DG's Rants

The Debut of the East Cup Blog

2011-12-31T05:46:00.001-05:00

Today, with the new dawning, I present another blog for you to chew on. Inspired by a great run at several fantasy hockey forums and because I have my own ideas of how the hockey world should look, I present you my attempt at some good old hockey fan fiction, in blog format. You can read it here:

http://eastcup.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy it.

-DG

“Joe Pa” deserved a better ending

2011-11-10T03:49:00.000-05:00

Just a month ago, the thought of firing Joe Paterno would be unthinkable. Today, after 61 years of service as head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, Paterno was unceremoniously dumped amidst allegations that one time heir apparent Jerry Sandusky was rampantly engaging in immoral sex acts with boys ranging in age from 8 to 15.

Normally, when something like this happens the next step is to examine the legacy left behind by a coach who is without peer as college football’s greatest coach. Such a nostalgic trip will have to wait as the circumstances behind this exit are much more odious, with many asking why Paterno didn’t do more to stop the scandal.

For those who are unaware of what happened, here is what we know:

· In 1977, Sandusky founded “The Second Mile” football charity for children, and continued to run the organization until 2010.

· In 1998, Sandusky faced the first set of allegations of sexual abuse against children, though this is unrelated to the indictment he is facing now. It is this allegation that is said to have led to Sandusky’s surprising resignation a year later, after being hailed as Paterno’s heir apparent for years.

· Despite the resignation, Sandusky remained employed by Penn State as “coach emeritus”, entitling him to an office in and access to the football stadium.

· According to the grand jury investigation, Sandusky assaulted a total eight boys from 1994 to 2009.

· The latest allegation involved a 15-year-old boy that Sandusky allegedly assaulted for four plus years, beginning when he was ten.

· Paterno got wind of these allegations from Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant (and now an assistant coach), in 2002 after McQueary reportedly “walked in” on Sandusky performing an inappropriate act on a boy.

· When Paterno heard the allegations from McQueary, he immediately went to athletic director Tim Curley but did not go to the police himself.

· Curley then went to Gary Schultz, who ran the Penn State police department, and the only decision the two of them made was to prohibit Sandusky’s activities from the main campus, though they continued to allow him to operate The Second Mile at a satellite campus in Erie until 2008. This action was later approved by then Penn State president Graham Spanier.

· Because of their actions, Curley and Schultz were indicted for blocking the investigation and failing to report the abuses.

· For their parts, though police officials have criticized their actions, neither Spanier- fired as Penn State president as well today- or Paterno are facing any criminal charges, nor was Paterno cited for any wrongdoing.

· Since the case is before the courts, it’s important to remember that none of the allegations have yet to be proven.

There’s no question that if the allegations prove to be true that they are sickening and abhorrent. No one questions that- these allegations paint Sandusky as a predator at the highest level, taking advantage of youth who were already needy and lacking inner strength; and the idea that Curley and Schultz did not do their jobs and inform the proper authorities of the improprieties is doubly reprehensible. To know that needy children are being abused is one thing; for the school to know about it and do nothing about it is another. If the courts do find them guilty they deserve the fullest punishment available by law, which sadly won’t be enough to repair the damages these boys accrued.

None of this, though, should include Paterno, who should still be the coach of the Nittany Lions today.

Yes, it’s true that the visuals are pretty bad. Since when most think of Nittany Lion football they think of Paterno, the idea that Paterno let these horrifying incidents occur under his watch becomes ingrained in the heads of observers because Sandusky was running a football program on Penn State grounds. However, it is important to note that despite the fact that Paterno is the face of Penn State football, the decision to allow Sandusky on campus wasn’t his- that decision belonged to Curley, the athletic director who is responsible for hiring coaches and coordinating use of the facilities. Paterno likely has a lot of influence in those decisions, but Sandusky was operating a program outside of Paterno’s actual watch- the Nittany Lion football team- so the responsibility for allowing access to the facilities by Sandusky doesn’t fall to Paterno.

Furthermore, these allegations were reported to Paterno in 2002, three years after Sandusky had unexpectedly resigned from the Nittany Lion football program. Yes, it’s true that the allegations started while Sandusky was under Paterno’s employ, but from what we know, Paterno didn’t know of what Sandusky was doing until 2002 when, by that point, Sandusky wasn’t reporting to Paterno but to Curley, who was the one who made the decision to make him coach emeritus and allowed him to maintain the position despite the allegations. Therefore, it’s likely that Paterno couldn’t do much even if he wanted to, since the decision to fire Sandusky would not fall to him.

More to this point- and I know this is just speculation- is that Paterno acted the way he did because he didn’t want to upset the chain of command. We see this every day in our workplaces, where it’s constantly beaten into our heads that if there are any problems we have to report it to the proper supervisors. Granted, we don’t come across problems like the ones Sandusky is alleged to have caused, but we know it’s not our responsibility to “police” our workplaces- that’s the job of our superiors. Paterno, therefore, thought that Curley, being his superior and whose job it is to investigate the actions of his workers (which is not in Paterno’s job description), would take over from there.

Furthermore, it’s known that Paterno did not actually see any of the assaults take place- he only knew of the allegations because McQueary told him about them. Put yourself in Paterno’s shoes for a moment here- if you hear a story like this, what is your first reaction? Disbelief, likely, because no one would want to think that someone is abusing children on campus, let alone someone who held respect like Sandusky did. He couldn’t let something like this go, and it’s categorically proven that he didn’t- as soon as he learned of the allegations he reported it to his superior, Curley. Granted, we don’t know what Paterno and Curley discussed at that moment, but it could be that somewhere in that conversation Curley assured Paterno that he was going to take care of the investigation. Paterno, then, trusted the process and likely believed Curley when Curley- who the courts allege believed the crimes to be “not that serious”- told him that nothing was actually happening. Remember, since Paterno didn’t actually see anything he has no way of knowing anything other than what Curley- and, by extension, Schultz- is telling him. Since it’s Curley’s and Schultz’s jobs to investigate such matters, if they told Paterno nothing was going on Paterno was going to trust them. That it’s come to light that neither Curley or Schultz may not have done the jobs they were supposed to do is immaterial- at the time, all Paterno knew was a salacious rumour, and if his superiors told him nothing was actually happening, then he has no reason to believe otherwise.

It’s also possible that this isn’t the first piece of gossip that floated around the Penn State campus, and certainly isn’t the first salacious rumour that Paterno in all his years would have heard. In a macho environment that is football, anyone that remotely deviates from that mould can get all kinds of stories attached to them, not all of them pleasant. In 61 years on campus, how could Paterno not have “heard it all”? It may sound cruel that Paterno could have dismissed the Sandusky story as mere gossip, but, again, since this was just a story Paterno wouldn’t have much to act on, and, having been around for so many years and hearing so many tales, it’s possible Paterno believed this was just another one of them, especially after he was likely told that nothing wrong was actually happening.

This is what is central to the point that Paterno didn’t actually do anything wrong- the fact that he didn’t actually see anything. If Paterno had actually witnessed an event and failed to report the authorities it’d be different because then Paterno becomes part of the cover-up; but because he didn’t he did what he was supposed to and got the proper people to look into it and trust that they’d do something if something wrong was actually happening. Yes, Paterno could have done his own investigating but it’s not his job to investigate the transgressions of his colleagues, especially of those who he is not employing. The college employs people to investigate such stories, and Paterno likely trusted that they’d actually do their jobs. This touches upon the gossip point in the previous paragraph- since Paterno has likely heard many different lurid stories and since strange stories often get told of fellow coworkers (those in large companies can attest to this), no one, especially colleges or even the police, want to waste their time “chasing ghosts”. If all Paterno knows is a rumour, then he has to treat it as such- this could be serious or he could be chasing ghosts, and it’s not his job to chase ghosts- that’s Curley’s and Schultz’s job.

It is true that, knowing what we know now that Paterno likely should have acted differently, something Paterno himself admitted. We cannot apply what we know now to what happened then, and when you look at what happened then, the course of action Paterno took is understandable. Since he didn’t witness anything all he heard was a story, so he went to the people who are supposed to examine such stories and trust that they’d do something about it. That it’s come to light that they likely didn’t do their jobs properly doesn’t fall on Paterno, because it’s not “Joe Pa’s” fault that Curley and Schultz betrayed his trust. Furthermore, if the courts absolved Paterno of blame it should further the idea that Paterno does not deserve any himself- since legal courts have to follow a higher standard of proof than the “court of public opinion”, if the courts did not find any reason to indict Paterno then maybe we shouldn’t either.

All I know now is that the greatest college football coach of any generation is now disgraced by a scandal he doesn’t deserve to be a part of. Nothing, granted, can be uglier than the sex abuses perpetrated by Sandusky and allowed to continue by Curley and Schultz (if the allegations prove true), but robbing Paterno of the legacy he deserves could prove to be a crime all the same.

-DG

Dissecting the Tiger Woods saga

2009-12-05T05:25:00.002-05:00

As the saying goes, “there’s always calm before the storm”. Nothing could capture the thunderstorm that has ravaged the formerly blissfully serene life of Tiger Woods ever since he crashed into a fire hydrant just outside of his home in the early morning hours of November 27. Since then, Woods- married to Elin Nordegren since 2004- has faced multiple allegations of extramarital affairs, cited as the source of tension between Woods and Nordegren that led to Woods making the fateful late-night road trip. “Shocking” is an understatement here- Woods has never found himself in a scandal of any kind, and the fact that this scandal has erupted beyond anyone’s imagination has made many wonder how many other skeletons lie in the closet of the previously uneventful private life of Woods.

Since the scandal broke out, a lot of stories have surfaced regarding the events surrounding the crash, and it’s hard to deduce the certainties of the case. Using the skills I gained examining sources needed to obtain my History Degree, this much is known:

-On November 25, MediaTakeOut.com reported that Woods was having an affair with New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel, whose previous claim to fame was as David Boreanaz’s adulteress and being featured in a memorable photo in the days after September 11 where a crying Uchitel, clad in a white halter top and a sling purse, was holding a picture of her late fiancée, who had just passed away in the infamous attacks. MTO stated its source of the story was that week’s issue of the National Enquirer (which hadn’t been released at that point), a tabloid known for paying sources for their stories, and the initial reaction to the story on the blogosphere was utter disbelief.

-However, in the early morning hours of November 27 (meaning it’s still technically “Thanksgiving night”), Woods jumped into his Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle and, not paying attention for some reason, backed out of his driveway then drove erratically into a nearby fire hydrant and then into a tree. A neighbour (not Nordegren) would call 911, sending paramedics and police to the scene. Despite the fact the crash would be labelled as “serious” (all crashes in Florida are labelled as such if the victim requires medical attention of any kind), Woods is not seriously hurt, suffering lacerations on his lip and a concussion. Woods’ injuries do prevent him from making a statement to officials at the time, who reported that Woods was “babbling (incoherently)”, so the investigation for the crash had to continue. Nordegren would eventually arrive at the scene brandishing a golf club that broke the Escalade’s windows allowing Woods to be taken out of the car, but her whereabouts immediately after the crash are unknown.

-In the days after the incident, Woods was evasive, but left hints that something was amiss when he termed the situation a “private matter”. He turned down requests by the Florida Highway Patrol for interviews, but the FHP would eventually conclude they did not need Woods’ testimony, settling on a $164 traffic citation and four points off his drivers’ license. Questions would abound though, such as “why was Tiger driving at 2:25AM?” and “how is hitting a fire hydrant a ‘private matter’?”

-On December 2, TMZ.com released grainy pictures taken at Tao nightclub in Las Vegas, showing Woods being “cozy” with a “leggy brunette” at around 1:30AM on October 4 of this year. Picture quality is too poor to deduce who the woman is, but not Woods, who is enjoying the conversation (it seems) with the woman.

-The same day as the TMZ photos getting released, Us Weekly released a voicemail message from the phone of Jaimee Grubbs, a Los Angeles cocktail waitress, where Woods pleads with Grubbs to “take her name” off her phone because Woods feared Nordegren was getting “suspicious”. Later that day, Woods would release a statement apologizing for “transgressions”, though he wouldn’t specify which one he was referring to.

In short, what is known about Tiger’s sordid affairs is that he crashed his Escalade late on Thanksgiving night and that this is related in some way to inappropriate conduct Woods is currently having with at least one woman. After that, the details are murky. It’s likely that Woods is having an extramarital affair given the tone of Woods’ remarks and the breadth of stories coming out detailing such affairs, but I wouldn’t call it “certain”. Perhaps the extent of it is that Woods went too far with a greeting, a gesture or a remark with these women but didn’t actually have sex with any of them, because only the tabloid stories are suggesting actual adultery whereas Woods has never explicitly gone that far; though I do believe it’s just a matter of time before we can actually say with certainty that some amorous transgressions are actually occurring.

Beyond that, certainties are hard to come by. The biggest quandary involves who, exactly, Woods is having these transgressions with. Through the rough, three women have been linked as adulteresses to Woods- Uchitel, Grubbs and Las Vegas club promoter Kalika Moquin. Moquin’s story is the flimsiest, since that story is only supported by an unnamed “insider” who witnessed the affair transpire, and Moquin would later deny the report. Uchitel also issued a denial to her rumour, but she would later retract the denial- insisting she was just “protecting Tiger”- and planned a press conference to discuss her affair, a presser that was cancelled at the last minute due to “unforeseen circumstances” (widely believed to be Tiger’s people paying her off). TMZ would later report that it was Uchitel’s “sexts” (not a Grubbs voicemail message) that caused the argument that led to Woods’ fateful crash, with the vestibule area of Woods’ home being destroyed just before Tiger pulled out of the driveway. It’s a plausible story, but the fact still remains it’s only Uchitel pushing this side of the story- Woods himself has been silent on the issue and while there’s allegations of shenanigans on his part to stop Uchitel from telling her side of the story, there’s nothing from Woods’ side of the story that- as of yet- definitively links the two together.

Grubbs’ story is the one that carries the most weight. It’s reported that Grubbs left a voicemail message on Woods’ home phone imploring the golfer to change his greeting which is what caused the argument, though latest developments are casting doubt on that side of the story. What is holding up is the fact that there’s a voicemail message from someone who sounds a lot like Tiger Woods begging Grubs to remove her name from her phone number because Nordegren was getting “suspicious”. It’s clear, then, that Grubbs and Woods were engaged in something untoward, but whether or not this is actually an affair is unknown. Grubbs claims to have had 20 sexual encounters with Woods but again, like Uchitel’s case, it’s just Grubbs’ side of the story being told- Woods hasn’t specifically dealt with it. However, the fact that Woods felt compelled to apologize for “transgressions” shortly after Grubbs’ voicemail messages got released suggest that this affair is likely true, because of the timing of Woods’ statement is too close for it to be simply coincidental. Still, unless Woods addresses the rumour specifically, there’s no certainty to this story either.

However interesting the speculation over the “who’s” in the affairs might be, none of it answers the real question, and that’s “why”. At this end there are only two possible reasons- that Woods initiated the cheating on his own or his wife’s actions spurred him into cheating- and both are ultimately mixed together. The first argument is that Woods, finally realizing he’s got power from being the sporting world’s first billion-dollar athlete, decided that he’d live the life he didn’t have before he met Nordegren. Remember, Woods met Nordegren in 2001 through Jesper Parnevik (for whom Nordegren worked as a nanny), where Parnevik reports that he had to ask Nordegren out for Woods because “Tiger was too nervous to do it”. Lots of things have changed since 2001, chief of which being Woods cementing his place in golfing history. Before meeting Nordegren at the 2001 British Open, Woods had just completed golf’s Grand Slam at the Masters, marking the first time he’d be golf’s undisputed dominant player (Woods did win two other majors, the 1997 Masters and the 1999 PGA Championship, but 2000 was his real “coming out party”). In the next seven years, Woods would win eight more majors, an unprecedented streak of golfing superiority that established him as the sport’s best-ever player. It’s possible that Woods gained a new sense of self-confidence after his run, as it definitely improved his recognition to the point where his celebrity transcended golf. You’d have to think that would lead Tiger to a world of women he’s never experienced before and Woods showed he was unable to resist that temptation. Granted, this is just speculation but it’s not unfounded- Woods himself has already admitted to acting inappropriately (quite possibly in this manner) and Parnevik himself didn’t shy away from condemning Woods and his character, meaning that the possibility of this being one of Woods’ vices cannot be dismissed.

Nordegren’s behaviour at the time of the incident, though, raises several questions about her own commitment level to the world’s No. 1 golfer. For starters, where was Nordegren immediately following the crash? She changed her official story to police, first saying that she went to look for Woods with a golf cart but later recanted that part of the story. There were also rumblings that Nordegren was abusive to Woods, though police would conclude that Woods was not at least physically harmed by Nordegren. The couple did seem to be having an argument at the time of the crash, but the extent of Nordegren’s wrongdoing is unknown. Woods himself would state that Nordegren acted “courageously” to rescue him from the Escalade, but why didn’t Nordegren call 911? Why did her neighbours have to do it? I also wonder, if Nordegren isn’t at fault for the incident as Woods implies, why did Woods feel compelled to storm out of the house late at night? If Nordegren did nothing here, why did Woods feel compelled to leave?

Finally, you have to wonder if Nordegren herself is doing things throughout the course of the marriage that make Woods seek out other women. Not to make apologies for Tiger, but in many cases infidelity is brought about because of anger towards a spouse, either for something the spouse did or is doing to the cheater. We can’t just jump to the simple conclusion that Tiger is cheating simply because of the above-mentioned vices or that he’s not “wired” to be faithful to Nordegren (or some other reason), because when a relationship fails it’s ultimately a two-way street. There’s a lot we don’t know about Nordegren, whose life is more guarded than Tiger’s is, and, like Tiger, who knows what skeletons exist in her closet that are just now being let out. Woods definitely deserves the scorn he gets for his behaviour, but I somehow don’t think Nordegren is faultless in this episode. Eventually, when the dust settles on the ordeal, both parties are going to have their share of the blame.

What does this all eventually mean for Tiger? Personally, I don’t tend to care about these stories much because it’s not fair to marry the private life of an athlete (or any celebrity) into their work life, unless the private life actually detracts from their work- the only reason why I care about this story is that it’s not every day you get to hear “TMZ” being quoted on TSN or ESPN, and this scandal is just too bizarre for me to ignore. So from my end, Woods is still “clean”, because I don’t see how his relationship with Nordegren is going to affect his golf game- all that matters is that he nails his putts. Others won’t be as forgiving, particularly his sponsors, as his previously “squeaky clean” image has taken a huge hit, and it will be quite some time before sponsors are not going to have their misgivings over employing him. It may be true, as Woody Paige pointed out on Around The Horn, that most of Woods’ products are directed at men (such as Gillette razors), but several times consumers will stop from buying a product sponsored by someone they don’t like, and that negative association with the brand may prove too big to ignore, regardless of the product. Woods will still likely emerge without too much damage to his reputation, since his offence isn’t too major (he may have committed a “moral” crime but no actual felony), but it will all depend on how he handles the future. At the very least, he’s got to address the rumours head on and stop being evasive about it because that’s the only way he can ensure proper closure and he’ll at least look like he’s taking responsibility for his actions instead of “hiding” from the problem as he is doing now. How he handles this scandal will have a major impact on his legacy, because only he can ensure that this is a minor blemish instead of the growth of a more serious stain.

-DG

Time for video replay after refereeing blunder costs British Isles team for the second straight tournament

2009-11-20T05:18:00.000-05:00

I know it’s sacrilege to associate the Irish with the British, but today, the Republic of Ireland’s location on the British Isles makes it a brethren to another resident of those same Isles- Scotland- after their national soccer team was robbed of a chance to play in a major soccer tournament by a refereeing mistake. Like the blunder that cost the Scots, the beneficiary were the French, only this time the tournament was the World Cup and the French were actually playing the Irish when the dubious call occurred, unlike the Scots who were playing the Italians for a chance to play at Euro 2008 and where a Scottish loss qualified the French.

For those of you who did not see the play, here’s what happened. Ireland entered the game in Paris down 1-0 in the two-game, total goals playoff. In the 31^st minute, Robbie Keane netted the game’s first goal, lifting Ireland level in the playoff. Because there were no other goals over the next 59 minutes (quelle surprise), the playoff was tied on aggregate meaning game went into extra time. Extra time in soccer is not “sudden death” as it is in hockey, but any goals scored in this period would have meant there would be no penalty shootout since the scores would be added to the aggregate score. If France scored more goals than the Irish in the period, they would advance to the World Cup, but if the Irish scored at least the same amount of goals as the French in the period, they would advance to the Cup on the “away goals” rule. France thus had more pressure, since if they conceded a goal they needed to score twice, making the defending job easier for the Irish.

It was here in this extra period where the Irish were robbed. In the 13^th minute of extra time- the 103^rd in the game- a ball was lifted over several Irish defenders into the penalty box towards French striker Thierry Henry. The ball was hit too hard for Henry’s outstretched feet to meet the ball, so Henry stuck his arm out and met the ball with his hand- twice. The ball landed to his feet where he lobbed a perfect pass to William Gallas’ head, allowing the Arsenal defender to nod the ball past helpless Irish goalkeeper Shay Given. Given and the Irish protested to referee Martin Hansson, who upheld the goal. Ireland did still have 17 minutes to secure an equalizer, but ultimately Hansson’s howler sealed their fate.

After the game, the Irish were- to a man- rightfully claiming they were jobbed, and Henry himself admitted he handled the ball, but passed the buck, stating “I am not the referee.” Hansson said he did not see the offence, and, given the fact that Hansson was standing around 30 yards away from the incident and Henry was behind several defenders, Hansson is believable, though this doesn’t make the bungling excusable. This was not the first time Ireland felt jobbed by FIFA officials- when FIFA announced they would be “seeding” teams for the European qualification playoffs, the Irish players were at the forefront of the protestations, fairly stating that the move sought to hurt “small” soccer nations like Slovenia and Ireland at the expense of the “big” nations like France and Portugal. Accusations were levelled at the time at FIFA for acquiescing to commercial interests in ensuring the “big” nations progressed to the Cup tournament in South Africa. Perhaps FIFA president Sepp Blatter is laughing at the “poetic justice” he wrought on the Irish, but the truth is that his shenanigans are sullying the prestige and even the legitimacy of his sport.

