Ok, so the title is a poor attempt at referencing a bad 90's song by Paula Abdul, with a cartoon cat. Yet, the overall idea is what I'm getting at in regards to the U.S. soccer team. After an uninspired group phase of the Gold Cup, the Americans seemed to get things rolling a little bit in the knockout round. Wins over Jamaica and Panama, though poorly played, seemed like the U.S. was getting things on track. Then the final against Mexico. Granted, these two are rivals on the same level as Kansas vs Missouri. They hate each other, the games are often chippy and sometimes downright overly physical, you can usually throw out the record books when they play each other and like Kansas/Missouri, despite the ferocity and passion of the rivalry, nobody outside of the rivalry thinks much of it.
In recent years, it seemed as though the U.S. had supplanted their southern neighbors as the top team in CONCACAF. The Americans were picking up wins against teams like Brazil and Spain in buildups to World Cups. The Americans were improving and making strides towards being an actual legitimate player on the world stage. The Mexicans were struggling to keep up amid aging players and a coaching carousel that reeked of low tier levels. Early on in the qualifying for the '10 World Cup, it was even a possibility that El Tri might miss the tournament. How quickly things can turn.
Despite an early setback of five top players being suspended from the team for testing positive for a banned substance (once again attributed to "tainted meat"), the Mexicans rallied themselves and pole-vaulted the Americans as the top team in the region. Not only the they recover from a 2-0 deficit in the Gold Cup final, they made it look as though the U.S. was the old man of the region. One too weak and feeble to match the speed and skill of a youth as it runs circles around its elder. Don't get me wrong, the U.S. had chances that it could not capitalize on. Clint Dempsey cracked a good shot off the crossbar. Goodson put a deflection just wide of the near post. Michael Bradley smashed a one timer that curled just wide of the upright. Yet despite all the good that came, there was double the bad.
The U.S. defense looked sluggish, slow, out of shape and unaware of their surroundings. Time and time again the Mexican attack found holes in behind the back line of the Americans. Injuries are a part of sports and though the loss of Steve Cherundolo was a serious blow, by this stage in the game, the U.S. has got to have more depth at every position to be able to absorb such a hit. Obviously this is not the case. Jonathan Bornstein is not a bad player, but you have to question his ability to be a national team player when he could not keep up with the speed of his marks. The U.S. defense was constantly sprinting towards their own goal. This cannot be the case as often as it was against Mexico.
Quite frankly, as poorly as the American defense played in the Gold Cup final, one wonders if the youth push came too quickly. Personally, I'd rather have an aged yet still speedy Frankie Hejduk guarding the flanks with his quickness and tenacity than the players I saw on the field today. What happened to the staple of the U.S. team? Defense and goaltending used to be the one thing the Americans didn't have to worry about. Marcelo Balboa and Alexi Lalas and Frankie Hejduk and Jeff Agoos and even defensive midfielders like Thomas Dooley didn't necessarily have the skill of today's players but they knew how to mark and knew how to defend their back third.
What's disappointing is that Mexico, as a team, is really not much better than the U.S. Individually, however, they have the skill that the Americans do and may always lack. While more and more U.S. born players are getting the opportunity to play overseas, they rarely see starting minutes on top clubs. Mexican players do. Chicharito plays significant minutes for Manchester United, one of if not the top club in Europe. Americans can't buy that kind of experience. The closest they get is Clint Dempsey, who is one of the EPL's leading scorers, but still often falters on the national stage. Mostly due to his fiery temper. The Americans lack the skill and creativity that foreign players seem to master.
Even the country's top players like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey don't really have the ball skills to take on players one-on-one. On the positive side, Freddy Adu does have those skills and showcased them against Mexico. One can only hope that he continues to grow and mature and stay on the national side, but that's still a 50/50 proposition. The problem may be that America's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Despite having the financial ability and numbers of athletes to produce some of the top teams in the world, Americans struggle to get their best athletes to focus on sports like soccer and hockey. For years we've heard that America's time is coming and that the next generation is going to put us over the top and get to that next level. Yet we still languish behind, looking up at the top tier. We outnumber Canadians nearly 10-1, but their top athletes go all out for hockey from early ages. The U.S. only gets certain numbers of top athletes from mostly northern and eastern states. We outnumber many European countries combined. But again, soccer, though growing, is still somewhat of a niche sport.
The United States has made great strides, but national team sports just take a back seat anymore. Even in sports we invented, like baseball and basketball, the U.S. is no longer head and shoulders above the rest and in some cases is not even close to the best anymore. With regards to soccer, the States have made giant leaps. Yet with every few steps forward they seem to always take a step or two backward. Alexi Lalas said it quite nicely following the American's loss on this day. The team has got to come to a point where they stop saying they can take lessons from these sorts of performances and actually learn from the lessons and not do it again. The U.S. has got to shore up its defensive line. They need speed and physicality from their back four. The midfield is still set with Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Jones and hopefully a rejuvenated Adu. A forward must emerge that is a legitimate threat to score every time they touch the pitch. Jozy Altidore could be that player, but there have been several forwards to take that "could be" mantle and fallen back into the shadows. Only time will tell. The team must find consistency though. If it wants to be taken seriously on the world level, it can no longer play to its opponent. The U.S. must learn to crush teams like Panama and Jamaica and Honduras and El Salvador and run through CONCACAF as though they were flies buzzing around the face of a giant. Only when we force our opponents to match the way we play can the U.S. truly move forward.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
- Again, Freddy Adu was a nice bright spot during his time played in the semi-final and final of the Gold Cup. Personally, I did not like the way he was brought up into the league and immediately deemed a superstar and thrust into the spotlight of stardom and fame with articles saying how he was America's Pele` and how the Brazilian star knew he would be great. (apologies for the run-on sentence there). Now that he's matured and grown and been humbled however, I root for his success. His footskills and vision are what we hoped for. If he can continue to grow as a player and stay humble AND stay in the good graces of whoever may be the national team coach, he could be a good offensive force for the American attack. The U.S. needs someone who can challenge defenders and break them down off the dribble.
- I dearly love my St. Louis Blues and I want to trust that the management is doing everything they can to improve the team and attempt to get back into the playoffs and push for their first Stanley Cup. They are making it difficult, however, with the constant talking out the side of the mouths. Before the trade deadline, we were told that the team would only be making player-for-player deals. No more player for draft picks. They were beyond that point. A week later there were two trades for draft picks. While the players given up weren't going to be the difference in a Cup run or not, it just seemed as though more could have been returned for their services. In the same manner, it was said by many that the Blues would almost certainly not use all their picks in the draft. They would be used to attain a veteran player. Again, I defer to the management team of John Davidson and Doug Armstrong. If no deals were available that would help our team, then so be it. But why the double speak? If it's a possibility that all your picks would be used on draftees or as was the case, one was traded for a prospect, then just use the old fallback line of "we're pursuing every avenue to improve the team." It's a long offseason and free agency still looms. One can only hope that the fortunes of the team turn around with perhaps a wise offseason acquisition and if we're very lucky, new ownership willing to keep the team on the upward trend.
- Why are NBA fans so defensive. I heard Dari Nowkhah, of ESPN, say on his radio show that this year's draft was boring. It was. By far the most uninteresting draft in recent memory. Yet the NBA fans were blasting him left and right. Why defend something when the person is not blasting the on-court product, but the talent level of this years crop of newcomers? Wackos, I say.
- Someone, and it pains me to say I forget who, made a fantastic point when it comes to the things wrong with pro sports. Major League Baseball and the NHL have far fewer legal battles and issues with draft prospects and the like because they have well established minor league systems. Basketball and football use the collegiate ranks as their minor league and are thus the most corruptible sports. While I'm sure there are not zero instances, I challenge someone to tell me of the last time a college hockey player or baseball player was in trouble for receiving improper benefits because they were so highly touted that every school in the country was drooling after them. It doesn't happen because, despite the fact that those recruits are still fought over amongst the coaches, there isn't the clamor by the "boosters" because there isn't the notoriety of possibly having the next big pro since even high draft picks in hockey or baseball will most likely spend at least a year in a minor league system. Despite this grand epiphany, it is highly unlikely that we will ever see any serious minor league implemented for either sport.
- Why is it so damned hard to get people to contact you back regarding broadcasting jobs? Sigh...I digress though.
- Gongrats to Markief Morris and his brother Marcus on being drafted into the NBA. A golf clap for Josh Selby on his second round selection *coughshould'vestayedinschoolcough* May your pro careers be long and productive. Rock Chalk.
That's about it for now. I think I've prattled on long enough for this post. Until next time, just remember: It's just an opinion...but I'm right.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Why does everything revolving around sports seem so sad?
There are several things lately that I've noticed that just make me sad about the state of sports and sports fandom (if that's even a word). The first would be the Albert Pujols contract situation. Yes, I am more likely to care about this because I am a St. Louisian. Yet I am upset at the foolishness that both sides present. I support neither Pujols nor the Cardinals because both have royally screwed this pooch. On the one side, the Cardinals have dragged their feet so far in the sand you would think they were trying to make a new Grand Canyon in the midwest. The team should have resigned Pujols before the Matt Holliday deal. They did not. They should have signed him during the season when there were plenty of opportunities to go to Albert and say "let's get this done so we can focus on building around you in the offseason." They did not. They had an entire offseason to negotiate and from all accounts, they gave the public impression that nothing was broached in earnest until the few days before Pujols deadline.
