaffirmed? We'll find out in 4 games' time. Or 5. Or 6. Or 7. So let's take a look at the final matchup of the 2009-2010 NHL season, shall we?

This year's Cup Finals features two of the most storied franchises in the NHL (LNH, for all your Francophones). On one side, you've got the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the Original Six teams from the league's early days. On the other, you've got the Philadelphia Flyers, the original "Broad Street Bullies". Ironically, these are also two teams who have gone decades without hoisting the Cup. No matter who wins, that will change this year, as one of these teams will be crowned Champions. To me, this is an intriguing matchup, two very quick teams who play a physical, punishing brand of hockey. This mix of speed and physicality is exactly what hockey, specifically playoff hockey, is all about, and should be a treat for all fans to watch, no matter who you choose to support.

Those of you who know me well know just how much I hate the Flyers. Hate. But even I can't deny being impressed by the Flyers' route to the Cup finals. On the last day of the regular season, they needed a shootout just to get into the playoffs. Just to qualify! They responded by making quick work of Marty Brodeur, showing the Devils to the exit in 5 games, much to the chagrin of David Putty. The next series against the Bruins would turn out to be record setting, in that the Flyers came back from 3 games down to force a game 7, THEN coming back from a 3 goal deficit in said game 7 to win the series 4-3 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the ECF, they met the giant-killing Canadiens, who as an 8th seed had dismissed powerhouses Washington and Pittsburgh. The Flyers made short work of them, winning the series in five and advancing to the finals. Throughout their playoff odyssey, the Flyers proved one thing: they were just too physical to match up against. At least, for the Eastern Conference teams they faced...

Chicago, on the other hand, seemed to struggle in their first two series against Nashville and Vancouver. At times, they seemed as though they couldn't clear their own zone, and some shaky play from Niemi looked to doom the Blackhawks. But just as the Penguins peaked and I started to give Mike and Pat crap, the 'Hawks found their step and haven't looked back since. Niemi has proven his reliability time and time again, and the hard-nosed, physical play on both ends of the ice has showed that Chicago is a force to be reckoned with. A highly entertaining Western Conference Finals series against perennial disappointment San Jose was the exclamation point to Chicago's rise, and like the Flyers they enter the Cup Finals with a ton of momentum. And once again, they too proved one thing: the physical play of the 'Hawks causes matchup horrors for most anyone they come across.

These two physical teams will be looking to set the tone early in Saturday night's tilt, so look for quick up-and-down action with plenty of hits. Here are some more things to look for:

Goaltending: Both teams enter the Cup Finals with hot goaltenders. Niemi has been the go-to guy for Chicago for the duration of the Playoffs, nevermind the fact that goaltending was the one question the 'Hawks had just before the Playoffs began. On the other side of the ice is Michael Leighton, a backup for the Flyers until injury called him into action. Since then, he has been near-unbeatable.

Physical Play: Like I said before, both of these teams play a tough, punishing brand of hockey. Whether its in the corners, on the forecheck or in the neutral zone, look for these two teams to trade hits like kids with baseball cards. Look especially for...

Byfuglien vs. Pronger: Both of these players are huge, both on and off skates. The fact that Pronger will be working the blueline for the Flyers means that a confrontation with the forward Byfuglien is all but inevitable. Look for Byfuglien to continue to utilize his size as a net-front presence, and look for Pronger to be tasked to keeping him away. Should be a great duel to watch.

Special Teams: Both of these two sides have been phenomenal on the PK these entire playoffs, with the Flyers third overall and the 'Hawks just behind at fourth. Throw in the fact that the 'Hawks sit fifth overall in postseason Power Play conversion and the matchup gets even more interesting

Jonathan Toews: Toews has arguably been the best player of the playoffs. With 26 points in the postseason, the most of any player, look for Toews to continue to put the puck on the net and rack up points. There's little doubt that Chris Pronger will be tasked with shutting down the young playmaker, which opens the ice up a bit for the other players like Byfuglien or Kane.