To be fair, Hansson’s mistake is different than the one Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez made against the Scots, as that was a foul Gonzalez saw but erred on the call, but it was still a refereeing error all the same. In that incident, Scotland and Italy were tied at one in a game that essentially decided which nation would qualify for Euro 2008. In the 91^st minute, Italian winger Giorgio Chellini and Scottish left back Alan Hutton raced for a loose ball near Scotland’s left corner flag. Hutton got to the ball first, but Chellini literally bodychecked him then, as if on cue, Chellini himself fell to the ground. A whistle came for the foul, so Hutton- thinking the foul was on Chellini, as it should have been- got up, brushed aside Chellini and was about to boom the ball upfield before being told the foul was actually on him. The surprised Scots protested unsuccessfully and took up defensive positions, but it was to no avail- Italy’s Andrea Pirlo curled a perfect ball into the box for Christian Panucci to nod home for a 2-1 Italian lead that was sure to stand up with just seconds to go in the game (though Scotland did manage one half chance before time expired). The loss officially eliminated a plucky Scot team similar in character to the 2009 Irish team from contention for Euro 2008 and, just like Hansson’s decision, put an undeserving French team into the prestigious tournament.

That play and this latest play bring about short-term and long-term solutions. The short-term solution and the only real answer to the problem is for soccer to adopt some kind of video replay. It’s absolutely ludicrous that the most televised sport in the world refuses to use this valuable footage to get the calls on the field right and, as we’ve seen, blown calls are costly. You’d think after embarrassments such as Henry’s hand or Rivaldo’s dive that FIFA would be more receptive to the idea of video review, but the “purists” of the game- the same lot who think that just criticizing defensive-minded managers will get them to change their ways (name me a coach who’d rather be entertaining than a winner and I might consider joining the purists) instead of considering *some* rule changes- always protest, accusing it of being an “Americanization” and that it would “slow down the game”. The “Americanization” part I won’t deal with because it’s an emotional argument with no rationale, but as to the game being “slowed down”, it is a legitimate complaint but one that ultimately holds no water. It would be an extra delay, but it wouldn’t be a costly one- video reviews can take just a minute or two, and soccer games are already held up by things like players feigning injuries and a team trying to organize its set piece “just right” (not to mention protestations to the ref...).

Implementation would be the only concern, though. Soccer’s clock is continuous and technically has no “timeouts”, so finding the right moment to stop play is a challenge. It’s possible just to limit video review to disputed goals (and, perhaps, by extension penalties) which have “natural” breaks, but there so many other points of dispute (like, perhaps, a missed penalty or an offside call) that could decide a match and thus would benefit from a review, so it would be pertinent to figure out how to work that kind of a review into the game. Managers should also be given the opportunity to “stop” the game to challenge a call because if we just leave that discretion to the referees, no doubt they are going to miss a contentious event (would Hansson have thought to seek out review, for instance, considering he was too far away from the play to see it clearly?). Obviously, managers would have to be restricted in this regard- I say just once per game, successful or not- because we don’t want managers to obsessively nitpick every call, but it’s clear they need to have some power in disputing a potentially game-changing call.

As for Ireland’s replay request- granting it seems fair, but I’m hesitant about it, because we don’t want to have every contentious game being replayed as that would mean hundreds of games would be redone every year. Replays should only be ordered in extreme situations, and I’m just not sure if Hansson’s error is that extreme. Sure, it cost Ireland a spot in the World Cup, but they are not the only one nor will they be the only one to have a refereeing error cost them a spot in the tournament. There is precedent for a replay- Uzbekistan and Bahrain were told to replay the first leg of their 2006 Cup qualification playoff after referee Toshimitsu Yoshida made a mistake in applying the rules dealing with penalties- but I’m not sure how the Irish game measures up in comparison. As “Pardon The Interruption” host Tony Reali pointed out (without naming names), Hansson missed a call, Yoshida erred in applying it; and even then, it’s debatable that incident was extreme enough to warrant a replay anyway. Besides, the Irish shouldn’t think a replay would send them to the World Cup- Uzbekistan requested that replay in 2005, and they lost to Bahrain in their playoff. So be careful of what you wish for.

Long-term, this may just be the straw that breaks the back of Blatter’s presidential career. In his eleven years of being FIFA president, I have a hard time coming up with positive changes he’s enacted in the game. His record is tarnished by multiple embarrassments, such as Rivaldo’s dive, inane remarks (such as calling Manchester United’s 2008 refusal to sell Cristiano Ronaldo “slavery”), botched games like the Ireland game and multiple accusations of corruption. He, like his counterpart at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in Michel Platini, has been the poster-boy for soccer “purism”, refusing to buck from his narrow-minded nostalgic viewpoint of the game, like when he dreamed up the “6+5” rule (where club teams would be required to start six players considered “nationals” of the country they are based in) thinking this would end the disparity of “big clubs” against “little clubs”, instead of coming up with a better distribution system for soccer’s wealth to end the big clubs’ current monopoly on it. As Blatter and his 1978 way of thinking is the roadblock to soccer’s entry into the 21^st century, it’s pertinent we get rid of the roadblock- and find someone who will take the crucial next step. We can’t have any more disputed games accruing corruption allegations and crippling the sport’s legitimacy, not if soccer wants to continue as the world’s top sport. Shay Given, the Irish and the sport’s billions of fans deserve no less.

-DG

Top 10 reasons why Bill Belichick went for it on 4th down Sunday night

2009-11-18T05:46:00.001-05:00

Perhaps I’m late with this, but two nights after it happened, I still can’t believe New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick would think of trying to convert a fourth down with 2:08 to go where he was up by just six points, and on archrival Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts no less. Since Belichick isn’t in the habit of actually giving detailed explanations (all he had to say about the botched play- a short pass to Kevin Faulk which Faulk bobbled, resulting in a tackle a yard short of the first down marker- was that “we thought we could make it”), I figured I’d do some crack research and come up with some answers. My findings are based on responses Belichick was overheard to have given other people shortly after the game. The results may surprise you.

10. “Punt? That’s a four-letter word, you better not say that again.”

9. “We gained 477 yards in that game. What’s another 2?”

8. “Nostradamus said we would get it.”

7. “4^th and 2? Well, 4 divided by 2 is 1, so that has to mean ‘first down’.”

6. “[Detroit Lions kicker] Chris Hanson left the Lions yesterday, so Jason [Hanson, the Patriots’ punter] had to fill in for him today. Jason was too tired to take that punt.”

5. “I knew the game was on NBC, so I thought I’d make my game entertaining for once.”

4. “I wanted to make up for the fact we didn’t get that 4^th and 13 conversion in the Super Bowl a while back.”

3. “I knew Tony Dungy was watching. I wanted to remind him how I beat him all those times.”

2. “I knew Rodney Harrison was watching. I didn’t want him to see why we miss him so much.”

1. “I’m Bill Belichick B***”.

-DG

P.S. This is a joke, in case you didn’t guess it.

Let's not get blue about swine flu

2009-11-02T01:17:00.001-05:00

I had my graduation ceremony this past Tuesday at Georgian College. You can probably guess how much fun I had at a canned ceremony full of talking heads who had absolutely nothing to do with my program (so much for the school being “student-friendly”) telling us all the same clichés about all the potential we’d achieve (including some New Age crap about how some guy felt restricted by “having a finish line”...I guess he never got anything done, did he?), as well as having some “Convocation Marshalls” who were quite snippy. The only good news was that I saw most of my old classmates, which made the pain of the ceremony a little easier to take.

That wasn’t the worst part of the ceremony- the worst part was when one of the emcees of the ceremony announced that because of “fears of H1N1” the dignitaries who’d be giving me my diploma and make me feel special to share the stage with them would refuse to shake my hand- never mind that Brian Tamblyn, the president of Georgian, got his head really close to most of us in moving our sash from our arms to our shoulders, allowing us to momentarily share the same airspace face-to-face, which would be enough time with enough proximity to transmit a flu to Mr. Tamblyn anyway, even though he didn’t touch our evil hands. I have to say, it never felt so weird- or more wrong- to get congratulatory “fist pumps” from our teachers instead of a handshake. Hey guys, I’m not Matt Stairs after he hits a home run or that guy who turns everything he touches into Skittles- my hands aren’t evil.

The embarrassing ordeal did get me thinking about this apparent “swine flu” crisis that’s apparently starting to hit our shores as we speak, a fact that was underscored by the death of a 13-year-old male hockey player to H1N1 over the weekend. The player- Evan Frustaglio- apparently came down with the flu, seemingly recovered then unexpectedly collapsed. It was reported that Frustaglio had no prior medical condition, but both a doctor and his father did cite prior respiratory problems in his life, it’s not entirely unprecedented for athletes to experience untimely deaths (look up Sergei Zholtok and Alexei Cherprenov) and one shouldn’t be surprised that a hockey player- playing and sweating in freezing conditions- could get the flu. Frustaglio’s death is unfortunate, but let’s keep it in perspective.

What is the truth regarding H1N1, the stuff the sensationalist media (one Mr. Tamblyn and his staff at Georgian take a little too literally) is not telling you? Well, to begin, we have to start with the flu that the 2009 virus is being compared to and that’s the 1918-19 “Spanish influenza”, currently the deadliest flu outbreak in human history.

First of all, it’s technically incorrect to call it the “Spanish flu”, because it did not originate in- or even hit first- the country of Spain. The reason why it’s called the “Spanish flu” is because when the flu started to hit- in early 1918- World War I was still going on, and Spain was the only country affected by it and reporting on it that was neutral, so it was thought that Spanish authorities were the most trusted sources of information and were largely seen as the only ones really “doing anything about it”. The origin of the flu is not known, but it did hit North America before it hit Europe, and it hit in two waves- first in the summer then in the fall of 1918.

The first wave behaved like a normal flu, with extremely low mortality rates with deaths only in the so-called “expected” groups- infants, the elderly and any other kind of immunocompromised person. Then, in late August, the second wave- the one that would become the famous flu- hit, having a mortality rate between 10-20% of infected cases, with many of those deaths being young, healthy adults between the ages of 20-40. Some of the most famous deaths from the virus include Montreal Canadiens defenceman “Bad” Joe Hall (his death and the sickness of many players forced the cancellation of the 1918 Stanley Cup Final), the first South African Prime Minister Louis Botha and British diplomat and soldier Mark Sykes (whose body would be later exhumed for Spanish flu research). It’s estimated that of the population of people affected by the flu, 50% were infected, leading to the death of between 3-6% of the world’s total population, leading some historians to dub the flu as worse than the 1348 Black Death (that one got 25% of Europe (which was “the world”) which I think makes it worse than the 1918 epidemic but that’s a different debate).

The extremely high infection and death rates, not to mention the population profile of the hardest-hit victims, are the most peculiar aspects of the virus. Many theories have been postulated as to why the virus struck as it did. The cause of death in many of the victims is something called a “cytokine storm”, or basically when the immune system’s response to a pathogen is so strong it starts to hurt the body itself. It is reasoned here that naturally, the immune systems of young adults are stronger than the immune systems of others and would be more susceptible to this kind of attack. However, the reasons why a cytokine storm occurs are not yet fully understood, and there are other reasons why the 1918 flu struck as it did, without having to sensationalize it.

First of all, it was wartime, and not just that but the end of what was a brutal, uncompromising war. Let us not forget that the powers that be in 1914 went to war believing that they’d only be fighting for a few months and weren’t prepared for a five-year war- so they dug trenches and went back and forth shooting at the pathetic attempts to run to the other trench to take it over, the running soldiers mere “moving targets”. You can only imagine what the close quarters of a trench would do, combined with obviously fatigued (and somewhat immunocompromised) soldiers- it’s a perfect powder keg for the emergence of a deadly flu. The other part of the equation is that doctors at the time did not know what they were dealing with, as they would not wear their masks properly (they may cover their mouths but not their noses) and would at times misdiagnose the pathogen altogether. Obviously, now we’re more knowledgeable at handling and identifying the flu (we even have a vaccine for the swine flu) so we’re better prepared for an outbreak. It is also worth noting that sanitary conditions in 1918 were nothing like they are now, to say nothing of the medical conditions. How many of those deaths could be prevented had those other factors been taken into consideration is an open debate, but I believe if the Spanish flu hit today, it wouldn’t be as devastating.

This brings us to the current outbreak. There was an initial frenzy after the flu was first reported in Mexico in late March, providing an additional scare since several deaths fit the profile of several of the deaths from 1918, but since the Mexican outbreak, the flu hasn’t been nearly as deadly, regressing to fit the behaviour pattern of a “normal” flu- i.e., one that affects the essentially immunocompromised. Why it struck Mexico particularly hard was baffling at first, though it bears mentioning that living conditions in Mexico City- the hardest hit area in Mexico- are still quite depressed (although it is improving) and that perhaps contributed to some deaths. New details have also emerged, suggesting that Mexico vastly underreported its cases and even misidentified some of the cases as “swine flu” when the affliction was another pathogen altogether. Finally, it’s worth noting that since Mexico had its initial outbreak, nothing else has come of it, as the Mexican policy of shutting down the entirety of its capital city for a weekend at the height of the outbreak appeared to curb it, as no new serious news has arisen from Mexico since the initial outbreak.

Since the scare, further research has shown that the flu poses no threat to gain in lethality. Scientists at the University of Maryland mixed swine flu with seasonal flu and concluded that both would not combine into something more lethal. The virus also only showed increased severity in Mexico- everywhere else it has been mild, and as stated before there is reason to believe it wasn’t that dangerous in Mexico at all. Finally, while previously healthy people have come down with severe complications from H1N1, they are the exceptions rather than the rule and in some cases they even had a prior history of medical problems (the 13-year-old boy who died in Toronto did have respiratory problems earlier in his life, for example).

This isn’t to say that we should ignore H1N1- far from it; since it’s new we ought to be cognizant of it. However, overreactions such as refusing to give a graduate a handshake are unnecessary- this isn’t an overtly serious virus and besides, living in fear is no way to combat a virus. I also believe if this virus ever does become more severe- which is doubtful at this stage- we’d all be quarantined and wouldn’t be allowed to interact like we already do; plus we have the capability to fight the flu better than we did in 1918, so any fears of a repeat are unfounded. The only frustrating part about the outbreak is the fact that the vaccination is delayed, but it still doesn’t change the fact this virus isn’t that dangerous.

It doesn’t change the fact that I’m still owed a handshake, so Mr. Tamblyn and my teachers...I’m waiting. Unless you’re worried I’m going to turn you into Skittles.

-DG

Russian fan takes penalty kick into his own hands...or feet

2009-09-21T22:15:00.005-04:00

I have a question, my fellow soccer/football fans: how many times have you seen your favourite team get a crucial penalty awarded to them only for the player who took the penalty to muck it up badly? On Saturday, during a game between Moscow sides Spartak and Saturn, a fan couldn't bear the thought of Spartak's Alex (he of the Brazilian national team) taking the penalty he had been awarded in that game, so the fan decided to run onto the field to take the penalty himself. The fan proceeded to run to the ball and stamp it home towards the left side of bemused Saturn goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. The fan was joined on the field by his friend, who went to Alex and tried to hug him. I'm not sure what happened to the fans, but as for Alex, he would hit the penalty (in the exact same spot as the fan did) once he got a chance to actually take it. You can view the video here:

Was there a reason for the fan to worry about Alex's penalty-taking ability? The fan was likely drunk and wanted to be stupid (that being the sole motivation) but Alex hadn't taken a penalty in nearly two months (the last one being on July 26 against CSKA) and this being an important game (Spartak was six points behind leaders and defending champion Rubin Kazan entering the contest with mid-table Saturn) you could understand if the Spartak fans were a little antsy. Alex's conversion leveled the contest at 1, but to Alex's (and probably the fan's) chagrin, Spartak would lose the game on Marko Topic's 53rd minute goal, and- after Rubin's 0-0 draw with FK Tom' Tomsk- fell to seven points behind Rubin with eight games to go. Hey, maybe Spartak can coax the fan to come back...they may need him for the stretch run just so they can have a chance.

-DG

Jays need a 'Halladay' from Ricciardi

2009-07-26T05:22:00.001-04:00

Several years ago, I was a Cub Scout leader at the local group (or “Pack” as we called them, because the organization we commonly call “Cub Scouts” are officially known as “Wolf Cubs”). We would hold several camps and at these camps there would obviously be a campfire and skits. One of these skits involved three or four people, with one of the actors playing a “used brain” salesman. One by one, the other actors would go to the salesman to buy a used brain (which were the brains of people in the group, and if the kids were the actors, the used brains were those of the leaders). The first few used brains would go for small prices, usually $10 or $20, but the final one would be much more expensive. The cost of that brain would be $1 million, to which the buyer would inquire why that person’s used brain is that expensive. Then the salesman would utter the punchline- “because it’s never been used”.

Sometimes I wonder if Toronto Blue Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi’s brain is one of those million-dollar brains.

During the Canada Day/Independence Day weekend, Ricciardi shocked the baseball world by saying that he would “listen” to offers made to acquire the Jays’ legendary ace Roy Halladay in a trade. Previously it was thought that Halladay would have been untouchable, being the “one-of-a-kind” generational talent that one could never expect to fully replace in a trade. Yet without actually outright declaring he would be dealt, Ricciardi opened the door for a trade, even if it is open just a crack.

The merits of such a trade have been a matter of debate since Ricciardi decided to open his mouth. On one side, Halladay is one of- if not the- best pitcher in the majors and likely a sure-fire Hall of Famer; so one wonders if the Jays can actually adequately replace him. On the other hand, the Jays have posted an abysmal 20-37 mark since an oft-mentioned 27-14 start, a .350 winning percentage. Extrapolated over the entire season, the Jays’ mark would only be better than the Washington Nationals, definitely not company Toronto had envisioned when the season began.

Thus Ricciardi probably believes the season is a wash and believes that Toronto is firmly a seller in 2009, putting Halladay at the top of the display case. Furthermore, Halladay’s contract ends in 2010, so the thinking may go that with the ship sinking and the market for a rental typical lower than a player with time left on his contract, “now” may be the best time to make a trade. However, Ricciardi also knows he can’t actively sell his franchise player, as such a move would receive the scorn of fans and lower Halladay’s trade value, since teams know they wouldn’t need much enticing to pry a Halladay they *know* is available. So in insinuating that Halladay is available, Ricciardi saves face by not appearing to actively shop his best player (making only the most gullible of Jays fans believe that Halladay is actually sticking around) and forcing teams to make quality offers for the Jays’ star pitcher, since Halladay isn’t “officially” on the market. Of course, it also means that if Ricciardi accepts a lowball offer he would receive more blame than he would if he was forced to trade Halladay, since it appeared he would only accept a “quality” offer for the player.

I need not now discuss the market for Halladay, since it’s already being hotly debated around the baseball world and, of course, there are no shortage of suitors for the Toronto ace. Instead, this is about declaring the ordeal- regardless of whether or not Halladay is actually moved- as undoubtedly Ricciardi’s lowest moment as GM, which says a lot for a GM whose reign spans almost the entirety of Halladay’s major league career. Presumably, Halladay is the kind of player teams are built around and the admission that the team wants to trade him (however slight) is the admission that, all along, the team failed to adequately support Halladay’s talents. No longer can Ricciardi argue that his moves are part of “a plan”- when you’re so much as hinting at trading away the man you’re supposed to be building around, you’re making a new plan, no matter how you swing at it.

What, then, *was* Ricciardi’s original plan, the one that did not work so well? It’s very hard to figure out, since it seemed almost on a yearly basis the team was turning over talent, rarely doing as much as keeping the core intact year to year. What is known is that since Ricciardi took over, he hasn’t groomed a single player through the Jays’ minor league ranks to an elite-level talent. The Jays’ top players- except for Alex Rios and perhaps Aaron Hill (neither being elite talents, and Hill will need more time for evaluation lest 2009 be a “flukey” year)- are all either trade or free agent acquisitions (Scott Rolen, Lyle Overbay, Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas) or present from before Ricciardi’s tenure with the Jays (Halladay and Vernon Wells). Ricciardi’s continuing answer to all of Toronto’s problems is apparently by making a big free agent signing or trade instead of growing the player from within, a policy that makes the team look great on paper but has led to more disappointments than successes (e.g. David Eckstein, Frank Thomas). From one year to the next Toronto’s playing style differs dramatically, as the Jays’ coaching staff is continually asked to adjust to a carousel of player changes every season, which is small wonder why they ultimately fail. Ricciardi does not appear to grasp the fundamentals of team building- he needs to decide what kind of team Toronto is and acquire players that fit that mould, not constantly change the feathers because a big name is available. The success of the Rays hinges on the fact that they understand the “team” concept- the players they have are all fast and aggressive, either on the mound or offensively, and any player they acquire fit into that mould. Tampa Bay is also not afraid to develop players just so they can ensure players rising through their system are brought up learning “the Tampa Bay way of doing things”. It may have taken them a long time to accomplish that task but at least the team is patient enough to see that process through. Ricciardi, on the other hand, panics when he sees a hole in the ship, deciding a wooden plank is sufficient when he’s steering it right into the iceberg.

Thus, this is another call for the Blue Jays to make the right decision and send Ricciardi on his way. One could hope a Halladay deal could signal a change in the course of Blue Jay thinking and get Toronto to start properly developing players but with Ricciardi’s extensively poor track record, there’s hardly a reason to believe the next few years are going to play out any differently. The Jays need a GM who knows what kind of team he wants to build and is unafraid to build that kind of team, even if it means passing up on a big name acquisition. Only then will all the “hope” Ricciardi has been promising be delivered, because then there’d actually be something one could plant a realistic hope for.

-DG

Two deals that went wrong for San Jose

2009-04-24T07:07:00.000-04:00

On May 4, 2004, the San Jose Sharks clinched their first ever trip to the Western Conference Final by defeating the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. The Sharks made it unnecessarily hard by squandering two straight overtime games to the Avs after compiling a 3-0 series lead, but they wouldn’t allow Colorado a historic comeback to make history of their own. It may be true that San Jose would go belly up against the Calgary Flames in the Conference Final, shooting only 37 times in Games 5 and 6 (scoring just once), but it appeared that San Jose had finally joined the NHL’s elite with their 2004 run.

Then, that summer, the Sharks decided that Vincent Damphousse and his declining stats were enough of a reason to let him walk as an unrestricted free agent, with Damphousse signing with Colorado that off-season. Damphousse wouldn’t play another game in the NHL as the lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season, but it still didn’t change the fact the Sharks didn’t think their scoring leader for the 2004 playoffs deserved another shot, even at just 36.