That brings me to this "deadline." I find the idea ridiculous. I understand why Pujols THINKS it is a good idea, but the reality is that it will keep absolutely no media member from asking him about his contract throughout the year. In fact, I would venture to say, it will increase the questions. Think of just about any scenario. Pujols is on fire. Reporters will ask if he thinks he's driving up his asking price come free agency. Pujols is ice-cold. Reporters will ask if not being offered his money by the Cardinals is weighing heavily on him. Everything is a contradiction with this deadline. Reporters will keep asking questions in every new city he goes to, yet he says the deadline was to prevent the circus he faced on his first day at camp. He wants to protect his teammates, yet they will be asked in just about any failing circumstance if it's because of Albert's contract. Pujols wants to focus on playing, yet he himself said that he doesn't have much if anything to do with the negotiations anyway. Every athlete talked to on sports radio has pretty much said the agent deals with the team and only reports what is absolutely necessary to the player to spare them any animosity that would affect their performance. So the idea that he can't have his agent talk to the team and still focus on playing is silly.
Then, as always, it comes down to money. While I would like to believe Mr. Pujols claim that he and ownership laughed at ESPN's reports on the length and financial compensation, I have to believe the money that will be involved in any deal for Albert will be astronomical. How any man can believe they are worth $300 million is beyond me. How any man can think they can perform, naturally, at the age of 42 the same as they did at 32 is beyond me. Yet that is the figure we as fans are left to digest. On the flip side, the Cardinals are reported to be low balling the best player in the game. Say what you will about liking Pujols or not, but offensively no player in history has put up his numbers to begin a career with the same consistancy and he's won gold gloves as well. Yet we are led to believe that St. Louis' offer would not even have made him one of the top 5 paid players. You can't tell me, regardless of being a midwestern city of a mid-market size, that this team hasn't saved up enough money to pay top salary to the best player. Does no one understand the definition of negotiation any more? It seems like everyone has the mentality of it's my way or the highway and if you don't like it they'll take their ball and go home. The Cardinals will survive without Pujols if that is their lot, but it would be sad for a man who could go down as a legend of the game to play in more than one uniform.
Speaking of negotiations being sad, the NFL and it's player's union seem to be locked in the same sort of stalemate. Again, there is little to no movement by either side. We're talking about billions of dollars here. Not millions. Not hundreds of millions. BILLIONS. And these fools want to squabble over how to slice it up. Now no good business man gives away profits, but when we're talking sums as large as the NFL sees, why does it make any sense to even hint at the possibility of labor unrest, let alone a lock-out when the NFL has pretty much taken over as America's true sport? It doesn't. That's why it makes the average fan so sad. As a fan, we can't even focus on our teams for next season because there may not be a season. As such, rosters are being trimmed. Free agency will not happen and the draft takes on a much different role as it will be used to fill spots instead of add depth. With both of these situations, there is always that faint glimmer of hope. That final straw that we can try to hold on to that each side will come to their senses. However, as I age and sports moves ever toward the side of business (if it ever wasn't 100% business) I begin to wonder if sports and sense even go together.
On that note a few briefer things that have saddened me recently in regards to sports. One is the St. Louis Blues. Yes, the team has been disappointing and I as well as many others expected a lot more out of this team. But, I am speaking to the fanbase that is so quick to turn their backs on people that if they were gunslingers, they would fit right in at the OK Corral. So many people have turned on Jaroslav Halak that it makes me wonder what those sort of people want in a goaltender. I write this, not as defense to Halak. He has not lived up to expectations in his short time with the Blues. That much is clear. Many fans, however are already wanting to ship him out of town. One customer at my work even made the asinine comment "yeah, maybe the Blues will win a few now that Halak is out." People need to realize that Halak is only 24. That is the same age as Ben Bishop, who has played the vast majority of his career in the minor leagues. People also need to realize what a difficult position it is. I have played inbetween the pipes in both hockey and soccer. It's a lot more difficult than the average person wants to believe to keep the opponents from scoring. Even the best, such as Patrick Roy or Glenn Hall or Marty Brodeur or Jaque Plante had bad streaks. Staying confident is the key. Whether I'm proven right or wrong, I personally believe what we saw of Halak in the playoffs last year is the true player. Until proven otherwise, I cannot believe someone who shut down both Pittsburgh and Washington and almost defeated Philadelphia (the three top offensive Eastern teams) is a fluke. He just needs to regain his confidence and continue to grow with this team. A team that consists of several defenseman that are in the same age bracket. The Blues cannot continue to swap goaltenders every few years.
Along the topic of St. Louis sports fans, another comment made by a different customer at my work just proved how big of a joke the idea that St. Louis sports fans are the greatest is. Now don't get me wrong. I love the city and will always associate myself with St. Louis and its teams. Outside of the Cardinals though, the Gateway city's teams have had on and off support at best. The comment that riled me up was "I hope the Rams do move away so maybe I can see some good games on Sunday." You don't want to support the Rams, that's your choice. But the NFL only has teams in 32 cities. Even the largest market west of the Mississippi doesn't have an NFL team. To me, that's a pretty big honor. To just throw it away because the team here hasn't been managed properly the last 8-10 years is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. For goodness sake people...support a team. Don't latch on to a winner and then cry about it when they're no good. Only one team wins the final game in every sport and the odds are against even the best.
Lastly, and I apologize for any rambling this post has taken on, but most importantly it saddens and sickens me the lack of perspective some people have. Earlier today, the NHL's facebook page posted a video of the Miracle on Ice game and asked for people's thoughts since it was 31 years ago today that the group of US college kids beat a Soviet team that had won four straight gold medals and not been defeated at all since 1968. The overriding thought is had any team defeated the Soviets, except perhaps Finland, it would have been almost as big a deal. It meant more to the United States at the time because we were not a hockey country except for small patches in the north and northeast. We were in an economic and political crisis. People began to question what it was to be American and then this ragtag team in a sport very few cared about, galvanized an entire nation. If we are to believe the stories, there were no USA chants during sporting events until that game against the Soviets. It was bigger than any one person involved and bigger than just a hockey game. Yet people, unfortunatly the majority were Canadian, had the audacity and gaul to put the game and the US down. Statements were made as dumb as "American vs. Canada rivalry. What rivalry we beat them every time he he," and ones talking about the US' economy today and another saying Ovechkin scoring 65 goals proves Russia is better and even one going on about how if Canada made a movie about every great game they played in, there would be a movie out every day. It honestly made my blood boil. I'm a patriot and a homer and a loyalist when it comes to my country and my sports teams, so I understand the idea of putting down a rival. But do it at the appropriate time. People today are so self-involved, so stupid, so jealous that it would not surprise me to find this sort of sickening dribble being posted even during something such as the death of a president. It makes me sad that people can't put down their differences for just a little while instead of wasting their time trying a dumb putdown that can so easily be crushed by someone with a brain on an online post that was meant to be a celebration of a gream moment in sports and in history.
Whew...I feel a tiny bit better.
Random Thoughts
- Congrats to the WWE on keeping the Rock's return a surprise. It was nice to not know what was coming for once. Too bad they pretty much screwed it all up with the 50th Undertaker return the Raw the following week.
- Why is it the Blues refuse to play for a full 60 minutes? Granted, their game has improved mightily since Oshie and McDonald returned and with the addition of Stewart and Shattenkirk, but there are still so many mistakes. 10 minutes. 10 minutes of poor play out of 60 cost the Blues a game against the Blackhawks. You just can't have that.
- Speaking of not playing consistantly, this year's Kansas basketball team has me fooled. They look like world beaters with talent and depth in one game and then in another it looks like nobody can shoot and they can be stopped by controlling one or two players. I believe they'll make a deep run, but given the lack of a dominant team or teams in college basketball this year it's going to be a stomach churning, nail biting tournament.
Well I figure that's enough rambling for this post. As always, remember it's just my opinion...but I'm right.
That brings me to this "deadline." I find the idea ridiculous. I understand why Pujols THINKS it is a good idea, but the reality is that it will keep absolutely no media member from asking him about his contract throughout the year. In fact, I would venture to say, it will increase the questions. Think of just about any scenario. Pujols is on fire. Reporters will ask if he thinks he's driving up his asking price come free agency. Pujols is ice-cold. Reporters will ask if not being offered his money by the Cardinals is weighing heavily on him. Everything is a contradiction with this deadline. Reporters will keep asking questions in every new city he goes to, yet he says the deadline was to prevent the circus he faced on his first day at camp. He wants to protect his teammates, yet they will be asked in just about any failing circumstance if it's because of Albert's contract. Pujols wants to focus on playing, yet he himself said that he doesn't have much if anything to do with the negotiations anyway. Every athlete talked to on sports radio has pretty much said the agent deals with the team and only reports what is absolutely necessary to the player to spare them any animosity that would affect their performance. So the idea that he can't have his agent talk to the team and still focus on playing is silly.
Then, as always, it comes down to money. While I would like to believe Mr. Pujols claim that he and ownership laughed at ESPN's reports on the length and financial compensation, I have to believe the money that will be involved in any deal for Albert will be astronomical. How any man can believe they are worth $300 million is beyond me. How any man can think they can perform, naturally, at the age of 42 the same as they did at 32 is beyond me. Yet that is the figure we as fans are left to digest. On the flip side, the Cardinals are reported to be low balling the best player in the game. Say what you will about liking Pujols or not, but offensively no player in history has put up his numbers to begin a career with the same consistancy and he's won gold gloves as well. Yet we are led to believe that St. Louis' offer would not even have made him one of the top 5 paid players. You can't tell me, regardless of being a midwestern city of a mid-market size, that this team hasn't saved up enough money to pay top salary to the best player. Does no one understand the definition of negotiation any more? It seems like everyone has the mentality of it's my way or the highway and if you don't like it they'll take their ball and go home. The Cardinals will survive without Pujols if that is their lot, but it would be sad for a man who could go down as a legend of the game to play in more than one uniform.