Even though my beloved Pens will be on the golf course for this Cup Finals series, I'll without a doubt be glued to the TV for each and every game. For entertainment's sake, I truly hope this series goes to 7 games, and my prediction is just that: I pick the 'Hawks to win in 7. Tune in Saturday night at 8 PM to catch all the action!

Love and Honor,

Matt

PS - It was officially announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Heinz Field will be hosting the Washington Capitals in the 2011 Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Thoughts?

Let the Early Exodus Begin

On Wednesday, it was announced that stand-out Wisconsin defenseman Brendan Smith, brother of Miami skater Reilly Smith, would skip out on his senior season and officially sign a three-year entry level contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Sure, I could point to what every one else is saying in that "this was a long time coming!" or, "come on, after watching the playoffs, the Red Wings clearly need the help!" or something of the sort, but I'm not going to. Fact of the matter is, the stalwart defenseman leaving the Badgers for the bright lights of the big leagues isn't the first this year to leave early...nor will he be the last. Let's take a closer look.

While seeing such a keystone player like Smith leave early certainly raises some eyebrows (okay, maybe just my eyebrows, but I'm sure I can't be the only one), he's actually only the latest to do so, joining 25 players in the NCAA who have already left for the big leagues with eligibility left (thanks to USCHO for the stat there). I myself didn't even realize that some of the players who are leaving actually did, names which should be familiar to those of us who have followed the Redhawks in the last few years. Let's take a look at some of these players.

We'll start with Ohio State, perhaps a different case due to the fact that coach John Markell was canned following yet another disappointing season with the Buckeyes, much to the chagrin of many a Redhawk fan. They're currently losing the services of three of their keystone players, forwards Zac Dalpe and Hunter Bishop along with defenseman Matt Bartkowski. These aren't just your average skaters, rather they're quite a talented trio whose absence will most certainly be felt in Columbus. Perhaps starting with Ohio State isn't the best, since their circumstances are a bit different than others; sure, these three players are quite possibly the most talented on their team, or were, rather, but their decision to leave early could have simply been due to the coaching change. Either way, there's one team left with quite a few holes to fill.

Another set of players leaving early which Redhawks fans will certainly recognize are Michigan State d-man Jeff Petry, Northern Michigan forward Mark Olver and Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Cameron Talbot. All three of these players, like the OSU trio in the previous paragraph, are highly talented prospects who will no doubt be playing elsewhere now that their college careers are over. Mark Olver had an outstanding year, both in CCHA and non-conference play, and I think we all remember watching Cameron Talbot stand on his head to keep the Miami -UAH game close. Having sat in the post-game press conference of that game, Cameron Talbot struck me as a young man of great poise and composure, and I'm certainly not surprised to see his name on this list. The same could be said of Olver and Petry.

This list certainly won't end with Brendan Smith. In fact, let's take a look closer to home, at a certain place we like to call home named the Steve Cady Arena. As much as Redhawk fans don't like to admit it, but the 'Hawks are just as vulnerable to losing some key pieces as these other schools are; just because it hasn't really been an issue in the past, aside from Jeff Zatkoff and Alec Martinez, doesn't mean it can't happen in Oxford as well. For example, defenseman Will Weber is one of the top prospects in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization--an organization that, right now, is really hurting on the blue line and looking desperately to plug some of those gaps. Weber, sooner or later, will be called upon to reinforce the CBJ blue line, but will they wait until after his senior year to do so? Or, there's the elephant in the room right now: whether or not captain Tommy Wingels will stay or go. Rumor has it that San Jose has already tendered him an offer, though I certainly cannot confirm that at this point.

