Exit Sandman

In an era when an athlete very rarely stays with one team for his whole career, nineteen year Yankee Mariano Rivera said goodbye in his home stadium in his final game as a Yankee last night. He's been with the Yankees for nineteen years and is the best closer the game has ever seen.

His final game at Yankee Stadium was something like I've never seen. He came out of the bullpen for the final time, and had a warm reception by the fans. He got one out in the eight and it looked like he was going to finish the game. However, manager Joe Girardi had something else up his sleeve.

He asked the umps if longtime teammates Andy Pettite and Derek Jeter could go to the mound to pull Rivera from the game for one last, triumphant goodbye from fans, his teammates, and the MLB. Out of the dugout came Pettite and Jeter. The signal to the bullpen and Jeter tells him he's done with three simple words. "It's time to go." Rivera then gives both of his longtime teammates a huge hug that lasted for a long time crying the whole time. He goes to the dugout then acknowledges a curtain call multiple times. And for the last time he walks off a baseball field.

His final walk off of a diamond came when he went to the pitching mound to get some dirt as a keepsake from his nineteen years with the Yankees. The only way it could've ended better was if he got a save. The Sandman will go down as the best closer in MLB history and will truly be missed from the game. It's over for him.


                                                                                                  Exit Sandman, what a career,


       

                                                                                                               Darren.
           

                                                                                                             

What do faceoffs mean to a team?

Here's something that's been discussed a lot, how much do faceoffs mean to a team? What I did was I took ten games at random (please don`t ask about the process of picking the games at random, it was quite tedious) and what I`m gonna do is look at each of the ten games and look at Faceoffs vs. shots time vs. the final score.
Dallas/Colorado march 20th  
                                Dallas                                     Colorado
Faceoff %                  52%                                          48%
Shots                         32                                              34
Score                          3                                               4


Pittsburgh/Carolina april 9th
                                Pittsburgh                               Carolina
Faceoff%                    41%                                         59%
Shots                            33                                            28
Score                            5                                               3
                 

Calgary/Minnesota april 21st
                                Calgary                                   Minnesota
Faceoff%                      41%                                         59%
Shots                             24                                            35
Score                            4                                                1


New Jersey/Rangers april 21st
                                New Jersey                          Rangers
Faceoff%                      52%                                    48%
Shots                             27                                        22
Score                              1                                         4


Minnesota/Calgary feb 23rd
                                  Minnesota                          Calgary
Faceoff%                         59%                                 41%
Shots                                31                                    27
Score                                 1                                      3


Ottawa/Montreal mar 13
                                  Ottawa                               Montreal
Faceoff%                        53%                                   47%
Shots                              32                                       45
Score                              3                                          4
Okay, so I was going to do 10, but I stopped after six because it became clear to me there was no coherent pattern between faceoffs and wins. This confused me because when you watch a hockey game or listen to analysis you always here about how important faceoffs are. I do have one more thing to consider though, faceoff success at one end of the ice.
In 5/6 of these games the winning team had close to or better than 50% faceoffs in the defensive zone. This makes sense because if you can stop the other team from getting posession in their offensive end you'll stop scoring. Defensive faceoffs are more important.
While there may be no direct correlation between faceoffs and winning, you can bet defensive faceoffs are more important.

Nugent-Hopkins contract

This blog post is being written on an impulse. I just heard that the Oilers resigned Nugent-Hopkins for seven years and $42 million. My question is why? I like that they locked him up long term, but the number concerns me a bit.
He has yet to play a full season in the NHL and appears to have a suspect shoulder. He could be a player deserving of that kind of money, but we haven't seen enough of him to know if he is yet. Sure his numbers are nice, 76 points in 102 games, but in only two seasons.  He probably is a point per game player if he's healthy. But they had another season yet.
They had another season to see what he has and I think this season will be where we see what Nugent-Hopkins is, we've seen glimpses and he's put up good numbers, but why not wait out this season or part of this season to see what his numbers look like.
Plus this is the second time he's had problems with the shoulder. He isn't worth $6 mil per year if he's missing a month every season. I think the Oilers should've waited until he was healthy, then see how he's playing this year then base a contract off of that and his play from the last two seasons. Six million per year for someone who might be injury prone, but probably is a point per game guy is a bit risky for me. Had they waited they could've seen if he for sure was a point per game guy or close to it, but for some reason they felt they had to risk it. Well, hopefully it works out, we'll see.