Speaking of negotiations being sad, the NFL and it's player's union seem to be locked in the same sort of stalemate. Again, there is little to no movement by either side. We're talking about billions of dollars here. Not millions. Not hundreds of millions. BILLIONS. And these fools want to squabble over how to slice it up. Now no good business man gives away profits, but when we're talking sums as large as the NFL sees, why does it make any sense to even hint at the possibility of labor unrest, let alone a lock-out when the NFL has pretty much taken over as America's true sport? It doesn't. That's why it makes the average fan so sad. As a fan, we can't even focus on our teams for next season because there may not be a season. As such, rosters are being trimmed. Free agency will not happen and the draft takes on a much different role as it will be used to fill spots instead of add depth. With both of these situations, there is always that faint glimmer of hope. That final straw that we can try to hold on to that each side will come to their senses. However, as I age and sports moves ever toward the side of business (if it ever wasn't 100% business) I begin to wonder if sports and sense even go together.
On that note a few briefer things that have saddened me recently in regards to sports. One is the St. Louis Blues. Yes, the team has been disappointing and I as well as many others expected a lot more out of this team. But, I am speaking to the fanbase that is so quick to turn their backs on people that if they were gunslingers, they would fit right in at the OK Corral. So many people have turned on Jaroslav Halak that it makes me wonder what those sort of people want in a goaltender. I write this, not as defense to Halak. He has not lived up to expectations in his short time with the Blues. That much is clear. Many fans, however are already wanting to ship him out of town. One customer at my work even made the asinine comment "yeah, maybe the Blues will win a few now that Halak is out." People need to realize that Halak is only 24. That is the same age as Ben Bishop, who has played the vast majority of his career in the minor leagues. People also need to realize what a difficult position it is. I have played inbetween the pipes in both hockey and soccer. It's a lot more difficult than the average person wants to believe to keep the opponents from scoring. Even the best, such as Patrick Roy or Glenn Hall or Marty Brodeur or Jaque Plante had bad streaks. Staying confident is the key. Whether I'm proven right or wrong, I personally believe what we saw of Halak in the playoffs last year is the true player. Until proven otherwise, I cannot believe someone who shut down both Pittsburgh and Washington and almost defeated Philadelphia (the three top offensive Eastern teams) is a fluke. He just needs to regain his confidence and continue to grow with this team. A team that consists of several defenseman that are in the same age bracket. The Blues cannot continue to swap goaltenders every few years.
Along the topic of St. Louis sports fans, another comment made by a different customer at my work just proved how big of a joke the idea that St. Louis sports fans are the greatest is. Now don't get me wrong. I love the city and will always associate myself with St. Louis and its teams. Outside of the Cardinals though, the Gateway city's teams have had on and off support at best. The comment that riled me up was "I hope the Rams do move away so maybe I can see some good games on Sunday." You don't want to support the Rams, that's your choice. But the NFL only has teams in 32 cities. Even the largest market west of the Mississippi doesn't have an NFL team. To me, that's a pretty big honor. To just throw it away because the team here hasn't been managed properly the last 8-10 years is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. For goodness sake people...support a team. Don't latch on to a winner and then cry about it when they're no good. Only one team wins the final game in every sport and the odds are against even the best.
Lastly, and I apologize for any rambling this post has taken on, but most importantly it saddens and sickens me the lack of perspective some people have. Earlier today, the NHL's facebook page posted a video of the Miracle on Ice game and asked for people's thoughts since it was 31 years ago today that the group of US college kids beat a Soviet team that had won four straight gold medals and not been defeated at all since 1968. The overriding thought is had any team defeated the Soviets, except perhaps Finland, it would have been almost as big a deal. It meant more to the United States at the time because we were not a hockey country except for small patches in the north and northeast. We were in an economic and political crisis. People began to question what it was to be American and then this ragtag team in a sport very few cared about, galvanized an entire nation. If we are to believe the stories, there were no USA chants during sporting events until that game against the Soviets. It was bigger than any one person involved and bigger than just a hockey game. Yet people, unfortunatly the majority were Canadian, had the audacity and gaul to put the game and the US down. Statements were made as dumb as "American vs. Canada rivalry. What rivalry we beat them every time he he," and ones talking about the US' economy today and another saying Ovechkin scoring 65 goals proves Russia is better and even one going on about how if Canada made a movie about every great game they played in, there would be a movie out every day. It honestly made my blood boil. I'm a patriot and a homer and a loyalist when it comes to my country and my sports teams, so I understand the idea of putting down a rival. But do it at the appropriate time. People today are so self-involved, so stupid, so jealous that it would not surprise me to find this sort of sickening dribble being posted even during something such as the death of a president. It makes me sad that people can't put down their differences for just a little while instead of wasting their time trying a dumb putdown that can so easily be crushed by someone with a brain on an online post that was meant to be a celebration of a gream moment in sports and in history.
Whew...I feel a tiny bit better.
Random Thoughts
- Congrats to the WWE on keeping the Rock's return a surprise. It was nice to not know what was coming for once. Too bad they pretty much screwed it all up with the 50th Undertaker return the Raw the following week.
- Why is it the Blues refuse to play for a full 60 minutes? Granted, their game has improved mightily since Oshie and McDonald returned and with the addition of Stewart and Shattenkirk, but there are still so many mistakes. 10 minutes. 10 minutes of poor play out of 60 cost the Blues a game against the Blackhawks. You just can't have that.
- Speaking of not playing consistantly, this year's Kansas basketball team has me fooled. They look like world beaters with talent and depth in one game and then in another it looks like nobody can shoot and they can be stopped by controlling one or two players. I believe they'll make a deep run, but given the lack of a dominant team or teams in college basketball this year it's going to be a stomach churning, nail biting tournament.
Well I figure that's enough rambling for this post. As always, remember it's just my opinion...but I'm right.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Hockey fans singing the Blues
It's been awhile since I've posted. I've been busy with work but it's time to write again. A topic that is near and dear to me is the St. Louis Blues. The team got off to a great start. They were unbeaten at home until late November. They were beating teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh and energizing the Scottrade Center with physcial play and a scrappy style that was really connecting with the fans. However, over the last few weeks the team has headed downhill.
There is good and bad to see in the Blues' semi-demise. The bad thing is that the team has done it as a team. They are failing at just about every aspect of the game. They are not getting timely goals. They are not playing good defense and having solid marking in their zone. They are not getting the quality of goaltending they need on a consistant basis based on the rest of the team's play either. While this sounds quite horrifying to Blues fans, and it is discouraging, there is a bright side.
The silver lining is that their mistakes are not those of an absolutely bad team. Instead of having a team that absolutely can not score, Blues fans need to realize that their team is merely struggling. One good streak can turn it all around. Instead of having a horrendous defensive team, the Blues merely need to clean up some mistakes that will come with the youth of players like Erik Johnson, Alex Pietrangelo and the other young core. Instead of having goaltenders who were shaky at best or ran hot and cold period to period, the Blues' goaltending is merely going through a streak of bad luck. The bottom line is all of this is correctable. Hope is not lost.
From my own perspective, as a fan who bleeds blue, the disappointing thing is that two players have taken the scoring with them as they headed to the Injured Reserve list. David Perron and T.J. Oshie are highly talented players, with great motivation to play hard just about every shift. They are deserving of being fan favorites due to their skill and heart. Yet, there is other talent on this team. It was known heading into the season that this would not be an offensive juggernaut, but not only has the scoring lagged without these two stars, the offensive style itself has hit a standstill. Repeatedly during broadcasts and postgame comments we are told that coach Davis Payne is telling his team to get to the middle and take shots from high percentage scoring areas. However, the Blues seem tentative and indecisive. Trying to cycle around too much. Waiting too many extra seconds to make that pass that could have led to a scoring opportunity and instead getting intercepted or passing to a covered man.
There is still hope. A couple days off now gives the Blues some needed practice time. This team has to gel at the core so that when players come up from the Perioa Rivermen, it is easier to integrate them into a whole as opposed to another piece of an unfinished puzzle. Much of sports boils down to talent and luck. The Blues are not untalented and have hit a rough patch of luck. Much like their baseball counterparts, the Cardinals, the Blues have not found the complete package that they had early in the year. They may score, but not get good D or goaltending. They might play better on the backside but get shutout or only score one. But in the end, anyone willing to blame Jaroslav Halak is a fool.
No, Halak has not played up to his capabilities, but he is a solid goaltender that will back this team when they need it the most. Every netminder hits a patch where the goals just seem to slip through that crack that you thought was well covered. But the quality ones rebound. Halak will do so. He is only in his mid twenties. There are still tweaks to be made to Halak's game. Heck, even superstars like Brodeur and Roy needed coaching from time to time. The biggest difference, I feel, from this goalie to the previous problems the Blues have had is this. In the past the Blues goaltending has cost them victories. Right now, Halak and to an extent Conklin, simply aren't winning the games for St. Louis. That is what they must do. Until the time comes when Perron and Polak return, Halak must start to win games for this team. He is more than capable of that. He led a Montreal team through the playoffs when they probably should have been swept in the first round if you look solely at the talent.
What the Blues need right now is a win. Not even a streak. Just a win. Much the same way that the long win streak and good start at the beginning of the year gave them a cushion for when the tough times came, the Blues need a few W's so that they do not dig themselves a hole that would need a gigantic run back to the playoffs. Nevertheless, I still see hope. I believe in this team. Pieces still need to be added in the years to come, but they have the core of a good team. Take heart St. Louis fans. The clouds in the sky are only the changing weather and not the precursor of doom for this hockey season.