San Jose still figured to be safe with its young talent appearing to emerge in the previous season’s playoffs, but a terrible start to the 2005-06 season precipitated the need for change. On November 30, 2005, the Sharks dealt Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart to the Boston Bruins for Bruin captain Joe Thornton, a deal which essentially meant that the Sharks made a mistake in letting Damphousse walk. Thornton would deliver initially, leading the Sharks from 13th in the West all the way to 5th by season’s end, setting up a playoff date with the Nashville Predators in Round One. San Jose would easily dispose of the Predators before falling to the Cinderella Edmonton Oilers in Round Two; and since then the Sharks have failed to reach the Conference Final despite posting good regular season totals. Now, with San Jose on the brink of yet another remarkable failure- down 3-1 in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks despite being President’s Trophy winners- an explanation is needed for the Sharks’ troubling post-season play (as it truly appears to be a team effort). I just may have the answer, even if it’s out of left field.

That answer is the Sharks made two critical inter-related mistakes in letting go of Damphousse and the triumvirate that went to Boston for Thornton. No, it’s not another edition of “Joe Thornton isn’t a great leader” argument, because Thornton isn’t a captain (Patrick Marleau is the captain of San Jose)- rather, it’s that both of those moves seemed to remove intangibles that allowed San Jose to be competitive in the post-season.

In the case of Damphousse, the case is easy because it’s clear his leadership was missed in 2005-06, which was apparent long before Thornton came around. As good as players like Marleau, Alyn McCauley (back when he actually played) and Nils Ekman were, none of them held the same leadership pedigree as Damphousse did. He was only one of three Sharks on the 2004 playoff team that had a Cup ring (Mike Ricci- also let go after 2004- and Scott Parker are the other two), he had been an elite player his whole career and the fact that he led the Sharks in playoff scoring meant that he still could play at an elite level at that stage of his career. The incoming salary cap probably meant that he was a goner anyway, but it appears that San Jose has yet to really replace his auxiliary leadership. One would think Rob Blake- who has the same credentials as Damphousse (elite player, Cup winner)- would be the perfect replacement, but with the Sharks being where they are now, it doesn’t appear that Blake’s influence is having any noticeable effect.

The losses of Stuart, Sturm and Primeau most likely did not cause a drop-off in leadership but perhaps created a void in chemistry. This argument is pure speculation, because statistically, the Sharks are better without the trio and- even combined- there are few who would think they’re equal in value to Thornton (tellingly, the Bruins have only stuck with Sturm- Primeau and Stuart are both gone). There’s also reason to believe that the Sharks are deeper without the trio than they were with them, especially considering that the forward corps (at least) remains consistent with the 2003-04 version- a skilled bunch with a workmanlike mentality. However, when you look at the type of player that each of them were, you’ll start to see their possible value, especially in the playoffs.

Sturm is often compared to Thornton, not just because he was traded for him- he is essentially the “poor man’s Thornton”, in that he is big and skilled (perfect for the playoffs) but nets half the production. He did appear to have remarkable chemistry with Marleau, perhaps because on that line he would not be the focal point of the attack- Marleau would be. With Sturm, the Sharks would have a clear No. 1 centre (Marleau) instead of duelling centres competing for ice time and the switch to this dynamic may be affecting the play of both Marleau and Thornton, who now need to share ice time whereas in San Jose and Boston (respectively) they did not have to.

Primeau’s role on the team encapsulates many of the responsibilities that players like Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe fit into now- checking. Clowe and Pavelski are more of two way players than Primeau is, but by 2004, Primeau would be recognized as one of the better checking line centres in the league. Not only that, but Primeau had experience in the playoffs, being the Buffalo Sabres’ third-line centre when the Sabres went on their run to the Cup Final in 1999. He provided stability and leadership to the lower part of the depth chart, an ingredient that appears to be solely lacking on the current team given that the Ducks are just outworking the Sharks in every capacity. If there ever was a spot where veteran leadership is needed, it is on the third lines, because checking one of the most valuable parts of the game. Claude Lemieux and Jeremy Roenick were signed to provide that stability, but it appears that neither are doing their job (at least on a grander scale- individually Roenick has worked hard, at least).

Lastly, losing Stuart changed the dynamics of the defence. It was a long process that started with Stuart that led to this year but no longer is San Jose’s blueline one that is dominated by big men- it’s dominated by finesse types like Dan Boyle and Marc-Edward Vlasic. Douglas Murray has the size capable of replicating the success of Stuart and Kyle McLaren, but so far has failed to live up to that billing. It`s this lack of size on the blueline that is most hurting San Jose in the series, as the Sharks seem to be having difficulty containing the likes of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, not to mention their own inability to match up well against Chris Pronger. It is also imperative that an element of size is present along the blueline to win- witness Stuart and his own contributions to Detroit’s Cup win in 2008.

Would the Sharks be better if they kept Damphousse and those three players and not traded for Thornton? Probably not, especially considering that on paper at least the moves the Sharks did make are considerable upgrades and would be moves any hockey GM is likely to make. However, one has to wonder why the supposedly-weaker 2004 playoff team can achieve the heights the current team is incapable of reaching, and one can only conclude that it had to have been the personnel, even if that personnel looks weaker than the current version. Of course, the possibility remains that San Jose’s 2004 adventure might have been a fluke, but we can never know if that is truly the case since we never got to see that team make another run. It is also true that this year’s team can go on a remarkable run and render all this speculation moot, but until that happens, the Sharks’ fanbase is going to demand an answer for all their woes, because the team has unfairly teased them for far too long.

-DG

Into The Crystal Ball 2009 Playoff Edition

2009-04-13T02:25:00.001-04:00

What a season that was. Playoff hockey comes to Ohio for the first time in history while it won’t be played in Ontario for the first time since 1992. The Montreal Canadiens celebrated their centenary this season with players who’d rather party than play. The Tampa Bay Lightning go from looking like the league’s darlings to a perennial bad joke, while the Pittsburgh Penguins go from laughingstock to saying “look who’s laughing now”. The Calgary Flames win the trade deadline but it’s the Vancouver Canucks who win the division right from under their noses. Oh, and the Chicago Blackhawks finally make the playoffs after what seemed like an eternity. With that all said, it’s time to look into the orb and reveal who will win the Stanley Cup:

Into The Crystal Ball

(special note: it's too long for the blog so I threw it up as a Web Site)

The best shootout move ever

2009-04-03T02:41:00.001-04:00

It may have only been a friendly, but Swedish forward Linus Omark left fans gasping after his amazing shootout goal playing won the game against Switzerland on March 31. Omark- currently on Eliteserien side Lulea HF but also an Edmonton Oilers draft pick- made a long arc from the faceoff circle and skated full speed on Swiss goaltender Marco Bührer. Bührer saw Omark skating across the slot and went down to the ice to attempt a poke check, but Omark proceeded to deftly and softly chip the puck over the helpless goaltender. You can see the move here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_X5FdpsWpg

It was the perfect cap to a thrilling game. The Swiss lead 3-2 with 14 seconds to go before Sweden tied the game on a power play, and Omark's shootout winner was the only goal in a six-round shootout.

If Omark's move looks familiar, that may be because he drew inspiration from Italian soccer star Francesco Totti, whose "cucchiaio" penalty kick style became legendary after using it successfully during Italy's Euro 2000 semifinal penalty shootout win over Holland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGgOIl7ei3Y&NR=1

The stakes may not have been as high for Omark, but it was still just as impressive nonetheless.

Would you eat this burger?

2009-04-01T00:53:00.002-04:00

The West Michigan Whitecaps minor league baseball team has introduced a new menu item this season- a five patty burger with five slices of cheese offered on a 20cm bun with (according to the Associated Press) "liberal" amounts of salsa and corn chips as well as a cup of chili, bringing the total calorie count to 4800 (more than double the recommended daily intake of calories). A Washington dietitian has asked the Whitecaps to call it a "dietary disaster". Meanwhile, Whitecaps spokesman Mickey Graham labelled it a gimmick. Read the AP release here:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090331/koddities/bbl_ballpark_burger

It sounds tempting, but it's sure not something I'd want to eat every day. Makes me wonder if anyone's tried eating the world's largest burger (http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/20060530193308305).

-DG

Rationalizing The Irrational: Why Personality Tests Don't Work

2009-03-07T06:56:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make. To those of you that know me, you already know what it is- I’m socially awkward. I could cite several reasons, most of them being too personal to get into here, but I think the main reason is that I think too much. Yeah, stop me if you’ve heard that one before. See, I’m of the mindset that if something happens, there’s a corresponding reaction- like how 1 plus 1 always equals 2 (unless we’re dealing with binary in which case it’s 10). Everything I do has a reason, and it’s always thought out through- even if, looking back, I probably did over-think it.

Which is why I was never good socially- I’ve spent most of my life trying to figure out “what works” when dealing with people and I just get nowhere. I mean, think about it- aside from physical harm, what can you do to someone where you’re *always* going to have the same reaction? People are so different that unless you *really* know who they are, it’s impossible to know if you’ve really gone over the line. So I’ve personally decided to stop trying to figure it out- might help the sanity, if just a little bit.

Reflecting on this, it makes me think of those people who have made it an industry of doing just that- “figuring people out”. If you don’t know who you are, there’s a multitude of personality tests that you can take, from the straight-forward (Myers-Briggs) to the bizarre (enneagram). Based on your answers to the test, you’ll receive what purports to be your own “personality profile” accurately depicted, and from there you can see what that profile will lead you to- for example, a job or a relationship with a client. The most popular one is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) developed by Katherine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers in the 1950s, and is based on the teachings of Carl Jung. The MBTI test follows a simple format- you are given a situation and two possible responses to the situation. You then pick the response that most applies to what you would do in that moment, with your answers being compiled to form a four-letter sequence indicating your “personality”. The letters are based on four pairs of inter-related “preferences” ((E)xtroversion vs. (I)ntroversion, (S)ensing vs. I(N)tuition, (T)hinking vs. (F)eeling, (J)udgement vs. (P)erception) of which everyone is one or the other, ultimately producing 16 personality types (2x2x2x2=16).

I have taken three personality tests in my life- the MBTI test (twice) and a newcomer called “4Di” from Collingwood, Ontario based One Smart World. My experiences with each have been rather different. In regards to the MBTI, the first time I took the test (for career counselling), my test results handed me the “INTJ” personality type, indicating a person who has a preference for using logic and reason as well as one who prefers to work alone. The second time I took the test (for school), I came out as a “ENTJ”, meaning that I still used logic and reason but now I preferred to work in groups.

That should be a red flag right there- according to the theory of MBTI, a person’s test score should not change, but mine did. Thinking of that, there were several reasons why my test score did change- the first time I took the test, I was fresh out of University and needed help finding employment, so I was on my own quite a bit. The second time I took the test I went back to school and in my current program, I’ve had to do a lot of group work, meaning that I’ve had to develop an extroverted side. Perhaps my personality changed, but I doubt it- knowing myself, I’ve always thought I was an “introvert-extrovert” that leaned a little towards the “introvert”, so perhaps my reality is that I’m somewhere in between the INTJ and ENTJ. Unfortunately, the MBTI test is far too rigid to take a subtlety like that into consideration, although I did think it did have a small degree of accuracy (though, looking back, there are several reasons for this, which I’ll expand on later).

4Di, on the other hand, was completely off the mark when I took it. That test- for those who are unfamiliar with it- is essentially a poor rip-off of MBTI, as the format is exactly the same yet it produces a different “score”- you are given a colour meaning you’re a “green”, “red”, or “yellow” type. The only difference is that it recognizes subtleties in that you can be a “cool” or a “warm” version of your colour based on how highly you rated in each of the colours. The fourth dimension is “white” or your own “personal spirit” that gets tagged onto your profile even though it doesn’t change your colour. So you essentially could become a “warm red with very little white”, indicating a logical thinker with low personal spirit (which was me, by the way). Technically speaking, it’s not a personality test- the colours represent your “strategies” or how you tackle tasks- but, for all intents and purposes, it is a map of a person and can be considered a personality test for practical purposes.

In any case, my problems with my 4Di score weren’t with its high scores but rather with its low scores. I somehow managed to score poorly in terms of “using past experiences” and in terms of “envisioning”, skills that I know I am good at. The problem was faulty test design, since in many cases I was required to pick between two choices for a situation where I could respond both ways. Several times, for example, “experience” was paired against “logic” and, of course, every time I’d go logical. The creators of 4Di failed to realize that experiences can definitely be “logical”, as there is no better problem-solving skill than knowing what did or didn’t work in the past- and if anyone should know that it should be the owner of a History Degree, wouldn’t you agree?

Therein lies the problem with personality tests approved for popular consumption (there are more complex psychological tests but they are tailored for specific instances and never used)- despite being touted as remarkably accurate, these tests are so watered-down for the populace that by default they cannot recognize the diverse milieu of personalities that truly exist. We all know that there’s no way only eight, 16 or even 132 different kinds of people exist in this world (there’s enough gene combinations to make at least 300 billion different people), so for a personality test to purport any kind of accuracy is misleading. People more or less always display characteristics congruent to both sets of viewpoints (for example, an introvert-extrovert) even if they may appear to tend towards one (if they even tend towards one). Everyone is truly a mixture of the different types a personality test can produce, so for a test to pigeonhole people is simply disingenuous.

Furthermore, because the tests are so vague someone taking the test again even as short as five weeks (http://www.indiana.edu/~jobtalk/HRMWebsite/hrm/articles/develop/mbti.pdf ) would produce a different result. This is because the personality test is really asking about a person’s thoughts, and those change over time. Aside from my own MBTI experience, this couldn’t be better pictured than when a lady who was the co-ordinator of 4Di (and a self-confessed “green” or spunky extrovert) came to our class to talk about our results. The co-ordinator noted that, as a group, we mostly scored low in “personal spirit”. She was flabbergasted but I was not. At the time most of us were taking the test, we were all stressing about having to find internships that fulfill the program’s co-op requirement as well as working on a major assignment at the same time, so our “low” personal spirit made a lot of sense. If we had taken the 4Di test in June, when we’re all firmly entrenched in our internships and not stressing that much, our personal spirit scores would have been higher- guaranteed. Thus, the best any test can hope for is a small degree of accuracy and that’s it, meaning it just falls into the category of “nice to know”- as far as using it for any kind of serious task (such as counselling) it falls incredibly short.

So why are personality tests perceived as accurate? The reason is due to something called the “Forer effect”, named after psychologist Bertram Forer. In 1948, Forer made his students take a “personality test” and when he received his students’ tests back, he just ignored them and handed each of his students this single reading:

“You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.” (http://skepdic.com/forer.html )

Forer then asked his students to rate the above evaluation out of 5 (with “5” being considered the highest accuracy level), and the average score was 4.26. That was in 1948. The test is still conducted today with similar results. Where did Forer receive the above statement? From a newspaper astrology column earlier that day. Why did it work? The reason is because the statement is vague enough that it could really apply to anyone despite having an authoritative tone and seemingly personalized bent, and the positive sentiment of the piece made it easier to take (make it too critical and people tend to get defensive and will more likely reject an evaluation even if it’s true). The perceived accuracy level of such a statement goes up when someone tells you that is specifically “for you” even if it truly isn’t. Furthermore, people have a general tendency to “want” something like Forer’s statement or a personality test to be true (a process called “subjective validation”), because they most likely took the test with positive intentions (such as trying to understand what career is best suited for them) and thus they want the test to be true because otherwise it’d be a worthless endeavour.

So what do you do if you find yourself wanting to know what “personality type” you are for whatever reason? Well, the first task would be to stop thinking you have a “personality type” and understand that you truly are unique- remember, there’s 300 *billion* different genetic combinations, so there’s no reason to think you need to be pigeonholed. The second task would be to do your own personal reflection by thinking about it on your own or consulting with friends and family, the ones who *truly* know you. You can also consult professional help but make sure that involves more than just giving you a personality test- you want someone to help identify your unique traits, not classify you into one of “16 cliques” that you probably don’t fit into anyway. Finally, if that all fails, follow your heart- oftentimes, you’re already going in a direction because your previous likes and dislikes got you there, and that could lead you along the path you want to go to. Yes, it’s a long and arduous process, but nothing in life is supposed to be easy. Thinking a personality test will guide you is just being lazy and will lead to even more confusion- confusion you don’t need. Remember, if nothing else, you know yourself best, so there’s no reason to ultimately look elsewhere other than the mirror, because the solution will be staring right back at you, even if it will take some time to eventually see it.

-DG

Rating The Trade Deadline

2009-03-05T05:02:00.004-05:00

Here it is- an evaluation of the craziest day in the hockey universe. Since it is quite long, I shall leave it here as a link for all of you to enjoy:

Click here

-DG

Senators' play no surprise

2009-02-24T01:15:00.002-05:00

The stats are hard to ignore- following today’s 5-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on “Hockey Day In Canada”, the Ottawa Senators had a 22-27-4-5 record, good for 53 points and 11th place in the Eastern Conference and, despite a season-high five-game winning streak, the Senators remain 13 points behind the Buffalo Sabres for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With 24 games to play, Ottawa essentially needs 41 points (the equivalent of 20 wins and one overtime loss) to reach 93 points (the amount the Boston Bruins needed to nail the eighth playoff spot last season), meaning that playoff participation for a 13th consecutive season is highly unlikely. Many across the hockey universe- who, like The Score in their “Hockey Forecaster” (my favourite hockey preview book) predicted a return to prominence after the ’07-’08 disaster- were surprised at the Senators’ play this season, wondering how a team that displayed remarkably consistent excellence could bottom out so quickly.

Well, I was not one of those who were surprised.

Back in September, I wrote a preview for the NHL season, just like the rest of the hockey writers. Then, The Score thought Ottawa would finish third in the East, thinking that Ottawa’s signings of Jason Smith and Alex Auld would address their defensive and goaltending issues respectively. I, however, predicted that Ottawa would finish 11th in the East, exactly where they are now (that position is fluid- from 11th down I figured those teams are essentially interchangeable and they are). Then, I saw that the Senators ended the 2007-08 season playing like an expansion team and that was with their two offensive defencemen in Wade Redden and Andrei Meszaros. The Senators would lose both, Redden to free agency to the New York Rangers and Meszaros in a trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning), replacing them with Jason Smith (free agency from the Philadelphia Flyers) and Filip Kuba (from Tampa Bay for Meszaros). The rest of the team was essentially and the same and, considering that Smith doesn’t have an offensive pedigree and Kuba- despite having talent- has never been much of an offensive force- it meant that Ottawa’s sole offensive threats would be the “Big Three”, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, displaying an eerie resemblance to the post-lockout Lightning (who only had Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis as offensive threats). Not only that, but I saw that Auld, who, at best, could only be described as “above average” (like his tandem-mate Martin Gerber and the goaltender he replaced, Ray Emery), so Ottawa really wasn’t getting any better in net. So, if Ottawa could play like an expansion team with Redden and Meszaros and no elite goaltender, how would they play without him? Back in September, that was a no-brainer- out of the playoffs after 12 seasons, and with barely a whimper.

I hate to say “I told you so”, but, “I told you so.” I’m beginning to like the sound of my own horn.

So how has my prediction played out? Let’s see, looking at the two keys to that prediction- a compressed offence and a lack of game-stealing goaltending.

OFFENCE

Back when I wrote my preview, my assessment of Ottawa’s season was that they would feature a “compressed” offence, meaning that all their offence would come from its forward corps with nothing coming from the defence. This means that teams defending the Senators need to just collapse in front of the net, because they know that the Sens’ meagre defence corps won’t be a threat all night. Watching the Canadiens against the Senators, Montreal did precisely that, daring the Sens’ defencemen to beat them and they couldn’t. The only goal Ottawa managed in the third (down 5-2) was on a power play when the Canadiens’ defence was lazy and allowed a cross-crease pass- other than that, Montreal stayed in front of the net, preventing the Big Three from receiving any dangerous passes down low and allowing the Sens’ defencemen to simply miss the net. The loss against the Avalanche followed a similar refrain.

Of course, those are just two games and two games do not a season make. Looking at the statistics and you’ll see that is precisely how it is playing out. Of Ottawa’s 144 goals for following the game against Montreal, only 22 (15.3%) came from their defencemen. To put that in perspective, Washington Capitals defenceman Mike Green (who leads all NHL defencemen in goals) has that many all by himself. The closest player to Green on the Senators is youngster Alexandre Picard with six, followed by Chris Phillips with five. Chris Campoli, furthermore, comes from the inept New York Islanders with six goals of his own, automatically tying him for the lead in goals on the Senators. The story isn’t all terrible- Kuba has 27 assists and 28 points- but Kuba’s single goal means that he’s just been great at passing the puck, easy to do when you’re playing with the Big Three. Until Ottawa’s defencemen learn to score with greater consistency, teams are not going to respect the shot from the point.

This wouldn’t be all bad if the Sens’ forwards picked up the slack but they haven’t. Of the 122 goals the Senators’ forwards have scored, 54.9% have been scored by the Big Three- 29 by Heatley, 21 by Spezza and 17 by Alfredsson. The closest forward to them is Nick Foligno with 10, followed by Antoine Vermette with nine and Mike Fisher with eight. Those are great totals for a third line, but the fact that they’re second-liners indicates that Ottawa is a one-line team; and we all know how easy to defend one-line teams are. Of course, the Senators wouldn’t be alone as a one-line team- outside of a handful of teams, every team in the NHL has just one line (or, in some cases, just one player)- but the successful teams have goaltending success, which Ottawa doesn’t have.

GOALTENDING & DEFENCE

For all intents and purposes, the defensive problems the Senators had late in 2007-08 are largely gone. Following Saturday’s game with Montreal, Ottawa ranked 8th in the NHL in defence with 168 goals against. So it’s safe to say that team defence isn’t the source of the Senators’ problems- the problem is a lack of decidedly “game-winning” goaltending. Following Saturday, the Senators have a dismal 9-16 record in one-goal games (nine of those losses coming in overtime or the shootout), meaning that in games where the winner is decided by which goaltender flinches first, it’s almost always the Senators’ goaltender who does.

The main culprit in this category is Auld. Despite boasting decent numbers (2.47 GAA and a .911 save percentage), Auld is 4-10 in one-goal games, which is likely why he’s lately fallen out of favour as the Senators’ starter after winning the job from the horrendous Gerber early in October. If you look at Auld’s career, this kind of play isn’t unprecedented. Vancouver Canuck fans remember him best as a former can’t-miss prospect they realized they could miss, being dealt after a decent (but playoff-less) season as a starter to the Florida Panthers in the package of players that brought Roberto Luongo to Vancouver. In Florida, he formed part of a decent tandem with Ed Belfour before losing his starting job when the Panthers decided they needed Tomas Vokoun. He would then sign with the Boston Bruins where he’d eventually become the third-stringer behind Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas, leading to his signing with the Senators. Now, after 31 appearances, Auld has lost the trust of the Senators’ brass, as youngster Brian Elliott has started 14 of the last 19 games (counting the game against Montreal that Elliott started). In The Score’s preview, Auld was hailed as dependable and thus the answer to Ottawa’s goaltending issues. The evidence clearly suggests otherwise, as he is a goaltender who may consistently display skill but also consistently never plays well enough to earn his coach’s trust. At this stage of his career, he seems more likely to become a career backup than a starter because he simply allows too many goals for anyone other than the highest scoring teams to win.