Week 3 picks

Match up with Favourite on left                                    My pick
Eagles/Chiefs                                                               Chiefs
Packers/Bengals                                                           Packers
Cowboys/Rams                                                           Cowboys
Titans/Chargers                                                            Chargers
Vikings/Browns                                                            Vikings
Patriots/Buccaneers                                                      Patriots
Saints/Cardinals                                                            Saints
Redskins/Lions                                                             Lions
Panthers/Giants                                                            Giants
Texans/Ravens                                                             Ravens
Dolphins/Falcons                                                         Falcons
Jets/Bills                                                                       Bills
49ers/Colts                                                                  Colts
Seahawks/Jaguars                                                       Seahawks
Bears/Steelers                                                              Bears
Broncos/Raiders                                                         Broncos (survival pick)

Last week I went 11-5 to bring by total to 19-13

NFL player safety.

The NFL is trying to make the game safer. They've eliminated head shots, leading with the head, and given players more padding in certain areas. However, if they really want to make the game safer, they should give their players less padding not more. Allow me to explain.
For those who read this who are familiar with Don Cherry you've seen him advocate multiple times for the players to have thinner shoulder pads in the NHL. They aren't the big clunky plastic that does damage to players' heads. Well, it's a similar concept in the NFL.
If players don't have great big clunky equipment, it won't do as much damage to another player when they hit them. Also, another big thing with smaller and less equipment is not only does a hit do damage to the player on the receiving end of the hit, the person doing the hitting will feel it too. If it hurts to deliver a big damaging hit that could cause an injury there's a large chance that players won't want to do them and instead will tackle more safely. This won't hinder their ability to deliver big hits either. There are much safer ways to deliver punishing hits than what we sometimes see in the NFL today.
Look at rugby. While I'm don't watch the sport regularly, I'm guessing they don't deliver hits where they lead with their head too often. But yet, the occasional time I do watch some of a game there are still some big hits delivered without all the equipment. I'm not suggesting the NFL go with no equipment, but I think a lot less than what they wear would help.
However, after some research I just did, it turns out rugby has about the same amount of concussions of the NFL (possibly even 5% higher), however when you look at the two sports, rugby has scrums where who knows what is happening at the bottom of them? If rugby was played more like football with less of the scrums and more outright tackling, I think it would be safer and that there is something to say for the NFL reducing player equipment. One option of this is losing the face mask to make leading with the head more dangerous. I have only talked a little bit about the article though. If you want to read more this is the link.

http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2027053,00.html

Your thoughts are always welcome in the comments section,

Darren.

I Got Tired of Season Previews so here's my predicted standings

West-Pacific            West- Central           East- Atlantic             East- Metropolitan
Anaheim                   Chicago                    Boston                       Pittsburgh
Vancouver                St. Louis                  Toronto                      Philadelphia
LA                           Minnesota                 Ottawa                      Islanders
San Jose (W)           Nashville                   Montreal (W)            Rangers (W)          
Edmonton (W)         Colorado                  Detroit                       Washington
Phoenix                    Winnipeg                  Buffalo                       New Jersey        
Calgary                    Dallas                        Tampa-Bay               Carolina
                                                                 Florida                      Blue Jackets

W denotes teams who are a wildcard

Stanley Cup Finals St. Louis Blues over the Toronto Maple Leafs

Okay, so I know what you're thinking. You think I'm crazy for taking the Leafs to the finals. Well who else would it be? Pittsburgh has some of their own problems to solve which will prevent them from going deep. Philly tanked last year and still doesn't have a legitimate number one goalie and the Rangers under performed last year so while the certainly have the talent to make a run I'm not sure they will. Boston just went to the finals and it's rare for a team to repeat and neither Ottawa or Montreal are ready, so that leaves Toronto. Their defense is a bit suspect, but they have scoring and they have goal tending and most importantly, they now have experience. I think they're ready. If it isn't them in the East it'll be the Rangers or another surprise team. The Islanders are turning into a force to be reckoned with in the East and will lock up a division playoff spot this year.

In the West St. Louis is also a very strong team with playoff experience, I expect them to win this year. Chicago is strong coming back from a Cup watch for them to win the West Central, but again, I don't expect a repeat. Minnesota is always in the running. In the West-Pacific there will be two wild card teams this year as I expect Edmonton to just edge out Nashville for the last playoff spot. It's the usual suspects at the top of the division as the California teams and Vancouver are all strong as before, but as usual Vancouver will be out in round one. The California teams all probably have a good chance at a deep playoff run this year and with Edmonton I don't expect a deep run as young as they are. You need experience. How deep they go will also depend a lot on who they get for a first round match up However, just getting into the playoffs for them this year would be good just to end their playoff drought, this will also prepare them for future runs.
                     