Random Thoughts
- I was very disappointed in the NHL Network crew on their NHL On The Fly show following David Perron's concussion. While they changed their tune later, it was ridiculous that they accused Perron of faking the injury to get a longer powerplay. Clearly they are eating their words now as David has not played since that game.
- In addition to my disappointment that a country smaller than Connecticut won the 2022 World Cup instead of the U.S., I was quite taken aback by P.T.I.'s discussion of the matter. Mr. Kornheiser and Wilbon argued that it is no big deal that America did not get awarded the World Cup because soccer is "a distant 5th place" in terms of interest in this country. Not only does this argument come from old men who still emrace dead sports such as horse racing and boxing, but it is as foolish as someone making the argument that the U.S. should not care to ever host an Olympics again because sports like figure skating or swimming aren't the number one sports here either. The '94 World Cup was a spectacular event. If they would have gotten their heads out of a certain dark and perhaps smelly place, perhaps they could have taken notice.
- Just a random thought from the fan side of me...I hope Oklahoma crushes Nebraska in the Big 12 championship. I have no love for the Sooners, but to send the arrogant 'Husker fans to the Big 10 licking their wounds would be justice in my opinion. The only thing worse than the Cornhuskers winning in their final season would be Mizzou winning it ever.
- Not a big fan of the NAHL scheduling. As a broadcaster, it is hard to keep a flow going when there are long gaps between home games and such a gap is approaching. The games I call this weekend will be the final ones until January 7th I believe. A month of doing nothing stinks. At least there will be good company for Christmas as I will spend it with my girlfriend and family.
Hopefully this will not be the last post that I write before the holidays, as I would like to get back into the habit of writting. But if it is, then I wish you all a very safe holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. And as always remember that it may just be an opinion...but I'm right.
There is good and bad to see in the Blues' semi-demise. The bad thing is that the team has done it as a team. They are failing at just about every aspect of the game. They are not getting timely goals. They are not playing good defense and having solid marking in their zone. They are not getting the quality of goaltending they need on a consistant basis based on the rest of the team's play either. While this sounds quite horrifying to Blues fans, and it is discouraging, there is a bright side.
The silver lining is that their mistakes are not those of an absolutely bad team. Instead of having a team that absolutely can not score, Blues fans need to realize that their team is merely struggling. One good streak can turn it all around. Instead of having a horrendous defensive team, the Blues merely need to clean up some mistakes that will come with the youth of players like Erik Johnson, Alex Pietrangelo and the other young core. Instead of having goaltenders who were shaky at best or ran hot and cold period to period, the Blues' goaltending is merely going through a streak of bad luck. The bottom line is all of this is correctable. Hope is not lost.
From my own perspective, as a fan who bleeds blue, the disappointing thing is that two players have taken the scoring with them as they headed to the Injured Reserve list. David Perron and T.J. Oshie are highly talented players, with great motivation to play hard just about every shift. They are deserving of being fan favorites due to their skill and heart. Yet, there is other talent on this team. It was known heading into the season that this would not be an offensive juggernaut, but not only has the scoring lagged without these two stars, the offensive style itself has hit a standstill. Repeatedly during broadcasts and postgame comments we are told that coach Davis Payne is telling his team to get to the middle and take shots from high percentage scoring areas. However, the Blues seem tentative and indecisive. Trying to cycle around too much. Waiting too many extra seconds to make that pass that could have led to a scoring opportunity and instead getting intercepted or passing to a covered man.
There is still hope. A couple days off now gives the Blues some needed practice time. This team has to gel at the core so that when players come up from the Perioa Rivermen, it is easier to integrate them into a whole as opposed to another piece of an unfinished puzzle. Much of sports boils down to talent and luck. The Blues are not untalented and have hit a rough patch of luck. Much like their baseball counterparts, the Cardinals, the Blues have not found the complete package that they had early in the year. They may score, but not get good D or goaltending. They might play better on the backside but get shutout or only score one. But in the end, anyone willing to blame Jaroslav Halak is a fool.
No, Halak has not played up to his capabilities, but he is a solid goaltender that will back this team when they need it the most. Every netminder hits a patch where the goals just seem to slip through that crack that you thought was well covered. But the quality ones rebound. Halak will do so. He is only in his mid twenties. There are still tweaks to be made to Halak's game. Heck, even superstars like Brodeur and Roy needed coaching from time to time. The biggest difference, I feel, from this goalie to the previous problems the Blues have had is this. In the past the Blues goaltending has cost them victories. Right now, Halak and to an extent Conklin, simply aren't winning the games for St. Louis. That is what they must do. Until the time comes when Perron and Polak return, Halak must start to win games for this team. He is more than capable of that. He led a Montreal team through the playoffs when they probably should have been swept in the first round if you look solely at the talent.
What the Blues need right now is a win. Not even a streak. Just a win. Much the same way that the long win streak and good start at the beginning of the year gave them a cushion for when the tough times came, the Blues need a few W's so that they do not dig themselves a hole that would need a gigantic run back to the playoffs. Nevertheless, I still see hope. I believe in this team. Pieces still need to be added in the years to come, but they have the core of a good team. Take heart St. Louis fans. The clouds in the sky are only the changing weather and not the precursor of doom for this hockey season.
Random Thoughts
- I was very disappointed in the NHL Network crew on their NHL On The Fly show following David Perron's concussion. While they changed their tune later, it was ridiculous that they accused Perron of faking the injury to get a longer powerplay. Clearly they are eating their words now as David has not played since that game.
- In addition to my disappointment that a country smaller than Connecticut won the 2022 World Cup instead of the U.S., I was quite taken aback by P.T.I.'s discussion of the matter. Mr. Kornheiser and Wilbon argued that it is no big deal that America did not get awarded the World Cup because soccer is "a distant 5th place" in terms of interest in this country. Not only does this argument come from old men who still emrace dead sports such as horse racing and boxing, but it is as foolish as someone making the argument that the U.S. should not care to ever host an Olympics again because sports like figure skating or swimming aren't the number one sports here either. The '94 World Cup was a spectacular event. If they would have gotten their heads out of a certain dark and perhaps smelly place, perhaps they could have taken notice.
- Just a random thought from the fan side of me...I hope Oklahoma crushes Nebraska in the Big 12 championship. I have no love for the Sooners, but to send the arrogant 'Husker fans to the Big 10 licking their wounds would be justice in my opinion. The only thing worse than the Cornhuskers winning in their final season would be Mizzou winning it ever.
- Not a big fan of the NAHL scheduling. As a broadcaster, it is hard to keep a flow going when there are long gaps between home games and such a gap is approaching. The games I call this weekend will be the final ones until January 7th I believe. A month of doing nothing stinks. At least there will be good company for Christmas as I will spend it with my girlfriend and family.
Hopefully this will not be the last post that I write before the holidays, as I would like to get back into the habit of writting. But if it is, then I wish you all a very safe holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. And as always remember that it may just be an opinion...but I'm right.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Expansion fiasco
With all the talk of possible NCAA conference expansion, I figured I'd chime in. To put it bluntly I think this is a mistake. First off the NCAA has created this problem themselves by instituting the rule that conferences must have 12 or more teams to have a conference championship game in football. As long as you have 10 teams then I see no reason there could not be a championship game anyway. I make no accusation that forming so called super-conferences would be the destruction of college football, but I do think it would only be a money grab and serve no real purpose to the institutions that join these mega conferences other than more funding in a never ending arms race.
First off, the pilaging of other conferences seems just that. Theft. The idea that a conference such as the Big 10 can just go into other established conferences and make offers to their teams just seems wrong to me. Yet, I suppose it's that way in business. No loyalty. I can understand going to smaller conferences and making these sorts of offers. It would even make sense to look into some of those schools. But the fact that this idea is only about football is even more astounding. With the exception of a school like Missouri, which to be honest has little football pedigree other than a few reasonably decent seasons the past few years, all of the schools in question for Big 10 expansion are football schools.
Secondly, nobody can agree as to where it would all end if anything were to happen. Some people think the Big 10 would be happy if only Notre Dame came within their fold. How does this make sense? Why not grab all the teams they could. Take every single team that's been mentioned. Get the super ratings power in Notre Dame. Expand the network into the deep midwest by poaching Nebraska, secure midwestern media hotspots of St. Louis and K.C. by enticing Missouri (who has felt slighted by the Big 12 ever since the conference's inception), move into the New York market by grabbing Rutgers. It's all about making money off the Big Ten Network so why would stopping at Notre Dame make sense?
Ah, but then the dominoes fall. The Big 12, having lost two of it's biggest pieces from the north division would have to look west for help. Either make a grab for TCU and perhaps Colorado State or form a mega-conference with the Pac-10 and it's California money. The SEC then makes a push to keep it's football powerhouse status by offering a spot to Florida State and/or Miami. Perhaps conferences completely disappear? The ACC could be swallowed whole by the SEC with the crumbs going to other conferences. Maybe the Big East is destroyed or forced to join forces with Conference USA to keep its vital signs alive. The Mountain West could be absorbed into the Big12/Pac-10. There seems to be no stopping that train and nobody seems to be all that bothered.