Elliott, for his part, does appear to be the goaltender capable of eventually becoming Ottawa’s starter. His winning percentage- both overall (7-4) and in one-goal games (3-3) suggests that he at least has the mentality to be a starter. The only problem is that he still giving up too many goals. Elliott is currently posting a 2.76 GAA, so if the Senators are not scoring then Elliott isn’t winning. Hopefully as he learns the NHL game he’ll better anticipate shots and cut down on his GAA, but for now he is just allowing too many goals to be the game-winner the offensively-challenged Senators desperately need. As for Gerber- formerly hailed as an elite goaltender after his ’05-’06 season with the Carolina Hurricanes- there’s not much to be said except that he looks firmly over the hill, with a dismal 4-9 record and an equally unimpressive 2.86 GAA. No doubt the Senators’ off-season priority will be finding a goaltender (again) although Ottawa will have to make sure they don’t make any rash decisions lest they end up with a Gerber again.

THE FUTURE

Being 13 points out of the playoffs with 24 games to play, it’s not likely Ottawa is going to make the playoffs. This means it’s probably the end of the road for Alfredsson, since the Senators are better served rebuilding and going with younger options; and with the trade deadline coming up, teams are definitely going to overpay there to obtain a player of Alfredsson’s calibre. The Senators should also take March 4 to stockpile draft picks, because their cupboard is bare after so many years near the top. It should also be noted that the rebuilding process isn’t going to be quick, so Sens fans shouldn’t be impatient and demand quick fixes that are just going to hurt their hockey team even more.

Lastly, while the fall from grace is surely not a sight Sens fans are warmly accepting (especially after coming so close to the Cup in 2007), it should be noted that Ottawa’s 12-season run in the post-season is unparalleled and impressive. Say what you want about how the Senators didn’t do enough with those opportunities, but with parity in a 30-team league, there’s rarely a team that can string two straight seasons in the playoffs, let alone 12. The team was due for a letdown and this was it- now, it’s important that the Senators and their fans realize that and just be patient, because that is the only way Ottawa can reclaim its status as an elite team in the NHL.

-DG

One Wild Week

2008-12-30T01:34:00.000-05:00

Usually, the last weekend of the National Football League regular season leaves a lot to be desired. Drama is promised, but the reality is that many teams at this stage of the season are merely going through the motions. There may be a playoff spot or two up for grabs but the reality is the last week of the season offers little more than glorified exhibition games.

Week 17 of the 2008 season would change all that.

In the American Football Conference, the wild card races offered very little in the form of drama, as the results were predictable: the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots both defeated the woefully underachieving Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills (respectively), ensuring that the No. 6 spot went to Baltimore. This left the division races for the AFC East and West, where the real drama was. The Patriots still had a hope if the New York Jets could defeat the Miami Dolphins, but Miami would prevail in a back-and-forth game that was easily the best game all afternoon. In the process, the Dolphins (11-5) became the first team to win a division a year after finishing 1-15 as well as ensure New England would be the first 11-5 team out of the playoffs since the 1985 Denver Broncos. In the West, the division title would be determined by the winner of the night game between the San Diego Chargers and the Broncos (the “NFL Playoff Play-in Game”, if you will). The winner wasn’t much of a shock- San Diego had won three straight going into the game, the Broncos had lost two straight- but the result was. One expected Denver, trying to avoid becoming the first team to blow a three game division lead with three games to go, to come up with an inspired effort, but they could only offer a flaccid performance in a 52-21 loss to San Diego. The Chargers did win their third straight division title, but it was their most improbable- a month ago they were 4-8 and written off, but like baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 against the New York Mets, they ran the table to overcome those odds to claim the title. The Broncos and their defence probably meant that they didn’t deserve a title anyway, but even still, there’s no excuse for their monumental collapse.

Even with the Chargers’ and Dolphins’ completion of their improbable runs, the NFC would still outdo the AFC. At the start of the day, the Philadelphia Eagles were 8-6-1 and needed everything short of a planetary alignment to get themselves in the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings all stood in front of them at 9-6, with the Bears and Vikings still battling for the NFC North division title with the loser still in the running for the wild card. The Eagles would play the Cowboys themselves, but Tampa Bay was playing the woeful Oakland Raiders, Chicago was playing the already eliminated Houston Texans and Minnesota was playing the New York Giants, who already knew they were the No. 1 seed. Minnesota would be the only team of that group which won, as Chicago and Tampa Bay both lost close games in a pair of upsets. The Eagles were thus still in the playoff picture when they faced Dallas, and it must have buoyed them since the Eagles literally ran all over the Cowboys in a 44-6 rout. Not to be forgotten would be the Detroit Lions- or should I say “Kittens”- who made NFL history in a 31-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers, ensuring that they are 0-16. Here’s hoping that is the bottom for Detroit, because I can’t imagine what that kind of losing streak would feel like.

Much of the talk after Sunday’s games focused on the futures of both the Cowboys and the Jets’ (for now) Brett Favre. There’s little to say about the Cowboys except that they just blew it, with the chief culprit being head coach Wade Phillips. Phillips never got the team to play as a team and could never be convincingly in control of his troops. Terrell Owens needs no introduction here, since he obviously believes he’s the coach in insisting that he (and new buddy Roy Williams) should receive the ball more, admonishing Tony Romo for throwing to Jason Witten (easily Dallas’ most reliable receiver, if not the only one). However, against Philadelphia it was obvious that it wasn’t just Owens who was causing problems- in the 2nd quarter, facing a 4th-and-short, Romo waved off the punting team that Phillips sent out and ran a (successful) play himself. If that’s not an indicator that Phillips has lost control of his team I don’t know what is, since there’s no excuse for letting your own players overrule you. Taking heed of their suggestions is one thing but letting them tell you what to do is another. Speaking of Romo, it may be time to part ways with him- he clearly can’t handle the pressure of being the Dallas quarterback, a mentality issue that prevents him from becoming a truly elite quarterback. Owens could go too, although if owner/General Manager Jerry Jones does the right thing and hire a disciplinarian head coach that might temper Owens and allow him to shine more as a receiver.

Favre’s future was dicey before coach Eric Mangini was fired earlier today. Reports indicated that Mangini didn’t like Favre’s decision-making and- like he does for the rest of his players- called out Favre for them in front of the team. This was not how Favre was treated in Green Bay (where he had his own “office”) and had Mangini stayed, Favre may have retired. With Mangini gone, Favre may just stick around, because he can still play- he didn’t get the Jets to 8-3 by doing nothing. The interceptions are still terrible, but the truth is in the last five games, the Jets’ short passing attack has failed them (for example, where was Dustin Keller, the highly touted tight end at mid-season), meaning Favre has to throw it long. Thus, the Jets’ focus this off-season should be at the tight end spot to give Favre a short passing option he can trust, because that is what ultimately did the Jets in during their December collapse.

That story will be revisited in the offseason. Now, the regular season is over and the Playoffs can begin. With so many bizarre finishes in Week 17, who knows what will be in store for the Playoffs. One thing is certain though- with the crazy ride that was Week 17, this can only mean the real Playoffs are going to be fun.

-DG

As The Strike Continues, So Does York’s Unhappy Holiday (Part 2)

2008-12-21T00:56:00.002-05:00

Now that we’ve established that neither side have conducted themselves well in this strike, it is time to establish what needs to be done to solve this mess. This is a three-pronged strategy, starting with binding arbitration, continuing with both sides hiring more reasonable management teams and the establishment of the teaching sector as an essential service.

Since it’s obvious that a negotiated settlement is too distant at this stage, the only hope for a quick settlement is binding arbitration. Before I begin this point, let me take a minute to explain how it really works, because CUPE’s missives are simply wrong. CUPE argues that any “binding” settlement takes the average of all the other settlements in their sector to come up with a figure for their agreement. This would mean, for example, that since their wages are the highest in Ontario their wages would be reduced because it’s not at the average. It’s great propaganda, but that’s not how it works- there’s no reason to apply an average with figures not even close to an average as it currently stands. What does happen is the arbitrator examines both arguments, sees the figures and assesses which one is more reasonable. The arbitrator may look at other agreements for precedent so that if the current agreement does not have figures that could be considered “fair” for workers in the sector, the future agreement can be brought in line with fairer numbers. There’s nothing in the current agreement- especially with regards to wages, the highest in Ontario- that could be considered “unfair” for the workers, so it’s likely the binding agreement won’t significantly shortchange either side. Besides, the strike ended in 2001 with binding arbitration, so there is historical precedent for that move.

However, before binding arbitration is formally proposed, both sides should be forced back to the table and hold meaningful negotiations. The provincial mediator appointed to the talks, Greg Long, was wrong to suspend the talks. He was correct in his assessment that talks were going nowhere because neither side was doing enough to have meaningful discussions, but suspending the talks does nothing to solve the problem. It’s his job as a mediator to find the common ground and get the talks moving. Besides, forcing the two sides to talk might just spur productive conversations anyway. The province needs to formally push both sides back to the table and let them hack away at an agreement for a few days and if no progress is made, order binding arbitration through back-to-work legislation. It’s likely that’s how the strike will be resolved anyway since talks haven’t been meaningful, but negotiations should be given a fairer shot than they have been first.

Once the strike is resolved, it is time for York and CUPE to clean house at the management level. When the TA’s at Queen’s rejected a move to be unionized, they specifically cited the problems at York. At York, the Queen’s TA’s mentioned, relations are venomous, producing a culture of antagonism on both sides. This is nothing but perfect fermenting ground for strikes, and there’s no other source for relations like that but at the top.

It’s hard to argue with the Queen’s TA’s over their assessment. In the past eleven years, York has experienced three strikes (the 2000 and 2008 CUPE strikes and a 1997 strike by its professors’ union), indicating an administration that clearly doesn’t know how to deal with its own employees. That alone would be reason enough to hire new management at York, but that’s just icing on the filthy cake of York’s many indiscretions. The history of strikes and near-strikes on the CUPE side also shows a history of mismanagement of relations between the union and York, with other missteps- such as disrupting the exams of Schulich and Osgoode (separate Faculties at York unaffected by the strike) and the occupation of Shoukri’s office (instead of going back to the negotiating table to talk)- further hinders the lot of CUPE management. Both sides have had enough time to establish positive relations yet consistently it moves in the opposite direction, so it’s time for both sides to install power figures who can be more cordial and reasonable with each other.

Lastly, it’s time to ensure that disruptions of this caliber do not happen again and you do that by preventing strike action entirely. I do wish to stress that I am not arguing that unions (or even striking) be made illegal, because the right to unionize and to strike offers protection to employees against overzealous employers that is still vital to this day. Most unions are noble, being mindful of their situations and only strike if the situation truly calls for it, and it would be unfair to punish those unions because of the actions of an overzealous few (like CUPE); and even there most unions do not work in the public sector so there’s no point for the government to regulate employee-employer relations.

However, when those unions do work in the public sector and provide a vital service- such as CUPE- a strike unfairly hampers the lives of people who depend on the strikers’ service and those unions should not be allowed to strike by having their work declared an “essential service”. Put in other terms: if workers at the GM plant in Oshawa go on strike, then the public does not get the chance to purchase a GM car, a product they can live without. If CUPE strikes, then students are denied an education, a service they vitally need to be productive workers in Canada and thus is a service that cannot inherently be denied. It’s a tag that shouldn’t just be applied to CUPE but the other teaching sectors (including the professors and elementary and secondary school teachers) across Ontario as well (I’d also love transit across the province to get this designation but that’s an argument for another day). The essential service designation wouldn’t mean a total halt to disruptions, since all the work TA’s and contract faculty would be required to perform is to hold classes; and work not related to that (such as office hours and perhaps even marking by TA’s) would not be required. It still wouldn’t be a perfect scenario for students but at least they will be able to obtain the service they require- their education- without having to worry about the relations between employer and employee. The students are the most important part of any school and it is unfair to drag them into a situation they are unable to have any say in.

That’s my plan for solving this mess. It’s unlikely that’s how it will play out, since the Ontario government rarely gets involved in situations like this (unless it’s the Toronto Transit Commission) and the way both CUPE and York handle themselves it’s unlikely they’ll drastically alter their relations with each other. Binding arbitration is still likely; albeit probably late in January meaning the undergrads’ year is effectively lost. However, if York and CUPE want real changes and real solutions to their problems they will drastically alter the way they conduct their business. Otherwise, this is just going to be another struggle in already titanic war, a war students are unwittingly and unfairly a part of. If both sides truly care about the students (like they say they are) they will end the war- otherwise their mollifying words are just going to ring hollow and that’s not how any school should ever operate.

-DG

As The Strike Continues, So Does York’s Unhappy Holiday (Part 1)

2008-12-20T02:38:00.005-05:00

“Deep in the heart of the York U jungle
You can hear the unions rumble
Ooooh Ooooh
Strike U! Strike U”

-Graffiti written on a scaffolding wall during the construction of the (now completed) William Small Commons Parking Structure, 2001. The writing is a play on the “fight chant” at the time for York’s varsity teams (then known as the Yeomen), with the original’s “yeomen” being replaced with “union” and “York” with “Strike”.

Perhaps I was one of the lucky ones to have completed my undergraduate studies at York University when I did. I studied History from September 2001 to April 2006, starting my studies less than a year after the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 3903, representing the University’s Teaching and Graduate Assistants as well as “contract” (i.e., non-tenured) faculty, brought York to a standstill for 78 days. Classes had to be extended well into May just to complete the semester, severely cutting into summers students so desperately needed to work in order to pay for their studies. CUPE 3903 threatened to strike twice more when I was studying, in October 2002 and again in 2005, with deals only being reached at the 11th hour. However, the volatility of the situation meant midnight was going to strike sooner rather than later, which it did on November 6, 2008. Then, the over 3,000 members of CUPE 3903 walked off the job after negotiations again broke down with the University, with no resolution in sight after 44 days of striking. Instead, what is happening is both sides are attacking each other and blaming the other side for holding up negotiations, hoping the other side cracks so they can begin talking again. This dangerous game of chicken might work at General Motors when there’s no third party in play, but here there is, as both sides’ selfish war of attrition is needlessly inconveniencing the year of York’s students who are supposed to be the most important part of the University.

On the union side, ostensibly, there are two central issues at play in the strike- wages (surprise, surprise) and job security for contract (i.e., “non-tenured”) faculty. I won’t take a lot of time to comment on the demands, except to say that neither side has it right. With regards to wages, CUPE is hoping for an effective raise of anywhere between 22%-47%, expecting York to raise their already exorbitant salaries so they can be in line with the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) in Toronto (roughly $23,000 a year). There’s nothing wrong with wanting income to get to COLA, but TA’s already get $36/hr. for 10 hours a week and, despite CUPE’s many pleas to the contrary, nothing stops them from getting outside work (it’s just not preferred, but then again it’s preferred that undergraduates don’t get outside work either and we all know that’s not possible for many of them). Conversely, York has it wrong on the contract faculty issue, as York refuses to allow long-time contract faculty to get tenured positions. The reasons are monetary, but if a professor keeps on receiving new contracts from the University, isn’t it clear that York should just keep them around forever anyway?

However, neither of those two issues are the primary reasons why both are still miles apart from a deal (and the bargaining table, it seems). The real issue is 2010. That’s the year CUPE is hoping all of its locals will have contracts ending so they can have a “co-ordinated” bargaining session with not just the universities but also the province. The goal is to orient the university TA’s in much the same manner as the elementary and secondary school teacher unions in Ontario having, in effect, one province-wide union. Thus, CUPE 3903 is demanding a two-year deal to ensure that they will have a seat at the province-wide bargaining with their brethren, while York is countering with a three-year settlement.

Amidst the knowledge of the length of this strike and the one in 2000, there is some justified fear that a lengthy province-wide shutdown will occur in a year and a half (which may be why York wants its deal to expire after 2010). Five schools already have contracts expiring in 2010- Ryerson, McMaster, Ottawa, Windsor and Brock- and four other schools (including York) are in bargaining in the hopes of getting a 2010 expiry. CUPE’s responses to the fears is that they’re going to use the opportunity to push for gains for all students, including undergrads. However, aside from a scant mention of a tuition freeze (but only if CUPE manage tuition protection for themselves), there’s little in the Ontario University Workers Co-ordinating Committee Action Plan document that speaks directly to undergrad needs, and a lot that speaks to CUPE members’ needs (to see the document itself, go here http://www.cupe.on.ca/aux_file.php?aux_file_id=870).

What you will see in the Action Plan- if you go to Page 8 of the section “Projects to Improve the Bargaining Committee” you’ll see an entire page devoted to the propaganda campaign they’ll unleash onto the unsuspecting student bodies of the universities. There, CUPE explains they’ll hold barbecues, pub nights, “exam de-stressors” and other student events to make them appear that they’re a student-friendly organization. However, there’s nothing honest about that intention, since CUPE is only going to be friendly to ensure that students don’t rally against them in the event of a strike. There’s only one word to describe an action like that: “sickening”. Just like this strike the students will be used as pawns, and there’s nothing “student-friendly” about that.

Of course, it’s not like York University can have a pass from criticism either. This is an institution that has been insalubrious ever since I stepped foot on the (faux) hallowed grounds of the Keele Campus that September day. It’s so bad that my brother and I often joked about York that it was “the University that taught logic but never used it”. Some of those examples are merely comical, such as York’s decisions to close underground passageways at night (when it is the coldest) or entirely; or York’s decision to design the school (reportedly) after a campus in Arizona (hence all the wind tunnels, which make sense in the searing desert heat but never in the dead of Canadian winter). Other examples are simply disturbing, such as the fact the only weapons of defence that York Security has are notepads (I know Voltaire once said “the pen is mightier than the sword” but I doubt *that* is what he meant) or the inexcusable decision by then York President Lorna Marsden to suspend Daniel Freeman-Maloy for three years simply because he used a megaphone. More recently, the University sat idly as reports of sexual assaults grew on campus, culminating in a disturbing “residence room invasion” and a creeper on campus during the last academic year.

So it’s no surprise that the “Tweedledee and Tweedledum” administration bungled the negotiation process here as well, despite also having noble intentions. On top of rejecting the entirely reasonable demand by CUPE that contract faculty have somewhat better job security, York’s many missteps have been calling for binding arbitration right from the start (as opposed to having fruitful negotiations) and “negotiating through the media”, providing a strawman version of CUPE’s demands to the press in the hopes of simply winning the Public Relations battle. The worst part is that the President of York, Mamdouh Shoukri, has been visibly absent throughout the whole ordeal, as if he thinks that not addressing the problem will make it go away. That sure isn’t a trait I’d want in my leader.

York’s Remediation Plan- released on December 18- also does not offer much hope for a quick settlement. Assignment due dates and/or exams cannot be scheduled (or rescheduled) until the course has had at least its second class after the strike ends, but that’s as much relief that students will get. The plan calls for a “maximum” (not minimum) 2.5 weeks of class time to make up for the remaining month that was left of the Fall semester and exams to be scheduled over 12 days. Allowing further compression is the ability for York to schedule classes on “virtual” days, meaning, for example, if a class normally meets only once a week it could meet another day of the week to fit its second class in. The real kicker is a provision calling for a Winter Semester to be no longer than 55 days (11 weeks of Monday-Friday classes), with an exam schedule that is also just a dozen days.

Doing the math, this provides a “best possible” end (including exams) to the 2008/09 year on May 8, if an agreement is reached right on January 5 (when York reopens from the Christmas break). This would allow a “normal” 13-week Summer schedule but there’s no reason why York wouldn’t shorten that either. The 2001 strike ended in mid-January, so if this strike also ends then (which I’ll place at January 16), the end of the Winter term (allowing it to start on a Monday) comes on May 22, necessitating the shortening of Summer by a week. To run two straight semesters of 55 days and a dozen day long exam period, the strike would need to be resolved no later than January 26. However, don’t forget that York’s Plan stated the last round of Fall classes would take place over a “maximum” of 2.5 weeks, not a minimum. Allowing for York’s “virtual day” provision, presumably classes could be held over just a week for a two-week exam period coupled with a 55-day Winter and Summer terms, meaning the latest date for the strike would be February 6 (so that the final “Fall week” could be on February 9 with exams on February 16-27). Based on the math, at the very least it’s hard to suggest that York would be willing to negotiate meaningfully until late January- if it doesn’t subvert the process by bringing in a “forced ratification vote”, the government (or both) first.

Those are the issues surrounding the strike. Tomorrow I will highlight what needs to be done to resolve this strike and ensure that this problem doesn’t happen again.

-DG

Brian Burke set to become new Leaf GM

2008-11-29T03:32:00.000-05:00

Hockey’s worst-kept secret is going to be made a reality at 2PM (EST) in Toronto today, as former Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks and Hartford Whalers General Manager Brian Burke is set to become the new GM and President of the moribund Toronto Maple Leafs. Reports indicate that Burke will receive a lengthy contract from Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment that grants him “full autonomy” in player personnel matters, a deal similar to the one Bryan Colangelo signed to become GM of the MLSE-owned Toronto Raptors.

As a GM, Burke needs no introduction. His sole year as GM of the Hartford Whalers in 1992-93 was not noteworthy except for the drafting of Chris Pronger, but his star began to really take off when he took over the reins of the Vancouver Canucks in 1997. In six seasons, Burke took a similarly moribund Canucks team and transformed them into division champions, dethroning the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche for the Northwest Division title in 2003-04 after coming up short in 2002-03. In 2005, Burke assumed the same role for the Ducks, reviving the fortunes of the 2003 Cup Finalists and bringing the Stanley Cup to the Pacific Coast in 2007 after a five game rout of the Ottawa Senators. So it comes as no surprise that when the Leafs not so secretly began to court Burke that excitement began to build in Leafland.

The first question that arose in Toronto after the news broke is what kind of team Burke is going to build. This one is murky. There was the thought that since the Ducks won the 2007 Stanley Cup with a rough-and-tumble approach that he would do the same in Toronto but the Ducks had already assembled that kind of team in the years previously and Burke just added to it, since Burke didn’t especially go out of his way to acquire big players. Furthermore, the Canucks weren’t known for being an overtly gritty bunch, since their top forwards were primarily finesse players (the Sedin twins, Markus Naslund, Mattias Ohlund, Brendan Morrison). One aspect does stick out in both teams and that is speed- Burke’s teams tended to be very quick and offensively minded, with strong puck-moving defencemen. A bit of that nucleus already exists in Toronto, with the existence of Tomas Kaberle and Anton Strahlman on the backend and up front with the likes of newcomer Lee Stempniak and Jason Blake. The Leafs do lack that punishing, “shutdown” defender right now but Luke Schenn seems poised to eventually become that defenceman in the future.