I could go on and on down the list, including highlighting the three (!!) also leaving Boston University early, as much as it pains me to even mention that school. But the fact of the matter is that seeing talented kids leaving school early isn't just reserved for the high-profile players in NCAA football and basketball--it's also just as prevalent in hockey. So my question to you is this: what do you all think about what's going on? Certainly if a player is good enough to cut it in the big leagues, they should be permitted to do so, but at what cost to the school? Do these players even truly care about the colleges they sign on to, or are they just looking at it as merely practice before they get to the NHL, their ultimate goals? I'd love to hear what you all think. Until then, stay tuned until tomorrow, when you'll get one heck of a Stanley Cup preview.

Love and Honor,

Matt

Credentials

We understand that any person can make a blog about anything. So how are you supposed to expect that this blog will have any use whatsoever? To that I can only say to look at our credibility.

In April of 2007. I decided to transfer to Miami University. I was asked by Patrick Murray to join him on a student radio adventure that would last 3 years. I already had 5 years of experience. I had spent 4 years doing sports radio in high school, and a year at the University of Missouri on a radio show for their student station. But at WMSR, Miami University's student run radio station, we built a sports department.

Starting in October of 2008 we began broadcasting every Miami University hockey game. In order to do this we had to become extremely familiar with the college game, which led us to become strongly proficient in the NHL as well. I have broadcast dozens and dozens of hockey games in my radio career. 3 years of Miami RedHawks hockey. From the Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio to the War Memorial in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. and finally to Joe Louis Arena and Ford Field in Detroit, we have put together broadcasts that have left those around us asking if we're professionals.

We're not braggarts, arrogant, or remotely kidding ourselves when it comes to the ability to feel an in-game situation. What this post wants to do is explain to you why you should understand when we provide information, analysis, or commentary, we know what we are talking about. We may not be players of the game, but we are students of the sport.

And while this applies to other sports as well, as I'm sure fanatics like us cannot stay on hockey alone, we have spent along time working on our craft. So we hope you'll take a journey with us. Comment on our posts. Give us your own opinions. The blog is about discussion, not 3 guys who feel they have all the answers. We hope you enjoy this. If you are half as intrigued by reader the posts as we are writing them, I think we'll all have a good time.

First Post - Welcome to the Dentist's Chair

In case you hadn't been watching, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith took a Patrick Marleau shot to the face in Sunday's game against San Jose, causing him to lose 7 chiclets in one fell swoop. I'll get to why this is relevant in a moment, but for now, let me be the first to welcome you all to Duncan Keith's Dentist, which I'm sure will become a one-stop-shop for all of your sporting news needs. No, seriously.

2009-2010 has been pretty interesting for me, sports-wise. In the span of about a month I watched my beloved Miami RedHawks bounced unceremoniously from the Frozen Four, my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins dumped in 7 games by the Montreal Canadiens(??) and FC Bayern blow a potential (and historic) Triple in the Champions League final in Madrid, not to mention the usual dismal displays on the diamond from the Pirates as they continue with their record-setting ways. But I digress. Going back to 2009, it was the first home series for Miami ice hockey, against St Cloud State, in which I was given my first opportunity to do a live radio broadcast of a hockey game, alongside Patrick Murray and filling in for Mike Cohen, and the rest was history. With roadtrips to Ann Arbor, Fort Wayne and Detroit behind us, I know I'm not alone in missing not only the airtime on the radio with Pat and Mike, but also the conversations in the press box, the car or some random Wendy's in Bowling Green, Ohio. And so, this blog was born.

You'll never find a more devoted trio of sports fanatics than Pat, Mike and myself, which is why I'm confident in my earlier statement when I said that this blog would truly become your one-stop-shop for sports news and banter. Always professional and always informed, I'm sure our posts will be informative, entertaining and sometimes just down-right hilarious. And if you don't believe me, stick around for a week or two and find out for yourself. And as for the Duncan Keith reference, it goes beyond Mike and Pat's devotion to their beloved Blackhawks--I'm sure at some point, you'll feel like you're sitting in the dentist's chair reading this. Just like playing against Charlie Coles, only without the red turtleneck. Well, maybe not. We never really know what Pat might be wearing.

Love and Honor,

Matt