There just seems to be so much wrong with these super conferences. How can you really decide a conference champion if the conferences get so big that there might not be enough games to even play everyone in your own division? What about rivalries? Yes games could still be scheduled for non-con, but wouldn't a Missouri-Kansas matchup with no Big 12 importance lose a little luster? What about Michigan-Ohio State? Is it fair to have them play every single year just to keep their rivalry when you could have as many as 14 other teams in the conference? What becomes of the leftovers? When the Big 12 was formed, all the teams from the Southwest Conference were taken, except for Arkansas, which got a pretty good deal in joining the SEC. The chatter as it is leaves so many teams out in the cold that it almost seems these mega conferences would be perfectly fine with the destruction of some of these programs since they would have no where to go.
In the end, I agree that something is probably going to happen. I don't like it at all and I see no benefit to it. It's not the same as holding onto the 64 team basketball tournament. For that you can argue that it hasn't had much tradition and is progress. With this, there is no benefit to everyone involved.
- LeBron James: Where will he go? I still wonder what all the hubub is about. So much is being made about King James' inability to win the big one so far. Michael Jordan did not win right away and he had to overcome plenty of adversity before he did. Plus, in Cleveland, LeBron really has no real #2. People can make the case of Antwain Jameson or Mo Williams all they want. Magic had Kareem and vice versa. Bird had McHale. Thomas had Dumars. Russel had a pretty stacked Celtics squad all the time. Jordan had Pippen. The point is that Lebron doesn't have those. He has talented players, but Mo Williams or Varejao or Big Z or Shaq at the end of his career is not comparable to Pippen or Dumars or McHale.
With that said, most people still wonder if he'll go. Being a Chicago Bulls fan, I love the fact that my team is mentioned as a front runner to get one of the best players in the league. But I am a loyalist both to my teams and in the belief that some players should stay in one place. Michael Jordan is and forever shall be a Bull, no matter how many Wizards jerseys may be in a warehouse somewhere. Magic was only a Laker. Bird was only a Celtic. To be honest I think James should only be a Cavalier.
If he goes then where makes the most sense is the next question. Most think New York. No offense, but that's dumb (which means it'll happen). The Knicks are horrid. Even if you get James and Bosh together that team is a mid seed in the playoffs. Going to New York would be about nothing but money and the lifestyle. Next up is Chicago. I agree with ESPN's Bob Ryan that this makes the most basketball sense. I heard on the radio that Chicago doesn't make sense because Cleveland is a better team and the Bulls were the 8 seed. Take LeBron off the Cavs and they don't even make the playoffs. Put Lebron on a team with Rose, Deng, Noah and the slew of other talent the Bulls have and you have a great team. Lebron gives the Bulls power and that's what they don't have. The Bulls need a center, but LeBron gives them the strength even if not the height. The question I have is whether Rose is the next Iverson and could take the back seat role. The Heat are mentioned as well. This would be a power tandem of James and Wade. Better idea than the Knicks and Cavs, but again, can two mega stars co-exist outside of a national team setting?
Ultimately, I think LeBron statys or goes to the Knicks. The Cavs allow him to build his own legacy even if he doesn't win the big one. New York is, like I said, for the lifestyle. He'll never win there either but it won't be looked down upon so much as it is in dreary Cleveland, where they haven't won anything since the 60's.
Random Thoughts:
- What's up with the Eastern Conference in the NHL? Not only would the St. Louis Blues have been a playoff shoe-in in that conference, but the 7 and 8 seeds make the conference finals? What an interesting juxtaposition to have the 1 vs. 2 in the west and 7 vs. 8 in the east.
- The World Cup is a little less than a month away and I'm getting a little excited. I was disappointed that the US roster did not include Charlie Davies, especially after hearing that it seems his european club had a lot to do with it by misinforming the US team. Good to see Edson Buddle get a chance after his hot start in the MLS though.
- It's going to be a long, but hopefully interesting offseason for the St. Louis Blues. Many questions. Will the team go after offense or defense in the free agent market? I personally hope offense, since there are plenty of good defenseman in the system like Ian Cole, Alex Pietrangelo and Jonas Junland. Will the team just re-sign Chris Mason or try to trade for a hopeful upgrade or sign someone. To be honest I'm a little tired of Mason. When he's on, he's really on but when he's not there are just too many back breaking soft goals. The best options, unfortunately, would require a trade. I see Carey Price of Tim Thomas as the best options. I haven't heard any solid rumors on Thomas, but I can't see Boston holding onto two starting goaltenders now that they seem to have shifted the job to Raask. Only time will tell.
That about wraps it up for this post. Remember these are just my own thoughts and it's just my opinion...but I'm right.
First off, the pilaging of other conferences seems just that. Theft. The idea that a conference such as the Big 10 can just go into other established conferences and make offers to their teams just seems wrong to me. Yet, I suppose it's that way in business. No loyalty. I can understand going to smaller conferences and making these sorts of offers. It would even make sense to look into some of those schools. But the fact that this idea is only about football is even more astounding. With the exception of a school like Missouri, which to be honest has little football pedigree other than a few reasonably decent seasons the past few years, all of the schools in question for Big 10 expansion are football schools.
Secondly, nobody can agree as to where it would all end if anything were to happen. Some people think the Big 10 would be happy if only Notre Dame came within their fold. How does this make sense? Why not grab all the teams they could. Take every single team that's been mentioned. Get the super ratings power in Notre Dame. Expand the network into the deep midwest by poaching Nebraska, secure midwestern media hotspots of St. Louis and K.C. by enticing Missouri (who has felt slighted by the Big 12 ever since the conference's inception), move into the New York market by grabbing Rutgers. It's all about making money off the Big Ten Network so why would stopping at Notre Dame make sense?
Ah, but then the dominoes fall. The Big 12, having lost two of it's biggest pieces from the north division would have to look west for help. Either make a grab for TCU and perhaps Colorado State or form a mega-conference with the Pac-10 and it's California money. The SEC then makes a push to keep it's football powerhouse status by offering a spot to Florida State and/or Miami. Perhaps conferences completely disappear? The ACC could be swallowed whole by the SEC with the crumbs going to other conferences. Maybe the Big East is destroyed or forced to join forces with Conference USA to keep its vital signs alive. The Mountain West could be absorbed into the Big12/Pac-10. There seems to be no stopping that train and nobody seems to be all that bothered.
There just seems to be so much wrong with these super conferences. How can you really decide a conference champion if the conferences get so big that there might not be enough games to even play everyone in your own division? What about rivalries? Yes games could still be scheduled for non-con, but wouldn't a Missouri-Kansas matchup with no Big 12 importance lose a little luster? What about Michigan-Ohio State? Is it fair to have them play every single year just to keep their rivalry when you could have as many as 14 other teams in the conference? What becomes of the leftovers? When the Big 12 was formed, all the teams from the Southwest Conference were taken, except for Arkansas, which got a pretty good deal in joining the SEC. The chatter as it is leaves so many teams out in the cold that it almost seems these mega conferences would be perfectly fine with the destruction of some of these programs since they would have no where to go.
In the end, I agree that something is probably going to happen. I don't like it at all and I see no benefit to it. It's not the same as holding onto the 64 team basketball tournament. For that you can argue that it hasn't had much tradition and is progress. With this, there is no benefit to everyone involved.
- LeBron James: Where will he go? I still wonder what all the hubub is about. So much is being made about King James' inability to win the big one so far. Michael Jordan did not win right away and he had to overcome plenty of adversity before he did. Plus, in Cleveland, LeBron really has no real #2. People can make the case of Antwain Jameson or Mo Williams all they want. Magic had Kareem and vice versa. Bird had McHale. Thomas had Dumars. Russel had a pretty stacked Celtics squad all the time. Jordan had Pippen. The point is that Lebron doesn't have those. He has talented players, but Mo Williams or Varejao or Big Z or Shaq at the end of his career is not comparable to Pippen or Dumars or McHale.
With that said, most people still wonder if he'll go. Being a Chicago Bulls fan, I love the fact that my team is mentioned as a front runner to get one of the best players in the league. But I am a loyalist both to my teams and in the belief that some players should stay in one place. Michael Jordan is and forever shall be a Bull, no matter how many Wizards jerseys may be in a warehouse somewhere. Magic was only a Laker. Bird was only a Celtic. To be honest I think James should only be a Cavalier.
If he goes then where makes the most sense is the next question. Most think New York. No offense, but that's dumb (which means it'll happen). The Knicks are horrid. Even if you get James and Bosh together that team is a mid seed in the playoffs. Going to New York would be about nothing but money and the lifestyle. Next up is Chicago. I agree with ESPN's Bob Ryan that this makes the most basketball sense. I heard on the radio that Chicago doesn't make sense because Cleveland is a better team and the Bulls were the 8 seed. Take LeBron off the Cavs and they don't even make the playoffs. Put Lebron on a team with Rose, Deng, Noah and the slew of other talent the Bulls have and you have a great team. Lebron gives the Bulls power and that's what they don't have. The Bulls need a center, but LeBron gives them the strength even if not the height. The question I have is whether Rose is the next Iverson and could take the back seat role. The Heat are mentioned as well. This would be a power tandem of James and Wade. Better idea than the Knicks and Cavs, but again, can two mega stars co-exist outside of a national team setting?
Ultimately, I think LeBron statys or goes to the Knicks. The Cavs allow him to build his own legacy even if he doesn't win the big one. New York is, like I said, for the lifestyle. He'll never win there either but it won't be looked down upon so much as it is in dreary Cleveland, where they haven't won anything since the 60's.
Random Thoughts:
- What's up with the Eastern Conference in the NHL? Not only would the St. Louis Blues have been a playoff shoe-in in that conference, but the 7 and 8 seeds make the conference finals? What an interesting juxtaposition to have the 1 vs. 2 in the west and 7 vs. 8 in the east.