The second question is one that leaves no doubt- how well Burke is going to do. There is no hint of a doubt in my mind that Burke will restore the Leafs to relevancy. Critics have pointed out the Cup-winning Ducks team was already essentially assembled when Burke took over, but they miss the fact that Burke added three key elements to that Cup run during his tenure- Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin. Yes, Niedermayer was likely to sign with Anaheim anyway because he had a desire to play with his brother Rob; and Pronger essentially fell into his lap because Mr. Pronger couldn’t stand up to the Mrs., but the Beauchemin deal was an astute one. In one of the greatest swindles of recent memory, Burke dealt the declining Sergei Fedorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets early in 2005-06 for the rights to Beauchemin, who only blossomed into the perfect compliment to Pronger, a bruising defenceman who just happened to have a cannon from the point. There are blunders from his days in Anaheim (for example, the Mathieu Schnieder deal he was forced to make because he mismanaged the salary cap), but Burke’s innovation led to the Ducks’ ultimate victory.

The bigger quarry into Burke’s skill is his days with the Canucks. In the early 1990s, the Canucks were NHL powers, being division winners in 1992-93 and Cup Finalists in 1993-94, but then fell on hard times, becoming the NHL’s worst team by 1997-98. In three short years, Burke had the Canucks back in the playoffs, pulling off three major deals in the process. First, he dealt the declining Trevor Linden and Alexander Mogilny to the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils (respectively) for Bryan McCabe and Todd Bertuzzi (from the Islanders) and Morrison (from the Devils) late in 1997-98. Then, midway through the 1998-99 season, he traded the disgruntled Pavel Bure to the Florida Panthers in a package of players that netted him Ed Jovanovski. Finally, on Draft Day 1999, he sent McCabe to the Chicago Blackhawks to land the third overall draft pick, allowing him to simultaneously announce the drafting of Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Coupled with the already-present Naslund and Ohlund, those players served as the core of a Canucks team that almost overnight became a Stanley Cup contender. What kept the Canucks from converting on their full potential was his failure to land a goaltender, but if there was any question that Burke couldn’t build a team “from scratch” (as he had to in Vancouver and will in Toronto), all you have to do is look at the Canucks and see the answer.

Whether or not the Leafs will win the Cup with Burke at the helm will depend on how patient Leaf fans will be (who knows after what will likely be 41 seasons without the Cup) and how much autonomy Burke will actually receive from the meddling MLSE (who seemed to stop caring after the Leafs became a playoff team during the Pat Quinn and the first Cliff Fletcher administrations). However, there’s no question that Burke brings with him a winning attitude and a knack for finding skill that few of his peers can match, which is only going to be refreshing in victory-starved Leafland.

-DG

On the front page of the Alliston Herald

2008-11-01T05:07:00.005-04:00

This was on the front page of the Hallowe'en edition of the Alliston Herald:

(Click on the picture or go here to see it larger.)

Note the caption: "The streets of Tottenham were filled with some scary characters Saturday during the Frightfully Fun family event". Oh man, those kids sure give me the shivers...

Seriously, who approved this photo and caption? This is just a terrible editing job.

-DG

The Check Swing That Said “101 Years”

2008-10-05T05:14:00.001-04:00

Two outs in the bottom of the ninth. No men on, the Chicago Cubs down 3-1 and 2-0 in the National League Division Series to the upstart Los Angeles Dodgers and their leader, Alfonso Soriano, is up to bat, having been reduced to his last swing after taking two strikes from new Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton. Soriano knows that the next strike ends his season and the hopes of millions of Cubs fans who thought 100 years of misery were over after the Cubs posted baseball’s best overall record. However, at 0-2, conventional wisdom always calls for the batter to swing at anything resembling a strike, but doing that may produce a flyout or a tapper that accomplishes nothing. Caught in this lurch, Soriano offers a half swing to a Broxton pitch headed wide, but the swing went forward enough for umpire Brian Runge to conclude that Soriano did in fact swing and miss at the pitch. Strike Three. Game Over. 101 years now (at least) of misery.

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. The Cubs finished 2008 with a 97-64 record (one game against the Houston Astros did not need to be made up) and were due to face a Dodgers team that, even after acquiring Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake in late July, was still figured to be a vastly inferior team. It was the first time Chicago had the best record in baseball since the World Series year of 1908, and thus the Cubs figured to be one of the favourites for the title (I contend it was the Los Angeles Angels’ to lose, but that’s an entirely different matter). Instead, it was manager Joe Torre and the Dodgers completing the improbable sweep, leaving Cubs fans to wonder just what might have been.

The immediate response to such a loss is to look at the games themselves and examine why. This leaves no shortage of answers, from leadoff man Soriano’s inability to get on base (only one hit for the entire series), shaky Cubs fielding (especially in Game 2, when all four infielders committed an error) to being just flat outplayed by the Dodgers. Los Angeles, compared to Chicago, always got the hit they needed when they needed it, getting production throughout the order and having pitching that kept the Chicago batters fishing the entire series. The Cubs were out-managed too, as Torre’s double steal in the second inning of Game 2 led to the errors that allowed five runs to score and put that game out of reach. Torre also always found a hitter or a pitcher to get him out of a jam, whereas Cubs manager Lou Piniella tried and did very little to get out of his jams (where was Reed Johnson (who could also be a leadoff man), for one?). However, none of this even comes close to being the reason why the Cubs ultimately failed- the pressure the fans put on their team to finally end whatever curse they’re spouting this week.

Let’s do a mind exercise. It’s 2003 and both the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox- whose own futility at that point reminded those of the Cubs- are in their respective league championship series. Both have a chance to reach the World Series and end decades of misery. We all remember what happened to both- the Red Sox lost on a dramatic walk-off home run by Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees, while the Cubs let “Bartman” get to their heads. Both wound up losing their series, decreasing further the already low patience level their fanbase had with the teams.

The response in Boston was fairly swift. Manager Grady Little was canned following the 2003 loss, being replaced by former Philadelphia Phillies manager Terry Francona. The move definitely looked odd at the time, as Francona’s pedigree wasn’t very high (his managerial experience didn’t stretch beyond the four he had in Philadelphia and he never had a winning season with the Phillies during that time), but it paid enormous dividends since, as we know, Boston won the 2004 and 2007 World Series without dropping a single game (the first manager in baseball history to do so). Francona, relatively new to the Red Sox situation (being mostly a low-profile National Leaguer his entire career) and overall displaying a calm demeanour, never seemed to let any of the Curse of the Bambino stuff get to him. That rubbed off onto his players- the “Idiots” they called themselves- who finally realized all the potential they had in being arguably the best unit of Red Sox ever assembled.

The Cubs, however, went a different direction. 2003 manager Dusty Baker was allowed to continue managing until his team imploded (again) in 2006, after which Piniella replaced him. Piniella, unlike Baker, has a World Series championship to his credit, winning in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds. He is also the Seattle Mariners’ all-time best manager, being the only Mariner manager (of two or more years) to have a winning record and the only one to guide Seattle to the playoffs. His track record alone suggests that he is right for the job, but the loss here to the Dodgers leaves some concerns.

Let’s not forget, “Sweet Lou” is an abrasive personality and is very emotional. There’s no need to get into his many tirades because they’re all common knowledge, but in this series against the Dodgers it appears his demeanour may have gotten the better of him and his team. Like the rest of his dugout, Piniella was openly flustered, often displaying an incredulous look on his face as if to suggest he just knows his Cubs team is cursed. You rarely ever saw Piniella yelling words of encouragement to his team or even just being calm, which may very well be part of his personality but it’s certainly not going to ease the nerves of any of the players who are also feeling the pressure of winning one for the Cubs fans. Factoring into this is Piniella’s experience (especially with the Cubs’ arch-rival Reds), which means he is very well versed in the Cubs’ problems and has every reason to feel the pressure bestowed upon the Loveable Losers.

Thus, what’s needed in Cubland is a change in attitude. The Red Sox won since they stopped pressuring themselves in 2004 (a direct result of Francona’s usually clam demeanour, even when he’s in trouble) and the Cubs need to do the same thing. Piniella may never actually be calm, but it would behove him to start having a little more fun. You don’t relieve the pressure of frustration by being frustrated yourself- that just breeds more frustration. Furthermore- and this is more “down the road” than next year- it would also behove the Cubs to hire an upstart manager after Piniella, since that manager’s relative inexperience would mean he really wouldn’t know- or care- about the Cubs’ difficulties at all. Francona changed the entire attitude surrounding the Red Sox dugout whereas Piniella just seems to be upholding the Cubs’ status quo, and that is the difference between the two teams’ successes.

It may be too early to give up on the Piniella Era already, but the early returns haven’t been as great as they could be and that is down to the pressures the team is constantly applying to themselves. Until the team realizes that and changes the whole atmosphere surrounding the clubhouse, it could very well be another 101 years before a championship- if it ever comes.

-DG

Into The Crystal Ball 2008-09 Regular Season Edition

2008-09-29T04:49:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again- hockey season, the only great part about winter. Thus, it means another edition of my hockey scrying ritual where the crystal orb reveals all and shows you who will win the Stanley Cup- all worked out from the start of the season to the Mid-June Classic. It's too big to fit here on the blog, so I have conveniently provided a link for your enjoyment. Enjoy!

The Regular Season Preview

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- July 15, 2007

2008-07-15T04:47:00.001-04:00

Let me begin by starting with the biggest news in archaeology- or, I should say, “archaeology”, because the document is pretty sketchy- the Hazon Gabriel, or “Gabriel’s Revelation”. It’s a stone tablet with 87 lines written in ink and dubbed a “Dead Sea Scroll on Stone” and has actually been known to us for a few years now but gained prominence this week because professor Israel Knohl apparently translated the document to reveal apparent parallels to Jesus Christ. Knohl believes the previously un-translated lines 80-81 have the Angel Gabriel command an unknown “Prince of Princes” to “live again” in three days, which he says is smoking gun evidence for his own theory that resurrection stories existed in Judaism before Jesus did (confirmation bias, no?). News agencies- who obviously haven’t read the document- picked it up and contended it was decidedly Christian, never mind that the document talks more about a valiant fallen warrior with a fire-and-brimstone approach that is decidedly un-Jesus like. Furthermore, we don’t even know where the document came from- Ada Yardeni, the first scholar to write about the document, picked it up from a collector who stated he bought it from a Jordanian antiquities dealer (so who knows where the thing really came from or even if it’s real). Of course, that’s not the worst part about the whole hullabaloo- the worst part is that this document is incredibly insignificant. Christians are going to shout about how this confirms that Jesus fulfilled prophecies while those who believe Jesus was a myth contend this is further fuel to the fire given there’s just another document for the myth-writers to copy from (resurrection stories are plentiful before Jesus, even in Judaism). Meanwhile, I’m just shaking my head at the nonsense over a document giddy scholars with an agenda clearly are failing to “check” simply because it has religious significance. If that doesn’t detail what’s wrong with Biblical Archaeology as a field, I don’t know what does.
I was planning on writing a huge analysis of the Hazon Gabriel only to realize that I wasn’t going to say anything that hadn’t already been said on the blogosphere. I will say that my first thought when I heard of the Hazon Gabriel is the James Ossuary, another document without provenance or even significance that gets more than its due because it’s a religious document. Now, you may recall that the Ossuary- which apparently has the words “James the son of Joseph the brother of Jesus”- is almost universally proclaimed as a forgery while the Hazon is generally accepted as real, but the Ossuary does share the critical trait that even if it was real it is insignificant. All three names were common at the time, plus there’s not a single document that ties the Ossuary with James the Just (such as a letter that details a pilgrimage to James’ tomb, something that would have happened to such an important figure). As another scholar once put it, the Ossuary might as well have read “Tom the son of Dick the brother of Harry”. Names mean nothing unless there’s a bridge to the important character and the Ossuary does not do that. The fact that it’s fake makes it even more dubious, but it didn’t need to get that far for it to be insignificant- just like the Hazon Gabriel.
Switching gears is the saga involving the “is-he-or-is-he-not” retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Favre told FOX News earlier today that he had jumped the gun on retirement and that the Packers had “held him hostage” in forcing him to make a decision earlier than he had to. He also contended that the team expressed its desire to “move on” (in formally making Aaron Rogers, Favre’s young backup, their starter) and should allow Favre to do the same, but Green Bay is unwilling to release Favre and potentially see him start for the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears, both of whom have quarterback issues. It is clear that the Packers hold all the cards, since if Favre applies for reinstatement he must return to the Packers’ active roster where he is signed through next season. It is difficult to pinpoint just who is right in this story, since Favre’s wrangling isn’t fair to Rogers (who’s waited long enough for his well-deserved shot) or the Packers (whose plans shouldn’t be held hostage by one player); but at the same time Favre’s pedigree and legacy calls for a happy exit, even if it’s with another team, and the Packers should not stand in the way of that. One thing’s for sure: if this truly is the way Favre’s career will end, it’ll be an even uglier end than Cory Webster’s interception that currently stands as Favre’s last professional pass and that may be the most unfortunate part about the whole ordeal. Here’s hoping that Favre gets his graceful exit, wherever it may be and that both parties resolve this amicably because Favre- and football- deserves no less.
Swinging to football north of the border is Rich “Stumpler” Stubler and his quarterback controversy on his Toronto Argonauts that he won’t acknowledge exists. At the start of the season, pundits all agreed that Kerry Joseph- the reigning Canadian Football League MVP- and Michael Bishop would form by far the best CFL quarterbacking tandem of recent vintage, giving the Argos that extra versatility and insurance two great quarterbacks gives you. Following an embarrassing 40-29 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos and both quarterbacks’ inability to pass the ball to their own players and it’s clear that Stubler’s inability to commit to one quarterback (Stubler refuses to name a starter and rotates quite liberally) is dragging the entire team down. Not only that, but the Argos have given up 86 points in their three games this season (an average of almost 28 points a game) meaning the former defensive whiz has lost touch on the other side of the ball as well. Fortunately for Argo fans they’re in a division with the equally pathetic and confused Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the often inept Hamilton Tiger-Cats but that’s small solace for a team capable of so much more.
Speaking of confused, there’s the Tampa Bay Rays, losers of seven straight games after a 5-2 decision saw them get swept by the hilariously inept Cleveland Indians in Cleveland. The Rays were once three and a half games up on the Boston Red Sox for first in the American League East and had led the Sox by seven in the loss column but are now a half game back of Boston (albeit at 55-39 they’re still one up on the loss column, as Boston sits at 57-40). Writers baffled by how the previously inept Rays could have a season like they were having could have the slide they are now having but the fact remains that Tampa Bay, being a young team, were prone to this kind of a funk. I’m not willing to write off the Rays just yet because slides happen in baseball, but you just had to wonder if the bubble is starting to burst. Hopefully it’s not…the Rays are too good a story for it to go to waste.
Of course, Tampa Bay’s success has to leave the Toronto Blue Jays scratching their heads- how could a team that was once a perennial bad joke make few changes in the off-season and now be battling for first place with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees; while Toronto- who was supposed to be up there- battles for last? At this stage of the season, I may just say that Toronto’s just not as good as they were made out to be. Outside of Scott Rolen, David Eckstein, Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay, the Jays simply lack the elite level playmakers that the likes of Boston and New York possess, and Toronto’s inability to draft well has cost them the opportunity to build a sustainable product for the long haul. Sure, there’s “optimism” after the Jays climbed to within a game of .500 following a 4-1 win over the Yankees at the Sky Dome, but haven’t we been through this before? As Rhianna croons, in “Take A Bow”, “this just sounds like a rerun- please/What else is on?”
Still, though, Toronto’s 15-year absence from the playoffs pales in comparison to the perennial lovable losers the Chicago Cubs, whose fans have lost count the amount of times they’ve felt “optimism”. What, then, is there to suggest that this latest version of the Cubs- who own baseball’s best record- won’t live up to expectations and find some way to bottom out? However, there’s more guiding Chicago than just blind optimism- the Cubs really are good, having that all-important blend of power and speed and (after acquiring Rich Harden) pitching that makes for a championship level baseball team. They’re still not a slam dunk for the title however, since the Boston Red Sox- who also share that important combination- are still very much in the mix and you’d have to think the defending champions are still the team to beat this season. Funny that we now think of the Red Sox, formerly also lovable losers, as the Goliath to the Cubs’ David, but sports has a funny way of doing things like that. It’s still too early to write that kind of story, but what a story it will be if it actually comes to fruition.
Last but not least is the Continental Hockey League (KHL) creating a stir after Ufa, one of its teams, signed Nashville Predators star Alexander Radulov to a contract despite the fact Radulov was already under contract in Nashville. Just a day previously the KHL- formed as a “rival” league to the National Hockey League- reached an accord with the NHL not to poach players under contract, but Ufa had done just that. It’s still unclear how the story will eventually unfold, but this development is certainly not positive for hockey. I’ve contended that the NHL is mismanaged and is vulnerable to a rival league, but the KHL does itself no favours in looking desperate by wilfully ignoring contractual obligations. Not only that but in doing so the KHL- whose clubs complained of “athletic terrorism” when the Pittsburgh Penguins got Evgeni Malkin to leave Metallurg Magnitogorsk- shows itself as hypocritical. Hopefully, though, the Radulov experience will bring the NHL out of its shell and force it to start working with the IIHF more, if not actually form a real international club competition that hockey so desperately needs and deserves. There’s a whole other world of hockey the insular flag-waving Canadians have consistently failed to acknowledge and it’s time they got a chance to witness it; but the KHL- like the NHL- needs to start behaving first.

-DG

A Wind of Change at Wimbledon

2008-07-07T02:39:00.002-04:00

Perhaps I was just a little late in recognizing it.

When Basel, Switzerland's Roger Federer was upset by Serb Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-final, whispers began to surface that the previously unbeatable Federer was no longer the creme de la creme in the tennis world. Those whispers only grew louder after Federer was denied a third straight time for the overall Grand Slam in the French Open Final against Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who demolished Federer in three sets in losing just three games and holding Federer to 6-0 in the third set, the first person since Byron Black in 1999 to hold Federer to a 6-0 set. Given the ages of Federer (he will be 27 in August), Nadal (22) and Djokovic (21), pundits bored of Federer's dominance were only too eager to pass the torch onto Federer's younger opponents, openly declaring that the end was (finally) here for the unbeatable.

At the time, I didn't really think the story was that special. First of all, Federer wasn't going to win all the time, so the fact that Federer lost in the Australian Open shouldn't have been a monumental surprise (surprise, yes, but- for the lack of a better word- flukey at best). Second of all, despite the fact that Nadal won so convincingly at the French and had now beaten Federer in three straight French Open Finals, Nadal still hadn't beaten Federer in any other Grand Slam (nor won another Grand Slam title). NBC's Mary Carillo pointed to Nadal's class in not overtly celebrating after the French victory (and don't get me wrong, it *was* classy), but she failed to point out then that Nadal knew he'd need another Grand Slam title before people would see him as a legitimate challenger to Federer (so there really was no point in crazily jumping around). Besides, Federer had yet to play on grass- his favoured surface- so the jury really should have still been out until Wimbledon concluded.

Well, it did, and Nadal finally got over his hump. In an epic match that featured two rain delays, a match time of nearly five hours with the latest conclusion ever to a Wimbledon final (9:20PM local time, over seven hours after the scheduled start time), Nadal defeated Federer for his first Wimbledon championship 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. John McEnroe, commenting for NBC, called it "the best match I've ever seen" which is an understatement as the match featured more drama than prime time television does in an entire year. Federer looked to have swung momentum his way after fighting off a 2-0 deficit in sets and match point on Nadal's serve in the fourth set, only for Nadal to secure the vital break in the fifth set (at 7-7 no less) and finally swing the match back his way. As McEnroe's broadcasting colleague, Ted Robinson, noted "these two bring out the Superman in each other" as the match featured the best both players had to offer: Nadal's impeccable ability to return just about anything and Federer's ability to ferociously pound winners and aces at a blinding pace. The match was also very evenly contested- Federer was only broken four times, while Nadal was broken just once. The match really came down to wits and, at the end of the day, Nadal just had more, but only barely. It was the kind of match where you didn't want to see anyone lose, with the match playing to expectations- the two best players in the world providing their very best stuff and ultimately producing the very best match.

The question now is "where do we go from here?" For Nadal, the answer is pretty simple. First of all, he can finally shake off the "clay-court specialist" tag in proving he can win on other surfaces. Second of all, having claimed his fifth Grand Slam title at the age of 22 (when Federer had just one at the same age), Nadal is well on his way to surpassing Federer as the world No. 1, which one would have figured to be just a matter of time given the two players' ages. Whether or not Nadal can get to Federer's total of 12 Grand Slam titles depends on how much the 21-year-old Djokovic develops (he too is an all-court player like Federer is and could develop a similar rivalry with Nadal that Federer currently enjoys) and if Nadal can hold off injury concerns, especially with his knees (his high-energy style has already led to a few injuries and that can be trouble in his older days). However, there is little doubt that on current form Nadal is the best player in the world and given how Nadal can make adjustments (he did serve and volley a little towards the end of the match) one suspects Nadal is primed for a real takeoff.

For Federer the situation is a bit more murky. It's not the end, but it is now getting close. At 27, there still is a lot left in the tank, albeit the engine operates a little slower now than it did in the past. There was going to be a year where Federer was going to lose because it's impossible to maintain that kind of form forever (players adapt and Federer is human after all). For perspective, Pete Sampras- who played a similar style to Federer and is compared to Federer as tennis' greatest player- won his last Wimbledon title at 29 and his final Grand Slam title at 31, so Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles is still very much attainable (Federer currently sits at 12). Plus, the loss may just spur Federer on to prove that this was just a minor dip and not the start of a real decline- he may have fallen back on Wimbledon knowing his past success, and while he certainly didn't "give up" this year, a loss may just shock out any feelings of complacency that he may have developed before this year. Besides, a champion like Federer doesn't stay down for long.

One thing is for certain though- tennis won today. All those hoping for a more competitive men's field finally got it as Federer now has a legitimate rival in Nadal (and maybe Djokovic if he ever gets his act together), meaning that these next few years the top will be as hotly contested as it ever was. It means that there's more matches akin to today's Final up ahead as the battle for greatness heats up and at the end of the day, the one who stands on the top is definitely going to deserve it.