                                                                                                                         
                                             
                                                                                                                          Darren.
                                                                                                                           

Week 2 picks

Match up (favourite on left)                                  My Pick (Last week 8-8)
Patriots/Jets                                                         Patriots (also my survival pick)
Falcons/Rams                                                      Falcons
Panthers/Bills                                                       Bills
Bears/Vikings                                                      Bears
Packers/Redskins                                                Packers
Colts/Dolphins                                                     Colts
Chiefs/Cowboys                                                  Cowboys
Eagles/Chargers                                                   Eagles
Ravens/Browns                                                   Ravens
Texans/Titans                                                      Texans                          
Lions/Cardinals                                                    Lions
Saints/Buccaneers                                                Saints
Raiders/Jaguars                                                    Raiders
Broncos/Giants                                                    Broncos
Seahawks/49ers                                                  49ers                                                  
Bengals/Steelers                                                   Bengals

Survival Pickem is where each week you take a team you think will win and try to stay perfect as long as possible, last week I stayed alive by taking the Colts over the Raiders.

Why I like the NFL over the CFL

Football's back!!! Some would say "Oh it's been back for awhile" No it hasn't the Canadian version maybe, but to me that's not good enough. I like the NFL a lot better and I'll tell you why.

1. Four downs, who thought that three downs would be a good idea for a football game? Four yards is a decent gain in a football game, yet in the CFL if you gain four yards twice in a row you have to punt. You should get one more oppurtunity to get those extra two yards.

2. Fair Catch, people who only support the CFL call this a wimpy rule. Yet who are they to say it's wimpy when the CFL has no yards? With no yards you have to give the returner five yards. Why should the returning team get five free yards? He should be allowed to catch it where he stands and take that position, risk getting crushed if he tries to run it, or hope it bounces in the endzone for a touch back, but no getting five free automatic yards with possibly more room to run. The NFL has it's fair share of good kick returns without it (and the fact that there's fewer makes it even more exciting when one happens), why can't the CFL?

3. The game is over when the clock says 0:00. In the CFL when the clock reads that you can get one more play off? Why? In hockey the goal doesn't count if it goes across the line at 0:00, basketball players can't shoot the ball at that point. There's no 4th out in the 9th inning of a baseball game, so why should you get one last chance to score when the time runs out?

4. No awards for missing a field goal. You can win a game on a missed field goal in the CFL, that's right. A kick going out in the endzone is a point. Why should you be rewarded if you miss your field goal? Why should you even be rewarded for punting it out the endzone. That's kind of the punter's whole job is to be able to kick it a long ways, you don't need to reward his team for it.

5. Running time. In the NFL the fact that the clock is running after any completed play that stays in bounds makes it much more interesting to watch a last second drive. It makes managing the timeouts more interesting to watch, and time management in general is more interesting instead of having the clock stop all the time.

6. The stage the NFL is on. The NFL has 32 teams and millions of fans worldwide, the fact that it's a much bigger league and gets that much more attention to me just makes it more exciting.

There are some other rule differences, such as field size, ball size, number of players, etc. These rules don't bother me as much. Don't get me wrong I still do watch the CFL and do enjoy it, but nowhere as much as I like the NFL.

Team Previews: Winnipeg- They Baffle Me

You could argue that since the team has been in existence, the Winnipeg Jets have had a legitimate playoff contending team, yet they haven't contended. This team seems to have knack to hit a slump at the worst time possible and drag themselves out of playoff contention. One thing about this team is they don't have a single super star scorer. They have guys who can score, but no one in the top 25 or something. They'll need a group effort from everyone to spread out the points.

Ondrej Pavelec is for sure number one goalie. I honestly don't see anything in him that would suggest otherwise. He's not a superstar or a Vezna candidate, but he's not Dan Cloutier either (I'm sorry was that a bit harsh?), he's a solid goalie who will give you a solid effort every game. He'll have a down game once in awhile, but he'll always bounce right back. He will need to improve on last season as it wasn't really strong, but I think he can do it.

Maybe one big reason this team hasn't made the playoffs is they don't have the big super star scorer. Maybe they need someone who can come and score 50 goals per year so that there's less pressure on the other guys. Other than that though, I really don't see a reason why this team should miss the playoffs like they have before.

Darren.

Team Previews: Calgary Flames-About to be doused

This is by far the easiest team preview so far for me. The Calgary Flames are going to be awful this year. They have refused to use the "R" word (rebuild), yet they made multiple major moves last year which sent key players away for prospects and draft picks. One of these moves involved their best player and captain Jerome Iginla. They don't have much for big name talent and they don't know for sure if Mikka Kiprusoff is back as goalie yet this season. The Flames should prepare to bottom feed this year. Their position reminds me of the Oilers a few years ago. Calgary probably should've started this process a year or two ago, but they were too attached to certain players.

That's it for now.

Darren.

Team Previews: Edmonton- Ready to Soar (Hopefully)

How many years for the Edmonton Oilers have we said "This is the year." The reason we keep saying that is because any year in the last couple could've been the year. And this one could be too. I think this season gives the most promise to the Edmonton Oilers than any of the last couple have.

One thing every team needs is playoff experience. Other than the scoring and defense they bring. that is also what's huge about Perron and Ferrence coming to Edmonton. They'll be value both with their play and their experience both in the regular season and playoffs.