- The World Cup is a little less than a month away and I'm getting a little excited. I was disappointed that the US roster did not include Charlie Davies, especially after hearing that it seems his european club had a lot to do with it by misinforming the US team. Good to see Edson Buddle get a chance after his hot start in the MLS though.
- It's going to be a long, but hopefully interesting offseason for the St. Louis Blues. Many questions. Will the team go after offense or defense in the free agent market? I personally hope offense, since there are plenty of good defenseman in the system like Ian Cole, Alex Pietrangelo and Jonas Junland. Will the team just re-sign Chris Mason or try to trade for a hopeful upgrade or sign someone. To be honest I'm a little tired of Mason. When he's on, he's really on but when he's not there are just too many back breaking soft goals. The best options, unfortunately, would require a trade. I see Carey Price of Tim Thomas as the best options. I haven't heard any solid rumors on Thomas, but I can't see Boston holding onto two starting goaltenders now that they seem to have shifted the job to Raask. Only time will tell.
That about wraps it up for this post. Remember these are just my own thoughts and it's just my opinion...but I'm right.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
An entire post of random thoughts
I would like to start off this blog by giving a sincere and heartfelt congratulations to both the Texas Tornado and St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL. They had one of, if not the best series of the first round of the division playoffs. The Tornado gave the defending champion Bandits all they could handle and more. Texas won the first two games of the series in St. Louis. Then the Bandits stole back two games in Texas, including game four's triple overtime winner, and then St. Louis won another overtime thriller at the Hardees Iceplex in game 5. Jordan Bourgonje scored with 12 seconds left to tie it up and then Grant Gettinger scored with 9:22 left in OT to win it and advance to the division finals. The Tornado goaltender, Dan Sullivan, was definitely the top star of the series. He kept his team in every game despite being badly outshot in just about every contest. It was a privilege to call that game and I'll have highlight videos posted down at the bottom.
- On to the Rams. I have another blog about my opinion on who the team should draft, but I have resigned myself to the idea that St. Louis will probably draft a quarterback and that man will most likely be Sam Bradford. While this is what will likely happen I still say that it is a mistake. I still don't see the smarts in drafting an injury prone, shotgun system quarterback who isn't very mobile. The Rams offensive line, even when semi-decent, has been bad enough to cost us two good to elite quarterbacks. Kurt Warner got injured and shellshocked from too many hits as a St. Louis Ram. Marc Bulger looked like a zombie he got hit so much and developed happy feet, which signaled his end in this town. Now the brains behind the scenes think it wise to bring in someone who has repeated shoulder problems from being hit and someone who isn't any more mobile than Bulger was and put him behind the same offensive line. Also there isn't anyone for him to throw to. I'm sorry, but when the team's best receivers are an undersized, too-highly drafted Avery and a practice squad castoff from out east, then I highly doubt this team's offensive output will improve with a combination of AJ Feely and Sam Bradford.
- The St. Louis Blues officially made Davis Payne their full time headcoach. This is a good idea to me. I don't know who all is out there, but as a fan I saw enough improvement under Payne to give him a full season to show what he can do with this team. Also, with the retirement of GM Larry Pleau, new GM Doug Armstrong has an ideal situation with the team keeping Payne. As suggested to me by a friend, Armstrong either looks good by Payne keep his job and having the team succeed under him or if the team falters again he can say that he wasn't fully the GM yet and can bring in his own coach next season. Personally, I think Payne will succeed. Whether or not he's the coach to bring a Cup to the Lou, I don't know. Yet, he can identify with the younger players easier and there needs to be more of them on the team next year.
The Blues need to add either a top line scorer or solid veteran defenseman with enough left in the tank that they don't have cement in their skates. Goaltending has to be addressed as well. Chris Mason is a quality goalie but too inconsistent. If someone is out there to be picked up that would be an improvement, then the Blues should jump on that. All that said, regardless of roster moves, this team has to just simply improve and eliminate their mistakes. Even after Payne was brought in as coach, the club often did many of the same mistakes as when Andy Murray was coach. To me that says that coaching was not the only problem. Only time will tell and for this writer, September can't get here quickly enough. At least there is the World Cup in July to tide me over.
- Although my Blues are not involved, I will be interested to see how the NHL playoffs unfold. Lots of questions. Can the Coyotes hold home-ice advantage or will Detroit keep up their hot play since the end of the Olympics? Will Washington finally use all that talent to get to the finals or will they falter again? Can Ryan Miller carry the Sabers the way he did Team USA?
From a personal standpoint, I hope the answer to all of those is yes. I want Detroit gone in the opening round. I want Washington to make it to the Conference Finals at the very least if not the NHL finals. A matchup against Pittsburgh would be great for TV, but it would benefit the league just as much to have Ovechkin in the finals as Sidney Crosby. Plus Sid the Kid just rubbed me the wrong way after the Canadians defeated USA. Also, I would love to see an Ovechkin vs. Miller conference final but I'm not sure if Buffalo has the scoring to make it that far. We will see.
That'll pretty much wrap it up for this post. Again, check out the highlights of game 5 between the Bandits and Tornado at the bottom. Just remember, it's just my opinion...but I'm right.
- On to the Rams. I have another blog about my opinion on who the team should draft, but I have resigned myself to the idea that St. Louis will probably draft a quarterback and that man will most likely be Sam Bradford. While this is what will likely happen I still say that it is a mistake. I still don't see the smarts in drafting an injury prone, shotgun system quarterback who isn't very mobile. The Rams offensive line, even when semi-decent, has been bad enough to cost us two good to elite quarterbacks. Kurt Warner got injured and shellshocked from too many hits as a St. Louis Ram. Marc Bulger looked like a zombie he got hit so much and developed happy feet, which signaled his end in this town. Now the brains behind the scenes think it wise to bring in someone who has repeated shoulder problems from being hit and someone who isn't any more mobile than Bulger was and put him behind the same offensive line. Also there isn't anyone for him to throw to. I'm sorry, but when the team's best receivers are an undersized, too-highly drafted Avery and a practice squad castoff from out east, then I highly doubt this team's offensive output will improve with a combination of AJ Feely and Sam Bradford.
- The St. Louis Blues officially made Davis Payne their full time headcoach. This is a good idea to me. I don't know who all is out there, but as a fan I saw enough improvement under Payne to give him a full season to show what he can do with this team. Also, with the retirement of GM Larry Pleau, new GM Doug Armstrong has an ideal situation with the team keeping Payne. As suggested to me by a friend, Armstrong either looks good by Payne keep his job and having the team succeed under him or if the team falters again he can say that he wasn't fully the GM yet and can bring in his own coach next season. Personally, I think Payne will succeed. Whether or not he's the coach to bring a Cup to the Lou, I don't know. Yet, he can identify with the younger players easier and there needs to be more of them on the team next year.
The Blues need to add either a top line scorer or solid veteran defenseman with enough left in the tank that they don't have cement in their skates. Goaltending has to be addressed as well. Chris Mason is a quality goalie but too inconsistent. If someone is out there to be picked up that would be an improvement, then the Blues should jump on that. All that said, regardless of roster moves, this team has to just simply improve and eliminate their mistakes. Even after Payne was brought in as coach, the club often did many of the same mistakes as when Andy Murray was coach. To me that says that coaching was not the only problem. Only time will tell and for this writer, September can't get here quickly enough. At least there is the World Cup in July to tide me over.
- Although my Blues are not involved, I will be interested to see how the NHL playoffs unfold. Lots of questions. Can the Coyotes hold home-ice advantage or will Detroit keep up their hot play since the end of the Olympics? Will Washington finally use all that talent to get to the finals or will they falter again? Can Ryan Miller carry the Sabers the way he did Team USA?
From a personal standpoint, I hope the answer to all of those is yes. I want Detroit gone in the opening round. I want Washington to make it to the Conference Finals at the very least if not the NHL finals. A matchup against Pittsburgh would be great for TV, but it would benefit the league just as much to have Ovechkin in the finals as Sidney Crosby. Plus Sid the Kid just rubbed me the wrong way after the Canadians defeated USA. Also, I would love to see an Ovechkin vs. Miller conference final but I'm not sure if Buffalo has the scoring to make it that far. We will see.
That'll pretty much wrap it up for this post. Again, check out the highlights of game 5 between the Bandits and Tornado at the bottom. Just remember, it's just my opinion...but I'm right.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Rams, please make the right pick
As we inch closer to the NFL draft in April, I begin to wonder if my family and myself are the only sane ones. Or perhaps we're the crazy ones. With a few exceptions, it seems that there are lots of people being suckered into the idea that the St. Louis Rams drafting Sam Bradford is a good thing. I could not disagree more. I have nothing wrong with Bradford as a person or even as a quarterback. He has a pretty good arm and is an accurate quarterback. He seems like a decent person. Yet, being a Kansas alumni and fan, I have seen his play at Oklahoma. He is a predominantly shotgun quarterback. He has become injury prone despite playing behind one of the better offensive lines in the Big 12 conference. And I have yet to hear a really good, convincing argument for making him the number one pick. The weak arguments that have been made are that the Rams passed up on QB's the last couple years, so we can't pass on Bradford. He's the top QB of this class. And of all things, one person even suggested that it's better to draft Bradford because QB's sell more jerseys than a defensive tackle would.
This is about wins and loses. Bradford will not be the difference between the Rams going 1-15 again or not. I have not heard any rumors of drafting or picking up any free agent receivers. Who exactly is he going to throw to that will make him look any better than Marc Bulger? (Who honestly could have been a great QB if we had kept some offensive weapons and given him good protection.) How does it make sense to draft a QB only based on the fact he's the best QB in a weak class and because the team passed on QB's the last couple years? That was under different management, who may have made a mistake. This new management group needs to start over by not making iffy picks. And on the shotgun issue, Bradford is going to spend a lot of time getting used to being under center. Yes, he wasn't a pure shotgun quarterback but he was in that formation a good 80% of his plays I'd wager.