-DG

Into The Crystal Ball: Stanley Cup Final Edition

2008-05-24T17:54:00.004-04:00

At first, it seemed like the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins were on a date with destiny by cruising out of their respective Conference Finals, both having amassed a 3-0 series lead. Then the Dallas Stars- Detroit’s opponent- suddenly found its defensive game and pushed the Wings to a Game Six, but the Stars ultimately didn’t have anything left in the tank in falling 4-1 in the deciding game. No matter, it still sets up an incredible Stanley Cup Final, featuring two of the game’s premier offensive teams with loads of tantalizing storylines and intrigue. This will be Detroit’s first Final since 2002 while Pittsburgh arrives for the first time since 1992 (both times the respective team won).

So, with the Stanley Cup Final set it’s time to have another look into my magical sphere and tell you who will win the Great Silver Chalice.

(Playoff record: 9-5)

W1 Detroit Red Wings vs. E2 Pittsburgh Penguins

FORWARD

There may not be a more dynamic group of forwards in the National Hockey League today than those that skate for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Everyone knows about Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa, but behind them is a deep and competent cast of forwards that causes nightmares for the opposing coaching staff. Ryan Malone provides a lot of the jam on the Penguins’ top-two forward lines, Petr Sykora has revived his career playing without the pressure of having to be a top forward (like he had been required to as a New Jersey Devil) and Jordan Staal may be one of, if not the, best two-way forward in the NHL today. Plus, with checking line players such as Pascal Dupuis and Maxime Talbot, Michel Therrien’s club boasts the strongest cast of forwards in the National Hockey League today. The Red Wings aren’t too shabby on their end either- you may have heard of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg- but the Wings get more of their offence from the back end, not the front end. Still, there’s enough for Therrien and the Penguins to worry about, from the speedy Mikael Samuelsson, the feisty Daniel Cleary and the rejuvenated Johan Franzen. However, pound for pound, the Penguins have more here than Detroit does. EDGE PENGUINS

DEFENCE

This is where the Wings’ vaunted offence really takes flight- from the backend. No team in the NHL can boast the same amount of mobile, puck-moving rearguards that Detroit can boast. Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom would be No. 1 defencemen on any NHL team but they both play for the same club. If that wasn’t enough, Andreas Lilja and Brett Lebda provide the same spark lower on the depth chart, while ageless wonder Chris Chelios provides stability when he’s needed. For their part, Pittsburgh can also display some talent on the back end, including Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar (who will be playing in his second Cup Final), and the bruising Brooks Orpik and Hal Gill should allow the Penguins to rough up the diminutive Wings skaters. Having said that, the Wings’ group is more talented as a whole than Pittsburgh’s, even if only slightly. EDGE RED WINGS

GOALTENDING

On paper, Marc-Andre Fleury would get the nod over Detroit’s Chris Osgood, but Osgood is a former Cup winner (2002) and Fleury has yet to play a Cup Final game. Both goaltenders boast similar numbers (.931 save percentage for Osgood, .938 for Fleury; 1.60 goals-against-average for Osgood and 1.70 for Fleury) so it’s a dead heat when it comes to the stats. However, Osgood has benefited from a Wings defence that doesn’t allow a lot of shots and while Detroit’s defence is very sound, they haven’t played a team that mixes it up offensively like the Penguins do. Fleury, on the other had, has had to face high-powered offences during the playoffs and has routinely come out with the upper hand. Therefore, if there is a team with the better goaltending, it’s Pittsburgh. EDGE PENGUINS

COACHING

Neither coach has a lot of experience in the playoffs, but the Wings’ Mike Babcock does have Stanley Cup Final experience, having led the Cinderella Anaheim Mighty Ducks to a Game Seven loss against the New Jersey Devils in 2003, while Therrien had only won one playoff round until this season (2002 first round with a Montreal Canadien). It could also be argued that Therrien’s success owes more to the talent that he has with him than his own abilities, but Therrien’s ability to keep the Penguins on track after some very difficult games (such as the Game Four loss to the New York Rangers) cannot be underestimated. It also bears mentioning that it has been under Therrien that the young Penguins have reached their full potential, since the team went nowhere with Ed Olczyk, the team’s original post-lockout coach. That said, if there was a coach whose system owes itself to his team’s success, it’s Babcock’s, since Detroit’s puck-possession system is the key reason why they’re even in the Cup Final. Therefore, Babcock and all his experience get the nod. EDGE RED WINGS

INTANGIBLES

Ostensibly one would look at Pittsburgh’s sparkling 12-2 record in the post-season and conclude that the Cup is theirs to lose, but historically teams that have stormed their way through the postseason (such as the 1997 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2007 Ottawa Senators, both of whom only lost three games before the Cup Final) wind up getting overmatched come the Cup Final. The Wings’ path to the Cup Final hasn’t been difficult in of itself, but the Wings have had to battle more adversity than Pittsburgh has in this post-season, needing to survive a scare against the Nashville Predators (who tied their first round series after falling behind 2-0 and pushed Game Five to overtime on a last-minute goal) and having to dispose of a Dallas Stars team that might have come back from a 3-0 series deficit after pushing Detroit to a Game Six. Thus, the question must be asked- will the Penguins be able to come through in a war? This series won’t be easy, and the Penguins’ ability to handle that situation will go a long way if Pittsburgh will end its 16-year Cup drought.

THE SKINNY

Everyone you talk to insists this will be a series and there’s no argument from the orb. Detroit’s deep cast of defencemen cancels out the Penguins’ deep cast of forwards, while Pittsburgh’s goaltending edge is cancelled out by the Wings’ coaching acumen and the Pens’ youthful enthusiasm is cancelled out by Detroit’s experience. When the orb originally predicted this series in the Conference Final, the edge went to Pittsburgh, but that was before the Penguins coasted to the Cup Final and the Wings had to fend off a Stars team that refused to quit. Therefore, after a long and tight series- but one full of goals and excitement- it’ll be capped off by a Game Seven overtime goal by Johan Franzen…just because he always seems to get those kinds of goals.

RESULT: Wings 4, Penguins 3

-DG

Inter Repeat As Champions

2008-05-20T20:46:00.001-04:00

A brace from Zlatan Ibrahimović just after the hour mark sealed a 2-0 win over Parma and third consecutive scudetto (second on the field) for Inter Milan on Sunday, giving the Nerrazzuri their 16^th title overall. Inter had blown two other chances to wrap up the title in losing to AC Milan at the beginning of the month and drawing 2-2 with Siena at home the week before and bringing up painful memories of the 2002 collapse, but all was forgotten after Ibrahimović- who returned from a knee injury and came on as a substitute- fired Inter Milan home and condemned the once powerful Parma to a spell in Italy’s Serie B.

This title victory went differently than it did last season. Last season, Inter sewed up the title with five games remaining and wound up winning by 22 points, but despite the impressive display (and the fact the title would have stood without the Calciopoli-imposed point deductions), pundits found reason to complain about the title because Juventus was forced to spend the season in Serie B and Milan started the year docked eight points. This season, Juventus was back in Serie A and no one started the year with point penalties, so none of the complaints from last year would have any merit. If Inter’s success last year raised any doubts, this season’s victory would completely dispel them.

It certainly wasn’t easy and for a while it did look like 2002 would rear its ugly head again. On February 16, a 2-1 win against Livorno gave Inter an 11-point edge over second-place AS Roma in the standings, but a series of reverses (including losses to Napoli, Milan and Juventus and draws against Siena and Genoa) saw Inter pick up only 22 points over their next 14 games and reduce the margin to one point before the victory over Parma. The collapse was shocking but it wasn’t completely unexpected- Inter was hit with a barrage of injuries to a number of key players late in the season (Walter Samuel, Luis Figo, Ivan Cordoba, Luis Figo, Ibrahimović), and nor was the ultimate margin of victory and Roma (who were second last season) had considerably improved themselves from last season and should have been figured for a tighter race with Inter. It was also not a race without controversy. In two games Inter benefited from penalties, both for handball offences- one to Parma’s Fernando Couto late in the reverse fixture (that one deserved) and one to Empoli’s Ighli Vannuchi (undeserved, albeit close and that mistake was down to sightlines)- plus a pro-Juventus publication put their team (surprise, surprise) on top of Serie A after all the “refereeing corrections”; but any complaints about refereeing bias ignored the fact Empoli was also awarded a penalty against Inter and the fact Inter played a man down for five games during this season (including against both Parma and Empoli). The complaints bore a not-so-subtle hint of jealousy and perhaps the cries of conspiracy were expected in the wake of Calciopoli, but there’s no reason to think Inter got an undue advantage from the referees.

The race was one of several great storylines for 2007-08. There was Napoli, back in Serie A after a lengthy absence, finishing in a respectable ninth and posting impressive wins over Inter and Milan in the process. Then there was Fiorentina, who would have qualified for the Champions’ League last season had it not been for the point penalties, managing to qualify for the CL despite losing Luca Toni in the offseason (because, peculiarly enough, he wanted to play in the CL). Following that was Roma, staying right with Inter through the final stages despite having less than half the star power Inter (and several other Serie A sides) had. The rise of those two teams suggests that Serie A is once again reaching the level of parity it had seen in the era of the Six Sisters (Inter, Lazio, Milan, Juventus, Roma and Parma) from the turn of the millennium and can no longer be said to be dominated by a few teams (unlike in England where it is firmly in the hands of either Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea). Finally- once you look past the bitter fanbase- there was Juventus, who had the roughest of stretches in 2006 and 2007, playing with the kind of heart and determination that was downright inspirational. The team may have had a disappointing summer in failing to acquire any high profile players but they more than made up for it with their dogged work ethic and overachieving with a team that was a shell of their pre-Calciopoli selves. Here’s hoping La Vecchia Signora can restore the pride in the team their previous administration so wrongly took away from them.

As for the disappointments, one can’t help but start with Milan, the defending CL champions but bottoming out in the Round of 16 to Arsenal and falling to fifth in Serie A after a 3-1 thumping at the hands of upstart Napoli. The result was shocking but those in the know saw a Milan team whose defence was now firmly over the hill and is in desperate need of rebuilding. Empoli, the small-market story of 2006-07 (finishing sixth with a club from a city of only 45,000), never quite got anything going this season and slumped badly to the relegation zone. Palermo and Lazio, who had been Serie A powers a year before, did not suffer similar fates but similarly slumped, dropping to 11^th and 12^th respectively after incredibly inconsistent years. Last but not least on the team side is Sampdoria, a side who could have been tagged as a sleeper outfit after acquiring the talented (but temperamental) striker Antonio Cassano, who stayed true to form with 10 goals in 22 games and receiving a five-game ban after throwing his shirt at the referee after being sent off against Torino. The rest of the team struggled to maintain their form (especially early in the season) and although they did nail down a UEFA Cup berth, Sampdoria could have achieved much more. Key to their struggles was their record against the top five teams, as Sampdoria managed only eight points in ten games (1-4-5, winning only against Milan). There is plenty to build on still, but the pressure is on the 1991 scudetto winners to prove that they can be contenders and not pretenders. Finally, chief among all the disappointments is the death of Gabriele Sandri, a DJ and Lazio fan caught by a stray bullet from a police officer trying to break up a fight with Juventus ultras. The death cast a pall on an otherwise great season and brought up scary reminders of Filippo Raciti’s death just months before, showing that anti-hooliganism in Italian soccer still has some work to do. Hopefully Sandri’s death can serve as a reminder that it is “just a game” and one hopes that the relative quiet one saw in the 2008 portion of the schedule is a sign of things to come.

In the end, this was Inter Milan’s year to shine, but theirs wasn’t the only story. If last year was dull and marred by the Calciopoli penalties, this year proved that the sizzle is back in Italian soccer and that there is- finally- a lot of positives to look forward to in the coming years. See you in 2008-09.

-DG

Into The Crystal Ball: Conference Final Edition

2008-05-07T02:12:00.002-04:00

Now that the Conference Semi-finals are *finally* over (a nod to the epic marathon the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks provided us in the Stars’ 2-1, quadruple overtime victory in Game Six that ended San Jose’s season), it’s time to look into my shiny orb and tell you who will be in the Stanley Cup Final- and ultimately who will win it.

(Semi-final record: 2-2, Overall record: 7-5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #5 Dallas Stars

The way Game Six was going, one had wondered if this series would begin at all, but Brenden Morrow ended all speculation of that by scoring midway through the quadruple overtime session to oust the Sharks. The result can be characterized as an upset since no one believed Dallas could have defeated San Jose, but as the series played out the Stars were more than just the equals to the Sharks- they were, in fact, superior. At least at San Jose’s game- the dump-and-chase, clog-the-middle, grind-it-out-and-overpower-them type system. It’s small wonder why Morrow- one of the best power forwards in the NHL today- torched the Sharks with four goals in six games (and two others called off) to single-handedly lead the Stars past San Jose. He’ll probably have a field day with the Wings’ smaller forwards and will appreciate the fact he- and the rest of his teammates- won’t have to face an elite goaltender (although Chris Osgood has been effective in that area for Detroit), but the Stars’ defensive system is going to have fits containing the Wings. The Sharks played a simple- maybe too simple- north-south game: the Wings are very adept at moving the puck laterally as well as forward with their mobile, puck-moving rearguards led by Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom and that is going to cause countless coverage problems. Plus, Detroit isn’t just Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg anymore- Johan Franzen, “The Mule”, can now be included in that elite group after breaking Gordie Howe’s mark for goals in a series with nine against Colorado (a mark Franzen set in four games- Howe needed all seven to pot eight). The Stars do have an equalizer in Marty Turco who has been stellar in this post-season, but if Turco thought the Game Six barrage was tough, he should wait for the siege the Wings will put on him. Dallas has the resources to keep the series close, but it’s Detroit’s series to lose.

Red Wings 4, Stars 3

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

Okay, so the Montreal Canadiens don’t have the same kind of firepower the Penguins have, the Flyers barely hung on to leads and suspect goaltending helped the Flyers’ goal-scoring against Montreal but make no mistake- Philadelphia deserves to be here and will give Pittsburgh a tougher test than some might realize. The Flyers- led by dynamic two-way forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, offensive dynamo Daniel Briérè and emerging power forward R.J. Umberger- have the wheels to match up with the Penguins’ forward cast led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa as well as the emerging Ryan Malone and the rejuvenated Petr Sykora. On defence, the Flyers’ defensive pairing of Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Cobourn has been a sparkplug with eleven assists between them (Timonen is tops with six) to counteract the Penguins’ Ryan Whitney who has five assists, while Pittsburgh’s normally sharpshooting defenceman Sergei Gonchar has gone cold with a single goal in this post-season. Not only that, neither team is great in the shutdown department, so expect the series to be free-flowing with a lot of lead changes. In goal, neither team has much of an edge- both Martin Biron and Marc-Andre Fleury are effective albeit not elite goaltenders, but Fleury does have the feather in his cap about being able to outplay New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Regardless, this is the Battle of Pennsylvania, and that by itself ensures that series is going to be close, as well as nasty- if Crosby and Malkin thought the Rangers were tough to handle wait until they see what the Flyers have brought for them: they’ll make Sean Avery & Co. seem like a cakewalk. This series will go down to the wire and it’s hard to predict a winner, but as I look into the orb, it faintly paints a picture of a Penguin, as Pittsburgh is playing a bit more cohesively and consistently than Philadelphia is and that is why they get the ultimate edge.

Penguins 4, Flyers 3

STANLEY CUP FINAL

W1 Detroit vs. E2 Pittsburgh

This will be the most talked about Cup series for years, featuring two teams that play wide-open, free-flowing styles that promise a Final series that will be extremely entertaining to watch and extremely compelling. Will this be Sid the Kid’s first Cup of many? Will the Wings finally be rewarded for the organization’s consistent excellence, having been to the playoffs every year since 1991? Which goaltender will buckle under the expected siege both teams are capable of producing? The teams match up considerably well, as the Wings’ mobile and offensively gifted rearguards counterbalance Pittsburgh’s edge at forward, even though both sides have adequate weaponry in the other area as well. The decider, though, is in goal- Fleury has been better this playoff year than Osgood has, and that is what is ultimately going to decide the Stanley Cup Final: Fleury has consistently shown that no matter what the score he can pull out the Penguins, while Osgood has had to rely on his dynamic offence to build him a lead he can only barely hold. The Wings will make it close and interesting, but it’s Pittsburgh’s year to hoist the Cup.

Penguins 4, Wings 3

-DG

"American Idol- President Edition"?

2008-04-24T03:08:00.004-04:00

No no, I'm not talking about a singing competition for American presidents- I'm here to propose a new idea to decide the next president of the United States of America (if not every other elected official in the world).

See, with the knowledge that American Idol considerably outdraws the presidential race in terms of viewership and votes, it would naturally follow that maybe the two ideas should be combined as one. Instead of having to wait eight long months waiting for the Democrats and the Republicans to decide on which faceless robot will represent them and then wait three more long months to choose the drone whose rehearsed jabs were the least boring, why not open the entire race to every eligible contestant in America, have "judges" (maybe one from each political stream, or at least the major ones) whittle them down to 40 or so where eventually we'll vote them off until we figure out an overall winner- the President. Along the way we can expect the usual segments we love so much on Idol, such as the funny auditions (if you think awful singing is bad, think of the ideas some of the hopefuls will come up with...) as well as challenges to test the candidates on their speaking ability, their passion and their charisma, as well as how well versed they are in current events and issues. You could even throw in a segment for a "secret talent", like what is done on the Miss America pageant, because several Presidents had talents in something other than...wait, they had talents (Bill Clinton, for one, is a saxophone player).

Now, I understand the competition is fraught with problems because navigating through the milieu of ideas within the political spectrum is a lot harder than simply deciding who's got the best voice (we're talking about picking someone to run a country, where there can hardly be a consensus and which is more important a job than releasing an album that no one will buy anyway), but it's plain to me that democracy in the 21st century has lost a lot of its bite. Part of it has to do with the fact our society is just so comfortable to live in that there's hardly a pressing need to debate about how the country should go forward ("it ain't broke so don't fix it") but part of it also has to do with the fact the process just doesn't have any pizazz. The success of American Idol hinges on the fact that it's entertaining and while I don't think political decisions should be made on entertainment value alone, if the political process could appear to be "fun" (just like Idol) then maybe more would turn out to the polls because then it'd be worth watching- and following. Besides, if nothing else, it should serve as a reminder that as long as we have a lifeless process we'll have a lifeless leader- and I think that is an issue more pressing than any concern this "glamourization" may cause.

-DG

Into The Crystal Ball- Round 2

2008-04-23T03:20:00.002-04:00

What a finish.

In a first round that featured three Game 7’s (including one decided in overtime), six Game 6’s, three near comebacks from 3-1 down (the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks), lots of surprises (the Ducks’ ouster, the whipping of the Ottawa Senators and Dan Ellis of the Nashville Predators nearly ousting the Detroit Red Wings on his own) and eight overtime games, the National Hockey League’s Round of 16 in 2008 was a Round you just didn’t want to see end. Unfortunately it has to, but the great first round should set up a barnstormer of a Round 2 winding down to a fantastic finish in the Cup Final after a dud of 2007 playoff year (only one Game 7 and six Game 6’s out of all the playoff games).

It also means it’s time for another peak into my crystal orb (5-3 in Round 1) to tell you who will win the Stanley Cup.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Conference Semi-Finals

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

They may have both gotten the expected results, but both the Canadiens and the Flyers know they were lucky to escape from the first round after both nearly blew 3-1 series leads to the Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals respectively, with the latter series not decided until Philadelphia’s Joffrey Lupul, quiet all series long, netted the overtime winner in Game 7. Neither team enters with a lot of confidence or a lot of answers, as the Flyers saw the Capitals beat them at their own game in outhitting Philadelphia and playing with a lot more energy and intensity and the Canadiens saw their power play suffer dramatically against Boston and goaltending sensation Carey Price turn into a sieve after his peewee level blunder gifted Glen Metropolit the Game 5-deciding goal. If there is a redeeming factor for both it is the fact Philadelphia is again playing a Capitals-like team in the fast, skilled Canadiens (albeit Montreal has more overall skill than Washington does) and Montreal knows that they beat the Flyers all four times during the regular season (including a 1-0 Price shutout on February 16). The Flyers also know that they possess the playoffs’ leading marksman (Daniel Briérè with six goals) and the Canadiens should get inspirational captain Saku Koivu back to full health as the series wears on. Now, when I first forecasted this series in the Round 1 predictions (based on the regular seasons, mind you), I saw a Philadelphia victory because the Canadiens are not as big as Philadelphia is, but after watching the two teams in the playoffs- and knowing that Koivu is returning for Montreal- the Canadiens appear to be the better team (especially if Alexei Kovalev comes back to form). The Flyers may still be bigger but the Canadiens showed they could be physical if they had to be, and despite how wobbly Price is, Price is a much better goaltender than Washington’s Cristobal Huet. Montreal might not score as much against a revitalized Martin Biron for Philadelphia (who should have enough juice to give Montreal a test), but by the end it’ll be Montreal moving on to Round 3.

Canadiens 4, Flyers 2

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 New York Rangers

Sidney Crosby on Broadway- another series I forecasted during the regular season edition but played now under incredibly different dynamics. Then I predicted a Rangers team where Henrik Lundqvist would defy the odds and steal the series from the heavily favoured Penguins, but after watching Crosby & Co. utterly dismantle the Ottawa Senators there’s just no way that I can see that happening now. The Rangers gained more notoriety in Round 1 after Sean Avery’s stick-waving in front of New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur caused the NHL to amend the rulebook, but the Devils- a shell of their former Stanley Cup-winning selves- were hardly overwhelmed by New York (despite the series scoreline), who played with more purpose throughout the series. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, saw Evgeni Malkin, greybeard Gary Roberts and (eventually) Marian Hossa emerge as a dynamic compliment to Crosby, which will pose match-up nightmares for Rangers’ coach Tom Renney. Meanwhile, all Penguins bench boss Michel Therrien has to worry about is Scott Gomez, the aging Brendan Shanahan and the moody Jaromir Jagr. Not only that, but the Penguins’ defence, led by puck movers Ryan Whitney and Kristopher Letang and sharpshooter Sergei Zubov clearly outclasses the largely no-name Rangers defence and players such as Maxime Talbot, Jarkko Ruttu and Ryan Malone give Pittsburgh the jam they need to compete against the likes of Avery and Ryan Callahan. Really, the only edge the Rangers have is Lundqvist over Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. That may be worth a victory or two, but this is Pittsburgh’s series to lose.