The kids are looking as good as ever. They'll provide most of the scoring this season. If the Oilers are to make a playoff push. Eberle, Nuge, Yakupov, and Hall all have to be on top of their game. They can't do it alone though. They'll need help from guys like Gagner and Hemsky (it was announced today Hemsky's back for this season).

The biggest problem on this team is probably defense. Ferrence was a huge acquisition, but he can't do it alone. Justin Schultz will be a huge factor and both those guys are able to eat minutes which is a big help. With these two the other defensemen don't need to be spectacular, just solid.

The Oilers got a decent back up in Labarbera, but Dubnyk is still certainly the starter. I'd expect him to get 65-70 games this season, but he has to do away with the rookie problems we've sometimes seen from him in the last few seasons. He's sometimes shown that pressure can get to him. There's huge pressure on this team this season so he needs to do away with that.

I hope to see great things from this team this season

Darren.

Team Previews: Vancouver-Doomed for another early playoff exit

The first team I'll take care of in my NHL season preview is the Vancouver Canucks. Let me say this right now. Vancouver is going to suffer the same thing as the last two seasons. They did make some improvements, they were needed improvements, but they needed more than what they did.

First, lets start with the improvements this Vancouver team made. Solving the goalie problem is a huge plus. Luongo was expected to be traded, but he says he's ready to start the season. He's probably going to be the best part of this team. John Tortorella is the right coach for this team. Some people are unsure if this was a good move or don't think it was a good move, but it was. Tortorella isn't afraid to tell it like it is. If the team has a problem he'll fix it. However, this leads into the negatives of this team. Can he fix it?

The Vancouver Canucks are a wonderful regular season team. They'll probably either win or finish high in the Pacific division this year and it'll be the usual suspects of players putting them in that position. However, come playoff time they just can't do it. This team has had the same core of players for a few years now and it has very few playoff performers. The two best players on this team, the Sedin twins just don't have what it takes to play in the playoffs. If the two best players on the team don't perform then the team doesn't perform no matter what they might get from Kesler or Burrows. Also, what other good playoff teams have is depth. This means that if a couple of the best players on that team don't perform other players are good enough to keep scoring until those stars find their stride again. Vancouver simply doesn't have many players able to do that in the playoffs. They haven't gotten much this off season so it's essentially the same group of players who have bowed out in the first round two years in a row and are going to do it again.

If Vancouver was going to win a Stanley cup 2010 was the year. That was the year when all the players were in their prime and ready to go. Now this team is starting to fade. Some players aren't as productive as they were and this team just doesn't have the depth to make up for it. Expect a strong regular season from this team, but another early end to their playoff run.

New NHL format

As you may or may not know, the NHL is going to a new division and playoff format for this season. I thought I'd introduce you to what this format is like and give you my thoughts on it. To start with there are all new divisions. These divisions are as follows.

West-Pacific                      West-Central                       East-Metropolitan           East-Atlantic
Ducks                                Blackhawks                         Hurricanes                      Bruins
Flames                               Avalanche                            Blue Jackets                   Sabres
Oilers                                 Stars                                    Devils                             Red Wings
Kings                                 Wild                                     Islanders                         Panthers
Coyotes                              Predators                            Rangers                          Canadiens
Sharks                                Blues                                   Flyers                             Senators                        
Canucks                             Jets                                     Penguins                          Lightning
                                                                                     Capitals                           Leafs

The top three teams from each division will advance to the play. Then, the next two teams with the most points in each conference get the remaining two playoff spots. Then, to determine playoff matchups, the conference winner with the most points will play the wildcard team with the fewest. Then the winner with second most will play the wildcard team with the second least. Then the teams who placed 2nd and 3rd in each division will play each other.

There are a number of advantages to the new format. One plus is Detroit and Columbus got moved to the Eastern Conference like they've wanted for awhile, and Winnipeg went West where they belong. Another big plus is playoff match ups are more likely to feature rival games (i.e. Edmonton-Calgary, Vancouver-LA, NY-NY, Philly-Pittsburgh, etc.) with the division play in the first round. Something else I really like is under the old format division winners were guaranteed a top 3 spot, when in reality their points would put them in 5th or 6th. Now that's gone with the new format with division winners. Another downer is that the two East Conferences now have two teams. Making it easier in the West to make the playoffs than the East, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

Despite all this the new format also comes with some negatives. If one division is really strong a team that could make the playoffs in another division and would deserve it would be out. The opposite is also true, if a division is really weak a team non deserving might make the playoffs.

All in all though it looks like they did a good job of making the divisions and aligning the playoff format. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.

Here's a link to what I used for the info if you want to see. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=660138

I'm going to start season previews and looking at some teams soon.

Darren.