He just isn't worth the number one pick. Several analysts have said as much, but still fall back on the fact that the Rams need a quarterback. There are several players that the team could pick up via free agency. The Rams could even pick up a solid QB in the second round and groom him. I've also heard that Bradford might be picked because he would come cheaper than Ndamukong Suh. How does this make sense? Any agent worth their salt will make sure their guy gets first pick money, whether he was projected to get picked that high or not.
In my opinion, Suh is a sure pick. He's one of the most dominant defensive players that has come along in decades. He can anchor your defense for the next 10-12 years. Bradford is a questionable pick who has just as much of a chance, if not more, to be a bust as he does to become a franchise quarterback. This is honestly the most worried and irritated I have ever been about pre-draft talk. I am usually the kind of person that would like certain people picked but trusts that the people who really scout this know what they are doing. Yet everything I read about the St. Louis Rams potential picks points to a waste of a draft. The positions that I see this team needing the most are defense, receivers and possibly a solid backup for Steven Jackson. Yet what do I see projected for the Rams first two picks? A quarterback and a tight end. The Rams just picked up another tight end via free agency for goodness sake. And that's to go along with the plethora of TE's they've drafted recently. Manumaleuna, Byrd, Klopfenstein to name a few.
Then another thing that angers me is the Bernie Miklasz article about this very subject. He made the point that the team is in limbo with the current ownership, the Rosenblooms, looking to get out and the potential buyer not being able to be confirmed until after the draft. If I was Mr. Shahid Kahn, I would be telling the management how I felt in regards to this draft and suggest that if the team looks to go cheap that I might pull my offer off the table. I apologize to anyone who reads this who feels the other way. I don't usually see things so one sided or go off like a fan calling into a sportstalk show, but this is just one of those issues that I can't see the opposing view. It makes so much sense to take Suh. People always say, take the best player not always the need. Suh is head and shoulders the best player.
Ok...breathe. In...out...in...out. Alrighty, time for my usual random thoughts.
- This weekend is going to be a big one for the St. Louis Bandits. The team is four points back of division leading Topeka. I am really geared up for this game. Almost to the point that it seems odd since I'm not the one playing.
- Am I the only one getting antsy with this little layoff the Blues have? I know they'll have a couple games in hand, but I just don't like the fact that other teams are able to add to their point totals and the Blues are idle in their playoff push.
- Why is it that people who like hockey and soccer can't find a prominent place within the media? ESPN's Steve Levy and John Buccigross on the hockey side and perhaps Bob Ley for soccer are the only ones that come to mind. I grow tired of these other fools trying to talk about these sports when they know nothing about them. I love the show Pardon the Interruption, but I find it ridiculous when they talk about boxing and horse racing like they still matter (simply because THEY like those), but make fun of actual sports like hockey and soccer.
- Lastly, can I please, please, please get hired to broadcast full time? People who know me know that I am self deprecating, perhaps to a fault, and not overly boastful unless in a joking manner. Yet I keep hearing play-by-play men who I know that I am or can be better than. And these people are working at high levels. I just don't get it.
Anyway, sorry this blog turned into more of a rant than I usually do. Until next time, just remember that it's only my opinion...but I'm right.
This is about wins and loses. Bradford will not be the difference between the Rams going 1-15 again or not. I have not heard any rumors of drafting or picking up any free agent receivers. Who exactly is he going to throw to that will make him look any better than Marc Bulger? (Who honestly could have been a great QB if we had kept some offensive weapons and given him good protection.) How does it make sense to draft a QB only based on the fact he's the best QB in a weak class and because the team passed on QB's the last couple years? That was under different management, who may have made a mistake. This new management group needs to start over by not making iffy picks. And on the shotgun issue, Bradford is going to spend a lot of time getting used to being under center. Yes, he wasn't a pure shotgun quarterback but he was in that formation a good 80% of his plays I'd wager.
He just isn't worth the number one pick. Several analysts have said as much, but still fall back on the fact that the Rams need a quarterback. There are several players that the team could pick up via free agency. The Rams could even pick up a solid QB in the second round and groom him. I've also heard that Bradford might be picked because he would come cheaper than Ndamukong Suh. How does this make sense? Any agent worth their salt will make sure their guy gets first pick money, whether he was projected to get picked that high or not.
In my opinion, Suh is a sure pick. He's one of the most dominant defensive players that has come along in decades. He can anchor your defense for the next 10-12 years. Bradford is a questionable pick who has just as much of a chance, if not more, to be a bust as he does to become a franchise quarterback. This is honestly the most worried and irritated I have ever been about pre-draft talk. I am usually the kind of person that would like certain people picked but trusts that the people who really scout this know what they are doing. Yet everything I read about the St. Louis Rams potential picks points to a waste of a draft. The positions that I see this team needing the most are defense, receivers and possibly a solid backup for Steven Jackson. Yet what do I see projected for the Rams first two picks? A quarterback and a tight end. The Rams just picked up another tight end via free agency for goodness sake. And that's to go along with the plethora of TE's they've drafted recently. Manumaleuna, Byrd, Klopfenstein to name a few.
Then another thing that angers me is the Bernie Miklasz article about this very subject. He made the point that the team is in limbo with the current ownership, the Rosenblooms, looking to get out and the potential buyer not being able to be confirmed until after the draft. If I was Mr. Shahid Kahn, I would be telling the management how I felt in regards to this draft and suggest that if the team looks to go cheap that I might pull my offer off the table. I apologize to anyone who reads this who feels the other way. I don't usually see things so one sided or go off like a fan calling into a sportstalk show, but this is just one of those issues that I can't see the opposing view. It makes so much sense to take Suh. People always say, take the best player not always the need. Suh is head and shoulders the best player.
Ok...breathe. In...out...in...out. Alrighty, time for my usual random thoughts.
- This weekend is going to be a big one for the St. Louis Bandits. The team is four points back of division leading Topeka. I am really geared up for this game. Almost to the point that it seems odd since I'm not the one playing.
- Am I the only one getting antsy with this little layoff the Blues have? I know they'll have a couple games in hand, but I just don't like the fact that other teams are able to add to their point totals and the Blues are idle in their playoff push.
- Why is it that people who like hockey and soccer can't find a prominent place within the media? ESPN's Steve Levy and John Buccigross on the hockey side and perhaps Bob Ley for soccer are the only ones that come to mind. I grow tired of these other fools trying to talk about these sports when they know nothing about them. I love the show Pardon the Interruption, but I find it ridiculous when they talk about boxing and horse racing like they still matter (simply because THEY like those), but make fun of actual sports like hockey and soccer.
- Lastly, can I please, please, please get hired to broadcast full time? People who know me know that I am self deprecating, perhaps to a fault, and not overly boastful unless in a joking manner. Yet I keep hearing play-by-play men who I know that I am or can be better than. And these people are working at high levels. I just don't get it.
Anyway, sorry this blog turned into more of a rant than I usually do. Until next time, just remember that it's only my opinion...but I'm right.
Monday, February 22, 2010
What a night
The subject heading says it all. Sunday, February 21st was one of the most enjoyable nights I've had in quite some time. First off, I went to the WWE's Elimination Chamber PPV and it was one of if not the best live wrestling event I've been to since my friend Ben Huelsing and I were able to get first row tickets to a Raw back in January of 2000. A little more on that in a bit. But after returning home from a great night of wrestling and the usual intriguing, amusing and thought provoking conversation with my friend Mike Daoud I was lucky enough to avoid being told or seeing who had won the U.S.A./Canada hockey game. Little did I know I was to witness, although a few hours later, one of the best hockey games I have ever seen on television. (Live games have their own category) So, this blog will be separated into two categories. One about hockey and one about wrestling. Each will have my usual random thoughts afterward.
The way the U.S. team played, overall, reminds me of what I've seen and read about the Miracle on Ice 1980 men's hockey team. The United States played with heart and passion and enthusiasm. They played with speed but control. They played with aggressiveness but not reckless abandon. They were outmatched in many aspects of the game and still finished the contest victorious. While a game played between two teams made up of 100% NHL players is not even close to the significance of that contest thirty years ago in Lake Placid between a group of college kids who knocked off a veteran Soviet team that had years if not decades of experience as a team, the similarities remain. Canada, like the Soviets, is expected to win. They have the most skill, the best players, the best goaltending, the most pressure (those red jerseys also). The U.S. is young, not expected to do much other than hope for a medal, they're scrappy (they also have some Johnsons, a Brooks and a Suter). Stretches to be sure, but comparisons nevertheless.
In the end it came down to the Americans doing everything they needed to do and minimizing mistakes. The red, white and blue got spectacular goaltending, to say the least, out of Ryan Miller. The guy turned aside 42 of 45 shots with a good 20-30 of those being quality scoring opportunities. The stars and stripes continues to get scoring from players they were not necessarily looking to for goals. Defenseman Brian Rafalski added to his goal total by putting two more in the back of the net along with Chris Drury, Jaime Langenbrunner and Ryan Kesler. Just a fantastic hockey game despite the heartbreak that I'm sure it gave to our friends north of the border. It was the kind of hockey game that I wish any and all doubters about hockey's excitement would have watched and still argued that it isn't a great sport.
- David Backes continues to impress. He added an assist tonight and was just a beast in front of the net and along the boards. Let's hope he doesn't wear down and keeps this up in a blue uniform of a different sort.