Penguins 4, Rangers 2

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #2 Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s almost like a homecoming for Crosby, who played his junior hockey in Rimouski, which is just up the Gaspé Peninsula. Still, Crosby’s welcome in Montreal will be hardly cordial, since Montreal is likely to be viewed as the underdog despite being the higher seed. That underdog tag will be more than an illusion as the teams are match up well until you see Pittsburgh’s far deeper forward cast. Montreal does have enough talent to push Pittsburgh to the brink (especially with Price), but the Penguins have enough magic to pull out of La Belle Province with a hard-fought, Eastern Conference-winning performance.

Penguins 4, Canadiens 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche

Doesn’t come with the same kind of sizzle that earlier Wings-Avs series did, but old rivalries die hard. Many of the veterans from series past- Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote on Colorado and Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper and Chris Chelios on Detroit- are still present on both teams ensuring that the nastiness from years past will at least make an appearance. The nastiness factor might seem convincing enough to take Colorado in this series, since the Red Wings don’t have the muscle to win that battle, while the fact that Detroit needed a fluke goal in Game 6 against a better-focused (but clearly overmatched Nashville team) adds fuel to the Colorado fire; but this series will be anything but a slam dunk for the Avalanche. It was the goaltending of Jose Theodore and the fact that the Avalanche faced an offensively challenged Minnesota Wild team that pulled the Avalanche out of Round 1, as Sakic, Forsberg and Foote are past their primes, and Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny have no support lower on the depth chart (in addition to both being virtually invisible in Round 1). Detroit, meanwhile, can throw Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk up front as well as Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski on the back end in addition to having a capable army of smart two-way players who will never give up the puck. Plus, the Avalanche just aren’t mean enough to really throw Detroit off their game. Colorado will probably eke out a win or two, but don’t expect any repeats of years past, since the Red Wings have more than enough to cruise into Round 3.

Red Wings 4, Avalanche 1

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Dallas Stars

Any doubts that the Sharks couldn’t be a Stanley Cup-contending team can be laid to rest after the four-goal second period drowned the Calgary Flames out of Game 7 and out of the playoffs in Round 1. San Jose survived a series that lived up to the hype as the closest matched series in the first round and only pulled through because the Flames had the one “bad period” in Game 7 that the series had yet to see. In addition to dousing Calgary’s Stanley Cup aspirations (and the added confidence that brings), the Sharks also re-established their best players among the league’s elite, as Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau finally broke loose against the Flames, with the old warrior Jeremy Roenick providing the added leadership that perhaps San Jose had lacked in previous years. The only concern might be defenceman Brian Campbell’s sub-par performance, but he did pick it up in the final two games signalling a breakout. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars didn’t at all look thoroughly convincing in their upset of the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, since that series was marked more by the Ducks shooting themselves in the foot with too many penalties (and, despite what Don Cherry said about it, none of them was due to roughness- all of them were obvious and stupid, including needless cross-checks and obvious trips and hooks) and a Dallas team that needed a third period outburst in Game 6 to defeat an Anaheim team that had more purpose in staving off elimination in Game 5 following a 3-1 series deficit. Still, there’s enough on the Stars’ roster to give the Sharks a push, including power forward Brendan Morrow, elite two-way forward Brad Richards, the revitalized Stephane Robidas and Mike Ribeiro and Marty Turco, the affable elite goaltender who showed he finally could win a playoff series. However, I’d be hard-pressed to pick against San Jose following their performance against Calgary and despite all the talent on Dallas’ roster, there’s just not enough to overcome the Bay Area-ers in 2008.

Sharks 4, Stars 2

Conference Final

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #2 San Jose Sharks

The Wings may have won last year in six games but they didn’t play a Sharks team quite like this one, one that will have a lot more purpose, passion and talent than the team Detroit put away last year. This is where the Hockeytown dream dies, since the Wings finally face off against that physical team with skill that would be problematic for them, although San Jose isn’t quite Anaheim in terms of physicality. Still, anyone expecting a tight series will be disappointed, because by this point San Jose will be brimming with confidence after two rounds and the Wings will look more like they’re stumbling through being merely lucky to get the favourable draw for the playoff match-ups that they did. Look for the Sharks to avenge last year in four quick games.

Sharks 4, Wings 0

STANLEY CUP FINAL

W2 San Jose Sharks vs. E2 Pittsburgh Penguins

The pundits in Canada will whine the series will have no sizzle without a “traditional” (re: Canadian) team in the Final (despite the fact that Crosby is playing in this final) but once the series starts they’ll realize there’s a lot to love. It’ll be the physical Sharks against the skilled Penguins, with both teams matching up considerably well. San Jose does have an edge in goal- Evgeni Nabokov over Fleury- but that won’t be enough to tilt the series considerably in the Sharks’ favour as the Penguins’ speed and talent level will give San Jose coach Ron Wilson fits all series long. This will be an exciting series to watch, full of goals and full of hits and, much like Calgary-San Jose, will be up-and-down all series long. At the end of the day, it’ll be the Sharks bringing the Cup back to the West Coast, as although the Penguins have slightly more skill, the Sharks have more muscle and at this time of year, that means everything. Pittsburgh will show the NHL world that they will be a force for years to come, but their Stanley Cup won’t arrive this year.

Sharks 4, Penguins 3

-DG

How about a playoff lottery?

2008-04-11T18:07:00.003-04:00

Hearing Ottawa Senators General Manager/coach Bryan Murray claim that the Pittsburgh Penguins "tanked" just so they could face the Senators in the first round of the playoffs got me thinking- since the National Hockey League has a "draft lottery" to prevent teams from tanking to get a great pick why not have a "playoff lottery" to ensure teams don't tank to get a more favourable opponent? My idea works as follows:

There would be two groups, one for the highest and lowest seeds and one for the mid-table ones. This would mean that #1 would be randomly selected to play either #7 or #8 (with #2 playing the team #1 did not draw out of those two) and the same with #3 and #4 with the #5 and #6 seeds. The rest of the playoffs would remain the same with reseeding after the first round.

Another option would be to allow the higher seeds to select who they will play in the first two rounds among the lower seeds, with the #1 seed getting the first choice, the #2 seed getting the second choice, and so on. Teams would not be allowed to select a team that would qualify for home-ice advantage in that round (in the first round the #1,#2,#3 and #4 seeds could only select from the seeds #5-#8 and in the second round the teams reseeded #1 and #2 could only select from the teams reseeded #3 and #4) to ensure that the strongest teams at least have the shot (that they earned) to have a deep run in the playoffs.

Neither idea are precedented (nor do I think the Penguins really tanked, albeit it is close), but I think the NHL owes itself to make some kind of alteration to the playoffs to make sure teams don't "abuse" the standings to ensure they'll have a competitive edge.

-DG

Into The Crystal Ball- 2008 Stanley Cup Playoff Edition

2008-04-07T04:58:00.003-04:00

Well, the regular season has been decided and there were a couple of surprises- most notably that of the Montreal Canadiens- and a couple of disappointments (none more notable than the Ottawa Senators, who wasted a great start)- so that means time to dust off the old crystal ball and see how the playoffs will be determined. In last season’s playoffs I was correct in eight of 15 playoff series, and, in this regular season I correctly predicted 12 of the 16 playoff entrants. So here goes with another set of predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

First Round

#1 Montreal Canadiens vs. #8 Boston Bruins

This will be the 31^st instalment of the one-sided Montreal-Boston playoff rivalry (the Canadiens have won 23 of the previous 30 series) but this figures to be the most intriguing. Neither team were expected to be playoff teams yet both took the Eastern Conference by storm in qualifying for unexpected berths. They both play the same way- to borrow a tennis analogy they are “aggressive counter-punchers”, relying on great defence to create offence, with both boasting a great compliment of great checkers (Mike Komisarek and Maxim Lapierre for Montreal alongside Andrew Alberts and PJ Axelsson for Boston) with great scorers (Alexei Kovalev for Montreal and Marc Savard for Boston). The difference is going to be in net, and that is what will give Montreal their 24^th victory in their playoff encounters- as good as Tim Thomas is for Boston, he’s not comparable to sensational rookie Carey Price, who looks primed to be the Patrick Roy of his generation. The series might be closer because of the (prospective) absence of Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, but there’s no reason to believe Montreal cannot escape comfortably to the second round.

Canadiens 4, Bruins 2

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators

A re-match of last season’s opening round series, only this time it’s the Penguins who are the higher seed. Last season the Senators dominated Pittsburgh by throwing around Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin & Co. who looked out of sorts in their first playoff series, but, now that they know what the NHL playoffs is like, they’ll be better prepared and ready to face the Ottawa assault. A lot will be made of the fact Ottawa backed into the playoffs by slumping from first to seventh during the course of the season (with the Senators done in by shaky goaltending and huge lapses in defensive zone coverage) and the absence of a second-line centre really hurt the team this season, but make no mistake- the Senators still have a lot of their weapons from last year’s great playoff team (Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, etc.) and thus they are still a very potent team that has a lot more skill than their seeding suggests. The Penguins shouldn’t feel comfortable playing the Senators, who just might feel they could make a similar run the 1999 Buffalo Sabres did, a team that, like Ottawa, was once first in the Eastern Conference only to slump at the end of the season. This series will be fun to watch, and whoever wins will only do so barely- and the crystal ball is clearly displaying the grand logo of the Ottawa centurion.

Senators 4, Penguins 3

#3 Washington Capitals vs. #6 Philadelphia Flyers

The Capitals are the NHL’s version of the Colorado Rockies, a team that came from nowhere to win its division. Winners of 13 of their last 16 games and their last seven overall, Washington stealthily stole the division (and a playoff spot in the process) from the Carolina Hurricanes and enters the playoffs full of confidence and youthful enthusiasm with home-ice advantage to boot. They’ll face a Philadelphia Flyers team that is emerging from the rubble of last season’s debacle and thus has something to prove, and might feel “lucky” to face a Capitals team that really should be ranked eighth. They’ll be boosted by the fact that several veterans of the Flyers’ playoff runs of yesteryear (Derian Hatcher, Simon Gagne, Mike Richards) are still around and key contributors, but the Capitals will be anything but a cakewalk. Alexander Ovechkin established himself as the league’s best player in potting an astounding 65 goals this season as well as adding an element of defence and hitting to his game, making him just as well-rounded as Jarome Iginla or Vincent Lecavalier. Of course, the Capitals are more than just Ovechkin, boasting great rookie Nicklas Backstrom as well as super youngster Alexander Semin and deadline-day acquisitions Sergei Fedorov and Cristobal Huet, the latter of whom went a long way in solidifying their playoff spot. The big variable will be whether or not the Capitals’ young guns will be ready for the playoffs and while Fedorov and Huet have experience, neither of them have been out of the first round since 2002 (when Fedorov won his last Cup with the Detroit Red Wings). Washington should have enough to give Philadelphia a push, but the Flyers’ experience should be enough to carry the day.

Flyers 4, Capitals 3

#4 New Jersey Devils vs. #5 New York Rangers

Rematch of the 2006 series the Devils dominated, but this year’s Rangers team is miles ahead of the “happy-to-be-here” version that was soundly clocked by New Jersey. The Devils also don’t have a lot of the talent they had in that series, as Brian Rafalski is in Detroit and Scott Gomez is across the Hudson- and playing against them in this series. The Rangers should also be buoyed by the fact they gave the favoured Buffalo Sabres a run in the second round last season and the addition of Gomez as well as former Sabre Chris Drury to that team gives a New York team that already has Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr quite the offensive punch, and the addition of Christian Backman at the deadline gives the Rangers the puck moving defenceman they needed. Plus, this may be the year that Martin Brodeur’s armour starts to fade- he’ll be 36 in May and didn’t look at all like himself in last year’s playoffs, so Henrik Lundqvist is primed to outplay the legend. The fact New Jersey has home ice should give them a bit of a lift, but this series has “Rangers” written all over it.

Rangers 4, Devils 1

Second Round

#1 Montreal vs. #7 Ottawa

The “Highway 40 Series” (denoting the highway that links Ottawa and Montreal together), this should be the series where Koivu comes back to Montreal (if he doesn’t come back against Boston). That should give the Canadiens a lift against the potent Senators, against whom they figure to have a high-scoring series (both teams are the two highest scoring teams in the league), so the determining factor will be who can make the best defensive adjustment. That team is Montreal, who are just that much better than the Senators are at defence and should carry them to the Conference Final.

Canadiens 4, Senators 2

#5 New York vs. #6 Philadelphia

After facing Brodeur in the first round, the Rangers will feel relieved they get to face Martin Biron, who isn’t a bad goaltender in his own right but certainly isn’t Brodeur. Still, the Flyers have a lot more at their disposal other than Biron- including more offensive weapons than New York- and that alone is going to give the Rangers quite the test. Not only that, but the much more physical Flyers should figure to push the Rangers around (Sean Avery will have his hands full, if not bloodied, by the end of the series), meaning if New York advances they’ll have nothing left for the Conference Final. That won’t happen though- the combination of Philadelphia’s energy in both the physical and scoring departments and the Rangers’ lack of weapons in response will see the Flyers advance to their first Conference Final since 2004.

Flyers 4, Rangers 2

Conference Final

#1 Montreal vs. #6 Philadelphia

The Canadiens should figure they’ll be prepared for the Flyers after playing the big Bruins, but Philadelphia is a different beast. The Flyers are big but can also score, whereas the Bruins are just big, which will pose countless problems for the Montreal coaching staff. The Canadiens measure up more than others might think with the likes of Guillame Latendresse and Komisarek, but even there, line-for-line, pound-for-pound, the Flyers are simply better. Montreal should push Philadelphia to the brink, but by the point the Canadiens will have nothing left, spurring the Flyers all the way to the Cup Final.

Flyers 4, Canadiens 3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

First Round

#1 Detroit Red Wings vs. #8 Nashville Predators

If it wasn’t for the Canadiens, the Predators would be the surprise of the season. Left for dead after the dismantling they went through in the off-season, Nashville- led by the likes of ex-Sabre Jean-Pierre Dumont (who finally showed he can carry a team), long-timer Marek Zidlicky and the goaltending tandem of Dan Ellis and Chris Mason- channelled the spirit of their plucky 2004 selves and made the playoffs against incredible odds. They’ll need to work similar magic if they expect to get past the powerful, President’s Trophy-winning Red Wings, who look more like a soccer team than a hockey team with their puck possession approach. There are still question marks on the Detroit roster- size for one, plus a distinct lack of finishing ability (as good as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are, they’re playmakers not snipers) and the fact their goaltending is ancient (Domonik Hasek’s and Chris Osgood’s best days are long behind both). However, the Predators don’t have nearly enough weapons to exploit any of those weaknesses, and while the hockey world figured they passed their expectations just by reaching the playoffs, there may those who will wonder if that’s good enough after realizing Nashville still hasn’t won a playoff series.

Red Wings 4, Predators 0

#2 San Jose Sharks vs. #7 Calgary Flames

The Sharks- hockey’s greatest tease- finally got over the hump by winning the Pacific Division after two straight seasons finishing in fifth, knocking out Nashville in the first round and getting bounced themselves in Round 2. Thus, San Jose could actually deliver on all that promise they offered, especially after the addition of Brian Campbell from Buffalo makes the team that much faster. However, the familiar refrain in the Bay Area is the fact Joe Thornton has yet to lead any team past the second round, and compounding the problem is the fact that despite all the talent on San Jose’s roster- arguably the deepest in the NHL- they will face the equally talented but also equally underachieving Calgary Flames, out to prove they’re not going to have another run of 15 consecutive seasons without advancing from the first round. This could be the closest of all the playoff series, as San Jose and Calgary match up extremely well on paper- both teams have elite-level goaltending (Evgeni Nabokov and Miika Kiprusoff), great checkers (Joe Pavelski and Ryan Clowe for San Jose vs. Stephane Yelle and Owen Nolan for Calgary), elite-level forwards (Thornton and Jarome Iginla), good secondary scorers (Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo for San Jose and Alex Tanguay and Daymond Langkow for Calgary) and a deep blueline (led by Christian Erhoff, Matt Carle and Campbell in San Jose and Dion Phaneuf, Robyn Regehr and Adrian Aucoin in Calgary). Not only that, but each team’s weaknesses cancel each other out- the Sharks lack an elite-level sniper (Thornton led the team with 29 goals) while the Flames lack an elite-level playmaker (Iginla led the team with 48 assists), and San Jose’s offensive-minded defence corps will be countered by Calgary’s shutdown-oriented counterparts. What just mind win the day is experience, and the fact of the matter is despite the fact the Sharks haven’t been to the Conference Final since they played these very Flames in 2004 (during Calgary’s magical Stanley Cup run), the Sharks have still managed to get past the first round against talented sides, even if that side was Nashville both times. So expect the series to go to the wire- maybe even overtime in Game 7- but it’ll be the Sharks who will move through.

Sharks 4, Flames 3

#3 Minnesota Wild vs. #6 Colorado Avalanche

A lot was made of the Senators’ troubles this season, but equally disappointing was Colorado, a team pegged to win the Northwest after snagging Ryan Smyth in the off-season. It was perhaps this disappointment that led to the Avalanche to hold a reunion of sorts on trade deadline day, acquiring old Stanley Cup stalwarts Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote and so nearly convincing Patrick Roy to come out of retirement (okay, that last one was a joke). The result is a pastiche of a team that looks stronger than it actually is, since for every talent the team can boast (such as Joe Sakic, Smyth, Paul Stastny, Jose Theodore and Forsberg), it has two question marks right beside it (no defenceman scored more than Jeff Finger’s eight goals, and Wojtek Wolski produced only 18 goals and 48 points in a second-line capacity). Still, despite all their weaknesses, the Wild are not so much better than they are that the Avs don’t have a shot. Minnesota’s offence is comparable in overall talent to Colorado’s, as even though Marian Gaborik is Minnesota’s only 80+ point producer with 83, the Wild have six players who passed 40 points, two past sixty (counting Pavol Demitra) and a defenceman over 10 goals (Brent Burns with 15), compared to Colorado’s five past 40 points and only one past sixty (Stastny); and, as good as Niklas Backstrom is in net for Minnesota, he’s no comparison to Theodore. At the end of the day, though, it’s worth pointing out that Minnesota did win the toughest division in hockey- the Northwest- and, playing against a Northwest team in Colorado, it should signify that the Wild have what it takes to advance. Paper may suggest the Avalanche, but games are won on the ice and Minnesota has already shown it can win there.

Wild 4, Avalanche 2

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs. #5 Dallas Stars

No worries for a Stanley Cup hangover here, as the Ducks finished in a comfortable fourth position despite a horrid start and looking like the Cup winners they were last year, especially after Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer came back. In front of them this year is Dallas in the first round, a team that filled a significant hole by acquiring Brad Richards at the trade deadline. Richards gives Dallas that elite-level centre to pair with Brendan Morrow they were lacking all season (since Mike Modano is past his prime) and makes Dallas a very scary No. 5. Not only that, but Marty Turco no longer has the “great regular season goaltender” tag dogging him anymore, meaning the Stars’ talent is very real and gives an Anaheim team a tough first round test a year after breezing through the first two rounds. However, Anaheim won without much depth last year, but the story is different- Todd Bertuzzi and Mathieu Schneider provide a nice compliment to Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf up front and Chris Pronger, Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin on the back end; plus Anaheim has an elite level goaltender themselves in Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The two teams match up very well, but what will set the two apart is Anaheim’s size and experience, as the Stars haven’t been out of the first round since a 2003 loss against a then-upstart Anaheim team. It won’t be a deserved first-round exit, since Dallas looked so much stronger, but the Stars consigned themselves to this fate by their own poor start.

Ducks 4, Stars 2

Second Round

#1 Detroit vs. #4 Anaheim

The 2007 Conference Finals, Part II. Anaheim won last year because of their size, smacking around a clearly undersized Red Wings team that still isn’t up to that task, and, worse, has to contend with a much deeper Ducks team in this go around. Add to that the sieve-like goaltending the Michiganders are receiving and this has the potential to get ugly. There’s nothing else for Anaheim to do except win this series handily thus guaranteeing themselves another easy trip to the Conference Final.

Ducks 4, Red Wings 0

#2 San Jose vs. #3 Minnesota

From “faux elite” to elite, the Wild will also have their hands full against a deep Sharks team whose only fault for this series might be how winded they are after facing Calgary. That said, the defensively-sound Wild boast enough offence this time around to give the Sharks a fight, especially considering San Jose is an offensive-minded team and thus will have a very difficult time fighting through Jacques Lemaire’s positionally smart bunch. What will again be Minnesota’s undoing is a lack of offence, because even though the Wild should figure to contain the Sharks’ offence, it has enough weapons to find a way through meaning at some point the Wild will need to counterattack; and as long as the Sharks focus on Gaborik (Minnesota’s only threat), that will prove impossible. It won’t be a cakewalk for San Jose, but Minnesota just doesn’t have enough to bring them over the hump.

Sharks 4, Wild 2

Conference Final

#2 San Jose vs. #4 Anaheim

The Battle of California…maybe it’s not as romantic as a Los Angeles Kings-Anaheim Ducks confrontation, but the fact they’re both from the same state will make this match-up spicy enough. Anaheim will be buoyed by an easy second round and pumped to get back to the Cup Final for a second year in a row, while San Jose will be a team full of confidence after proving they’re finally capable of making good use of the embarrassment of riches they have. These two teams also match up considerably well, both being very energetic sides that can score and hit, meaning we just may have a new rivalry on our hands by the time this series is over (especially considering Pronger is still loathed in San Jose from his days as a St. Louis Blue). This will also be a very close series, but the Ducks have enough firepower and more experience to see them through to a second-consecutive Cup Final, leaving the Sharks again empty-handed- but at least with something to build upon for next season.

Ducks 4, Sharks 3

STANLEY CUP FINAL

#4W Anaheim vs. #6E Philadelphia

The New Broad Street Bullies vs. The Original Broad Street Bullies, there’s enough intrigue here to fill the sports pages on both sides of the border. At first glance, one knows there will be blood in this series, since the Flyers are definitely going to set out to prove that they are still the NHL’s toughest team and not the upstart Ducks, while Anaheim will be out to prove that it too can stand alongside the ’74 and ’75 Flyers in the annals of hockey history. Not that fisticuffs will be the only thing featured in this series- there will be lots of goals, great saves and loads of energy, so much so that this just might be the most entertaining Cup Final in recent memory even if it won’t go down to the wire. Standing above it, though, will be Anaheim, who are just a hair deeper than the Flyers are and that will prove the difference. Still, Philadelphia will give the defending champs quite the run and warm many hockey hearts in the process so even if they don’t lift hockey’s ultimate prize, they’ll still have a lot to hold their heads up high to.