- EJ looks good too, though he's disappeared a few times as well. One good spot out of the Canada game was he was taking those open shots on the powerplay. Another good sign if he carries that into the stretch run for the Blues.
- What the heck was up with Scott Niedermayer? He pretty much slung one of the American players into the boards WELL after the horn sounded to end the period. I thought it deserved a penalty but nothing given out.
- I don't buy into this blaming Martin Brodeur kick that many Canadians are on. No, that was not the top form Brodeur. Yes he came out to play the puck way too much. Maybe I'm viewing this through red, white and blue colored glasses, but I just didn't see the game being put squarely on his shoulders. I'm a goalie at heart and have been known to make excuses but in my own opinion, I don't think Roberto Luongo or Marc-Andre Fleury make a difference in that game.
All that said, I'll go in reverse a little bit and discuss the Elimination Chamber event as well. A standing ovation to the WWE writers and all the wrestlers who performed last night. This event renewed my excitement for pro wrestling as it was getting quite stale and predictable. And while there was a degree of predictability to the event, it was still full of good wrestling, good mic work, surprises and things that lived up to expectations even though you may have known it was coming.
They surprised us all by opening the night with one of two Elimination Chamber matches. The surprises continued when Batista came down to take the WWE title off John Cena who had just defeated TripleH with a submission. The night progressed with a surprisingly entertaining Intercontinental Championship match between Drew McIntyre and a very agile Kane. Then a women's match that was actually entertaining until they blew the ending. William Regal came out and did his thing, making us all laugh even though he was making fun of us and then Edge came out and speared him for the crowd pop. After that was a solid match between my buddy Mike and Josh Layton...I mean between MVP and the Miz. The ending of that was eh, but I'll give it a pass. Then came the final Elimination Chamber match for the World title.
This match had a lot to live up to, given that they started off with the other chamber match and it did not disappoint. The biggest shock of the night came during the Undertaker's entrance. The Deadman came out to his usual pyro, but as he stopped at the top of the ramp a flashpot accidentally went off and he was engulfed in a flame ball. His coat caught on fire and he had to quickly strip it off and run towards the ring. Ever the consummate professional, he went on with the match, merely pouring water on himself to treat the burns. I will say that he was pissed both before and after the match and it really threw off his character for the entrance. However, the event ended in spectacular fashion as Shawn Michaels came out from under the ring, popped through the chamber floor, superkicked Taker and stood over him after Chris Jericho won the belt. It was the kind of show that at least partially reminded me of what wrestling was like back in the late 90's and early 00's.
- CM Punk continued to build his character as a heel and one who is fantastic on the mic. Straight edge all the way.
- I will begrudgingly admit that I don't despise Sheamus as much as I did previously. There Mike, I said it. Although the guy still has no offense other than punches and a big boot, he did perform quite well in the chamber.
- I was pleasantly surprised that the WWE left some of the lower card guys in their matches for awhile. John Morrison, Ted Dibiase, Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio (yes, I do think of Rey as a lower card guy) were all given their time to shine and really add to the matches with some big spots.
- I'm really excited about where the storyline possibilities will lead heading into Wrestlemania. The possible destruction of Legacy is interesting. Edge vs. Jericho would be great. Cena vs. Batista will have a lot of good storyline buildup. The match could be...watchable. Will there be a Vince vs Brett Hart match?
- The HBK moment was still awesome even though Layton texted Mike and told us he saw Michaels get under the ring.
- I seem to be the only one, but I'm still worried about Taker vs. HBK 2. I loved seeing Michaels hit sweet chin music on Taker but I just hope they have something really different planned for their match. A replay of last year's 'Mania, though entertaining, just doesn't seem like it would be worth the effort.
- Chris Jericho is the man. I got to meet him on Saturday night and he comes across as a really nice guy. I was glad he got to win the title and set up a Wrestlemania main event singles match (hopefully) even though he is currently a heel.
Well that's all for now as I should be in bed. Overall, it was a great night but remember. It may be an opinion...but I'm right.
The way the U.S. team played, overall, reminds me of what I've seen and read about the Miracle on Ice 1980 men's hockey team. The United States played with heart and passion and enthusiasm. They played with speed but control. They played with aggressiveness but not reckless abandon. They were outmatched in many aspects of the game and still finished the contest victorious. While a game played between two teams made up of 100% NHL players is not even close to the significance of that contest thirty years ago in Lake Placid between a group of college kids who knocked off a veteran Soviet team that had years if not decades of experience as a team, the similarities remain. Canada, like the Soviets, is expected to win. They have the most skill, the best players, the best goaltending, the most pressure (those red jerseys also). The U.S. is young, not expected to do much other than hope for a medal, they're scrappy (they also have some Johnsons, a Brooks and a Suter). Stretches to be sure, but comparisons nevertheless.
In the end it came down to the Americans doing everything they needed to do and minimizing mistakes. The red, white and blue got spectacular goaltending, to say the least, out of Ryan Miller. The guy turned aside 42 of 45 shots with a good 20-30 of those being quality scoring opportunities. The stars and stripes continues to get scoring from players they were not necessarily looking to for goals. Defenseman Brian Rafalski added to his goal total by putting two more in the back of the net along with Chris Drury, Jaime Langenbrunner and Ryan Kesler. Just a fantastic hockey game despite the heartbreak that I'm sure it gave to our friends north of the border. It was the kind of hockey game that I wish any and all doubters about hockey's excitement would have watched and still argued that it isn't a great sport.
- David Backes continues to impress. He added an assist tonight and was just a beast in front of the net and along the boards. Let's hope he doesn't wear down and keeps this up in a blue uniform of a different sort.
- EJ looks good too, though he's disappeared a few times as well. One good spot out of the Canada game was he was taking those open shots on the powerplay. Another good sign if he carries that into the stretch run for the Blues.
- What the heck was up with Scott Niedermayer? He pretty much slung one of the American players into the boards WELL after the horn sounded to end the period. I thought it deserved a penalty but nothing given out.
- I don't buy into this blaming Martin Brodeur kick that many Canadians are on. No, that was not the top form Brodeur. Yes he came out to play the puck way too much. Maybe I'm viewing this through red, white and blue colored glasses, but I just didn't see the game being put squarely on his shoulders. I'm a goalie at heart and have been known to make excuses but in my own opinion, I don't think Roberto Luongo or Marc-Andre Fleury make a difference in that game.
All that said, I'll go in reverse a little bit and discuss the Elimination Chamber event as well. A standing ovation to the WWE writers and all the wrestlers who performed last night. This event renewed my excitement for pro wrestling as it was getting quite stale and predictable. And while there was a degree of predictability to the event, it was still full of good wrestling, good mic work, surprises and things that lived up to expectations even though you may have known it was coming.
They surprised us all by opening the night with one of two Elimination Chamber matches. The surprises continued when Batista came down to take the WWE title off John Cena who had just defeated TripleH with a submission. The night progressed with a surprisingly entertaining Intercontinental Championship match between Drew McIntyre and a very agile Kane. Then a women's match that was actually entertaining until they blew the ending. William Regal came out and did his thing, making us all laugh even though he was making fun of us and then Edge came out and speared him for the crowd pop. After that was a solid match between my buddy Mike and Josh Layton...I mean between MVP and the Miz. The ending of that was eh, but I'll give it a pass. Then came the final Elimination Chamber match for the World title.
This match had a lot to live up to, given that they started off with the other chamber match and it did not disappoint. The biggest shock of the night came during the Undertaker's entrance. The Deadman came out to his usual pyro, but as he stopped at the top of the ramp a flashpot accidentally went off and he was engulfed in a flame ball. His coat caught on fire and he had to quickly strip it off and run towards the ring. Ever the consummate professional, he went on with the match, merely pouring water on himself to treat the burns. I will say that he was pissed both before and after the match and it really threw off his character for the entrance. However, the event ended in spectacular fashion as Shawn Michaels came out from under the ring, popped through the chamber floor, superkicked Taker and stood over him after Chris Jericho won the belt. It was the kind of show that at least partially reminded me of what wrestling was like back in the late 90's and early 00's.
- CM Punk continued to build his character as a heel and one who is fantastic on the mic. Straight edge all the way.
- I will begrudgingly admit that I don't despise Sheamus as much as I did previously. There Mike, I said it. Although the guy still has no offense other than punches and a big boot, he did perform quite well in the chamber.
- I was pleasantly surprised that the WWE left some of the lower card guys in their matches for awhile. John Morrison, Ted Dibiase, Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio (yes, I do think of Rey as a lower card guy) were all given their time to shine and really add to the matches with some big spots.
- I'm really excited about where the storyline possibilities will lead heading into Wrestlemania. The possible destruction of Legacy is interesting. Edge vs. Jericho would be great. Cena vs. Batista will have a lot of good storyline buildup. The match could be...watchable. Will there be a Vince vs Brett Hart match?
- The HBK moment was still awesome even though Layton texted Mike and told us he saw Michaels get under the ring.
- I seem to be the only one, but I'm still worried about Taker vs. HBK 2. I loved seeing Michaels hit sweet chin music on Taker but I just hope they have something really different planned for their match. A replay of last year's 'Mania, though entertaining, just doesn't seem like it would be worth the effort.
- Chris Jericho is the man. I got to meet him on Saturday night and he comes across as a really nice guy. I was glad he got to win the title and set up a Wrestlemania main event singles match (hopefully) even though he is currently a heel.
Well that's all for now as I should be in bed. Overall, it was a great night but remember. It may be an opinion...but I'm right.
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