Ducks 4, Flyers 2

-DG

Overrated and Underrated in Canada

2008-02-24T21:47:00.003-05:00

I watch a lot of hockey, mostly because here in Canada we can’t get enough of it and there’s just a lot on. Most of the coverage- expectedly but perhaps unfortunately- is skewed towards the National Hockey League’s six Canadian franchises, so the inherent biases that occur during that coverage should surprise no one. Given the bias, I thought one day I’d come up with one player out of each Canadian franchise that gets a lot more air time and buzz than he should simply because he’s playing for a Canadian team and six players who get considerably less air time and buzz just because they have the unfortunate situation of playing south of the 49^th parallel. So without further adieu, here’s the list.

THE OVERRATED CLASS

MATTHEW LOMBARDI, CALGARY FLAMES

Still a relative youngster at age 26, Matthew Lombardi is generally- and generously- grouped by Flames fans among the team’s Top Six forwards, heaping mounds of praise on a player who frankly hasn’t done a lot to deserve it. Lombardi possesses a lot of speed, but that’s it- he’s not the best of shooters or passers, and during games he often imitates Houdini because his on-ice vision is considerably poor. This kind of act was understandable when he was 22, 23 or 24, but this is supposed to be the time of Lombardi’s career where he blossoms and he hasn’t exactly done that (at least not to expectations). He seems to be rounding into a form like the Ottawa Senators’ Dean McAmmond- a speedster useful on the penalty kill and on defence who can chip in with the odd goal, because his offence has never been that great (only one 20-goal season, and that’s when he hit 20 last season). The only caveat is that Lombardi’s defence is poor (-7 this season), so unless he improves in that area (at least), Lombardi’s career will be shorter than it could be.

JARRET STOLL, EDMONTON OILERS

There were several players I could have picked from the Edmonton Oilers, but none jumped out at me more than the 25-year-old Jarret Stoll did. Part of the group of young, boisterous forwards that played well over their heads in the Oilers’ surprise 2006 playoff run (which owed more of its success to energy and smart coaching than an actual abundance of talent), Stoll is still among the few in that group who are still celebrated- for example, The Score’s 2007-08 Forecaster called Stoll “(Edmonton’s) most effective player last season” and said he was “(rounding) into one of the most complete centres in the league”. The truth is anything but: in a year where Stoll’s potential is supposed to pan out, he has went out and posted an ugly –17 rating (so much for the defensive side) and a paltry 10 goals in 61 games. His production suggests a third-line centre at best, but his defensive game is atrocious. Not only that, but like his counterpart Lombardi down Highway 2, Stoll has a troubling tendency to disappear from the play, especially on the power play, but that has more to do with a lack of awareness instead of a lack of focus. It may be true that Stoll’s real talent lies in the immeasurable category of “work ethic”, but like the saying goes, “you can’t just work hard, you’ve got to work smart”- and Stoll never seems to “work smart”. He has to if he’s ever going to have the career many have said he should be having.

GUILLAME LATENDRESSE, MONTREAL CANADIENS

Perhaps it’s too early to rag on Guillame Latendresse- he is, after all, 20 and still very much in his development phase- but the Canadiens and their fans are high on this guy and I just have to wonder why (unless they’re just high…which explains a lot if you know Canadiens fans). He’s a big boy, but like his comparable chump Alexei Ponikarovsky in Toronto, that’s it- in the two years Latendresse has been in the league, he doesn’t do anything on the ice except occasionally, going through long stretches where you need the Hubble telescope to discover that he’s actually playing. Last season he posted 29 points and 16 goals (to top off a miserable –20), and this season he projects to 20 goals, 30 points and a –10 rating- on a much better Canadiens team than last year. Sure, there’s a small statistical improvement there, but Latendresse’s skills and sense haven’t improved at all in his second year in the league, and that’s troubling. Really, he’s just more of a big guy on skates than an actual hockey player and unless he seriously works on his game, Latendresse will round into nothing more than a player better suited to playing Quebec’s thuggish semi-professional league than the real thing.

MARTIN GERBER/RAY EMERY, OTTAWA SENATORS

Okay, so I lied- I didn’t pick one Ottawa Senator, I picked two; but the reality is that the goaltending tandem of Martin Gerber and Ray Emery has been so interconnected (and the players so comparable) that it’s impossible just to focus on one player. Emery won plaudits for being the goaltender that finally led the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final a year after being undressed by the Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Pominville in overtime of Game 5 that sealed the Senators’ Conference Semi-Final loss (including beating those very Sabres in the Conference Final), while Gerber won recognition after a solid start to the 2007-08 season in relief of the injured Emery after a miserable opening campaign as a Senator. Both of those spurts have led to both being classified as elite-level goaltenders, but the truth is that neither can be considered as anything better than “dependable”: rebound control is an issue for both, Gerber isn’t very nimble in the crease and Emery- despite all his athleticism (there’s an overused word)- has a tendency to frequently let pucks through him. Not only that, but when was the last time Gerber or Emery ever *stole* a game for the Senators? I can’t remember one. Now, it’s not like Ottawa wins in spite of its goaltending, but no one should kid themselves- neither Gerber or Emery are as close to Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo as people think they are, and neither seem destined to get that far. One great stretch- which is all these two have had- isn’t enough.

DARCY TUCKER, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Toronto Maple Leaf fans are prone to overrate *everyone* (talk to a Leaf fan long enough and you’d be convinced they should not just win the Stanley Cup, but the World Series, UEFA Champions’ League, the America’s Cup, the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl and the Inter-County League as well), but Darcy Tucker takes the cake. For years, I joined the parade raving about Tucker’s energy and aggressiveness that allowed him to play well above his physical frame (he’s just 5’10”, 178 lbs.) and chip in with some timely goals, but lately- upon re-examination- I’ve found that Tucker’s usefulness really isn’t that high. Every time I see him on the ice he either gets belted (and for no actual benefit for the team) or just disappears, popping up occasionally to score a goal. This year, those occasions have become even fewer than they did in seasons’ past: a year after potting 24 goals in 56 games, Tucker has scored just 12 times in 55 contests this season, coupled with 21 points and an abysmal –5. A lot has been made about Tucker’s “heart” and “emotion” (attributes that, like Stoll’s “work ethic” are immeasurable) because Tucker so obviously wears it on his sleeve, but those mean nothing if he doesn’t produce results- something which Tucker so demonstrably does *not* do. I agree that he’s a “pest”, but only in comparison to an annoying gnat, since all Tucker does is fly around aimlessly annoying people but accomplishing nothing. With the Leafs’ recent woes, I have to wonder how long it’ll take before Toronto takes off their Wendel Clark-coloured glasses and finally see the reality, because Tucker is becoming increasingly more of a liability than an asset.

KEVIN BIEKSA, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Another one of those “heart-and-soul” type players who scores heaps of praise by a hockey media that overvalues the immeasurable while ignoring the measurable- things like shooting, passing, checking, defending, etc.- expecting the rest of us to take what they say at face value. Me? I’d rather see results, and Kevin Bieksa doesn’t provide much. After a 12-goal, 30-assist regular season in 2006-07, Bieksa disappeared in the playoffs, registering nothing in nine playoff games except 20 penalty minutes and this year he lit the lamp once and added three assists (with an abysmal –5) in 12 games after an early-season injury (adding nothing in the two games he played in after coming back). I certainly believe he’s a dependable player, but there’s nothing about Bieksa that makes him as irreplaceable as Canuck fans would like to think. He’s behind on the depth chart to guys like Willie Mitchell (one of the game’s better defensive defencemen), Alexander Edler (a much better two-way defender than Bieksa is), Mattias Öhlund (the Canucks’ best offensive defenceman and passer) and Sami Salo (one of the league’s best shooters) and while he’s an important member of that cast, you could just as easily find fifty or so other defenders (Calgary’s Rhett Warrener, Boston’s Andrew Alberts, Chicago’s Brent Seabrook and Minnesota’s Keith Carney are comparable off the top of my head) that could play the same kind of role that Bieksa does in Vancouver. Solid? Yes. Irreplaceable? No.

THE UNDERRATED CLASS

Now that you know who the Canadian media overhypes, it’s time to expose those who are underhyped- the players who, had they been playing in Canada you’d be hearing a lot more of. Since I have six overrated guys, I decided I’ll even it up with six underrated guys (I would profile one from each of the 24 American teams but some of the American teams- such as the Detroit Red Wings- are well followed north of the border, or- in the case of the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks- are well known north of the border). Not all of my picks play in “non-traditional hockey markets” (you know, the places that have the tag “we shouldn’t have hockey there”, a clear indication of just how bad National Hockey League marketing is in respect to its individual franchises because they haven’t given any of us a reason to care for those teams when there should be), because even teams in “hockey markets” (such as Buffalo and Minneapolis) haven’t done a lot in recent years to warrant a huge profile in Canada; although even those players are better noticed than those in Phoenix, Nashville or Raleigh, where hockey coverage isn’t very dependable (owing, yet again, to poor marketing in those areas and by the league itself). One thing is still certain though: had any of those players been playing in Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver they’d have a much higher profile than they do now, which is why I shall raise them here with this post.

OLLI JOKINEN, FLORIDA PANTHERS

“Okay, okay, what do you mean he’s underrated? I already knew this guy was good!” Yes, but I ask- “just how good?” Olli Jokinen has made an entire career for himself playing for some very bad teams- he was drafted by the rebuilding Los Angeles Kings in 1997, traded two years later to the New York Islanders in their woeful years before being dealt to the Florida Panthers in 2000 (along with Roberto Luongo for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish, one of the many deals that sent then Islander General Manager Mike Milbury to a less than stellar career as a broadcaster), which is why the most anyone has ever known about Jokinen is that he’s good without actually realizing just how good. Once you see him play, you see that Jokinen is more than just your “average” impact player- he is, without a doubt, one of the best players in the National Hockey League, the complete package who’s the epitome of “captaincy” in the NHL. He does literally *everything* for the Panthers, being not just the kind of player who makes plays out of nothing, he never takes a shift off, always making himself visible on the ice whether or not he’s wiring a shot home from an impossible angle or creating a turnover to douse an enemy rush and create one for the Panthers. It is unfortunate that he’s never had the benefit of playing with better players (or that he’s never seen playoff action), but the league doesn’t see a more well-rounded competitor than Olli Jokinen.

SHEA WEBER, NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Shea Weber is another in a line of “yeah he’s good but people don’t realize just ‘how’ good”. He plays his game just like- maybe even a little better than- Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf, being a physical defenceman not afraid to legendarily lay people out in reading the game (and attacks) exceptionally well, but on top of being a great defender, Weber is also great on the offensive end. As Greg Millen once said during the Leafs-Predators game earlier this season, “if he played in Canada he’d be a household name”. Truer words could not be said.

MIKE CAMMALLERI, LOS ANGELES KINGS

Perhaps lost in the shadow of dynamic forwards Alexander Frolov and Anze Kopitar (or the stench of just how awful the Los Angeles Kings really are), the Kings’ Mike Cammalleri may be the most anonymous offensive weapon in the entire NHL. Small but shifty, Cammalleri is capable of making a sweet dish or wiring the perfect shot, and he never gives up on the play. Not only that, but the diminutive Cammalleri is showing to be pretty durable- this year’s 17-game absence after a mid-season rib injury was his first significant injury since suffering a head injury in 2002-03. He’s still on the rise at age 25, and, with the likes of Frolov, Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Patrick O’Sullivan maturing at the same time, it won’t be long before Cammalleri’s offensive exploits get the credit they deserve.

CHRIS CAMPOLI, NEW YORK ISLANDERS

One of the steadiest blueliners in the NHL at just 23, the New York Islanders’ Chris Campoli is a power-play quarterback in the making. He is a quick, agile skater with great passing ability and a decent shot, plus his on-ice awareness is improving. His point totals aren’t gaudy (14 goals (including four power-play markers) and 66 points in 177 games), but Campoli has been derailed by injuries the past two seasons and thus hasn’t had a “proper” opportunity to build on his remarkable 34-point rookie season in 2005-06. That said, his point totals are consistent (his figures for the past two seasons) would round to 30+ points over a full season) and his defensive game is improving, since his plus/minus numbers have improved each year (–16 in ’05-’06, –3 last year and –1 this year). Given his youth, it’s only a matter of time before Campoli becomes more of an impact player than he is now- a scary prospect indeed.

JOCHEN HECHT, BUFFALO SABRES

When the Buffalo Sabres were the impressive scoring machines of ’05-’06 and ’06-’07, Jochen Hecht always felt out of place. He never was a super-scorer, being the kind of player who’d hang back instead of join in on the offence, despite having a good skill set. However, with Daniel Briérè and Chris Drury gone and the Sabres’ scoring punch down as a result, Hecht’s usefulness has grown considerably this season, as Hecht’s defensive play allows him to generate turnovers that lead to timely offence. He is also heading for a career year, with 17 goals in 61 games thus far this season- meaning, barring injury (not a certainty with Hecht), he should hit 20 goals for the first time in his career. Not bad for a player whose skills and awareness are among the most under-appreciated (and unheralded) for most of his career.

PASCAL LECLAIRE, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Last but not least is the Columbus Blue Jackets’ wunderkind Pascal Leclaire, who has been one of the league’s biggest surprises this season. What puts him here is just how much of a surprise he is, since all you get out of Canadian media is that he’s good, one of the biggest understatements of the year. Leclaire is third in the NHL in goals-against-average, second in save percentage and tops in shutouts, and, if the Jackets ever learned how to score (outside of Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev), he would be up there in wins as well. His performance is no fluke- Leclaire never gives up on a shot, always being square to the shooter and having remarkable acrobatic ability to snuff out what would be otherwise sure goals. He does seem to lose concentration at times, but he does have the ability to bounce back after a poor start- after the Toronto Maple Leafs went up 3-1 in the first period earlier this week, Leclaire shut the door for the rest of the game. He’ll only get better at that with age- at just 26, Leclaire is well on his way to joining the NHL’s elite, hopefully taking the Blue Jackets to the playoffs with him.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- February 8, 2008

2008-02-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

So after Super Bowl XLII, the New England Patriots finally got to experience what every other team in the NFL got to experience- a loss. This one is going to sting more than the average loss, and the Patriots know it. Not only were they denied the biggest prize in football (if not all of sports sans the World Cup and the Stanley Cup), they were denied a place in history (as the second NFL team to go perfect throughout the regular season and playoffs, and be the first to do it over a 19-game stretch) and they let go to waste one of the greatest seasons of all-time, especially offensively. History will be cruel to them, but deservedly so- like the saying goes, “history is written by the winners”, and the 2007 Patriots ultimately weren’t.
The greatest irony about the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss is that they were the ultimate game-management team during the season yet it was game-management that became their ultimate undoing. Had Bill Belichick not decided to go for it- inexplicably- on 4^th and 13 late in the third quarter with his team up 7-3, Plaxico Buress’ game-winning TD would only become a game-tying TD and the teams would be squaring off in the first Super Bowl overtime. Then there was all the desperation heaves Tom Brady threw on his last drive, despite the fact he only needed 40 yards (for a game-tying field goal) and had a full compliment of timeouts. The whole time, Belichick looked like he was playing “Madden 08” and not the Super Bowl (not an inappropriate analogy given the “video-game stats” ESPN’s Ron Jaworski so accurately described Brady’s performance), because those are plays you make in the revved-up world of video gaming (where such plays are easier to make) than in the real world of the Super Bowl (which requires one to *always* pick the safest play to run). If Belichick wanted to force a play to “spark” the offence, he should have done it in the regular season, not in the Super Bowl- the stakes are just too high, something he, a former winner, should (presumably) know.
Of course, it’s easy to look at the Patriots’ loss and not give the New York Giants any credit, because when an upset this massive occurs one always wonders what went wrong for the supposedly unbeatable team. Don’t get me wrong, New England did *a lot* wrong at Super Bowl XLII, but the Giants deserve full credit because their defence kept Tom Brady & Co. off balance the entire day, and their running attack dramatically exposed the Patriots’ defence’s collective age in wearing them down so thoroughly and quickly. That, and Eli Manning and the Giants just seemed to “want” it more- the Patriots expected to just walk onto the field and belt out a win, and they were shown the folly of their ways. Not to say that New England didn’t try themselves- New York just flustered them, and as the game wore on the Patriots’ frustration level rose with their mounting mistakes.
Onto the hardcourt: is there a better game to watch than the Duke-North Carolina game? The February 6 game had a playoff atmosphere to it, producing one of the most intense and electric basketball games I’ve seen in a long time. I do wish the game itself- ending 89-78 for the Duke Blue Devils- was a little closer, but the North Carolina Tar Heels were done in by the defences at both ends of the floor: the Tar Heels kept running around playing high-pressure defence when the Blue Devils’ passes were just quicker, and the Blue Devils’ stout zone defence just prevented any real penetration. Still, it was a joy to watch, and I’m already looking forward to the rematch- and, hopefully, the teams’ first-ever meeting during the NCAA tournament.
That game also gave me a first glimpse at Tyler Hansbrough, the stud centre for the Tar Heels and I can’t say I’m as head-over-heels (take that however you like) as many sportscasters are about him. He’s very tenacious, a great rebounder and has a knack for drawing fouls going to the basket, but he isn’t a great shooter and one has to wonder how well his sinewy frame can hold up against the stronger, quicker NBA players (who are, not to mention, better at *not* being drawn for fouls). I take the position of Tony Kornheiser of “Pardon The Interruption” on this one- he’ll be a dependable, solid NBA player, but not a star and certainly not a legend. That said, he is just 22 and still developing so who knows how good he’ll actually be, but for now I just don’t see a future NBA star.
Staying on the court we have the suddenly-“slumping” Boston Celtics, who have gone 7-6 since starting the season 29-3. The main culprit is the injury bug that’s hit both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett during the season, two of the Celtics’ key additions during the off-season. Right now, Garnett’s absence is what’s hurting Boston the most, since he gives the team a rebounding and defensive presence whose absence is what cost them the victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. It’s not enough for me to declare it’s “panic time” but clearly the Celtics just don’t seem deep enough to be a Championship team- at least this year. Next year, when Rajon Rondo is a year older, things may be different, but this stretch shows me that this year isn’t as much a slam-dunk as it seemed earlier in the year.
To the soccer pitch where Italy’s Serie A was mired in even more controversy: Inter Milan’s 1-0 victory over Empoli contained numerous refereeing blunders on both sides of the ball, most notably the dubious decision to award a spot kick (that Inter’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic belted home) and a yellow card to Ighli Vannuchi for handball when replays clearly showed the ball went off of Vannuchi’s head. I can see why the referee made the decision that he did, since Vannuchi did raise his left arm to his head (probably for balance in leaping to head away the ball) and the ball’s ricochet did seem to be “angled” with his arm, but it’s still a strange decision. At the other end there was Inter’s Patrick Vieira given a yellow card for crashing into an attacker outside of the area, which seemed harsh- a foul yes, but a yellow card no (since Vieira wasn’t the last defender back). Now, Vieira should have not argued his case to the referee (costing him another deserved booking and thus a sending-off) but he did have a case. *Not* dubious was the penalty decision late in the game against Inter’s Marco Materazzi against Empoli’s Luca Saudati, since Materazzi clearly kicked Saudati’s leg after Saudati had already gotten to the ball. Saudati missed, perhaps producing a result that maybe should not have been, but for people looking for pro-Inter bias from the referees won’t find it here, since the referee here was clearly out of his element on both sides of the ball, not just one.
As for legitimate handball offences (lots of penalties being awarded in Italy lately for some reason): Cristian Zaccardo’s “elbow” against Livorno, where Zaccardo reacted by lifting his arm to protect his face from an incoming shot. Now, as much as Zaccardo probably didn’t “know” about his action (being a simple reaction), the fact of the matter is he *did* handle the ball and *did* go against what defenders are taught- to always leap with your hands behind your back or to put your hands to your side and your back to the ball. Fortunately for him, Livorno’s Francesco Tavano missed and his Palermo team picked up a much-needed win on summer signing Fabrizio Miccoli’s 76^th-minute goal, but Zaccardo’s penalty here *was* deserved.
Perhaps after the NFL staged a regular season game in London (and that two NFL owners- the Cleveland Browns’ Ed Lerner (Aston Villa) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Malcolm Glazer (Manchester United)- already own English Premier League clubs), the EPL has opened the possibility of adding a game to the league schedule and staging it “internationally”, with one of the possibilities being a game in the United States. I personally like the idea, because the EPL already has a worldwide following and this move recognizes that- plus, you can be guaranteed a good game considering these are actual games for points, not pointless exhibitions that routinely feature second-stringers. I’m just a bit worried about the schedule- the proposal would bring the EPL schedule to 39 games, an already arduous number given all the other competitions EPL teams have to fit in (like the FA and Carling Cups, the UEFA Cup and the Champions’ League), but if the EPL is serious about expanding its image globally, this is the logical next step. The NFL is also considering an idea like this (tacking on a 17^th game in an “international” arena), and that too is only a good idea- the NFL can only grow the game if it markets it worldwide, and staging real games worldwide is a great way of doing that.
Staying with the 17^th game topic, maybe the 17^th game can be the Buffalo Bills’ annual visit to Toronto? That way the Bills don’t lose a Buffalo home date and Toronto still gets its game. I still don’t think it’s the next step towards a Bills move to Toronto- it’s more “market recognition”, like how the Green Bay Packers staged an annual game in Milwaukee. Besides, I doubt the NFL (and its Western New York commissioner Roger Goddell) will allow the well-supported Bills to move, especially after moving in when Cleveland momentarily lost its well-supported Browns- plus, if the NFL really wants to move to Canada, it ought to put a team in Ottawa. The league has such a great track record in small markets, plus the Canadian Football League failed in Ottawa and any concern that Ottawa isn’t big enough of a city will be met by the fact any Ottawa team will become the first-choice NFL team for an entire country. Besides, it’s close enough to Toronto to make the games manageable- if Torontonians can make the three-hour trek to Buffalo for a Bills game and the four-hour trek to Ottawa for Senators games, they can certainly make that same trek for the NFL in Ottawa.
The Montreal Canadiens squandered a chance to move within a point of the Ottawa Senators for first place in the Eastern Conference after failing to match the intensity level of the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-2 loss on Thursday night. However, more dangerous than that was the fact the Canadiens were exposed as a one-trick pony, an aggressive counter-punching team that defends so well but has so few weapons to strike back with. Both of Montreal’s goals were scored by members of the same line- Tomas Plekanec and Alexei Kovalev- underscoring the fact that if the Canadiens are serious about becoming a contender they need secondary scoring. Saku Koivu needs to get going for one, but another offensive threat is essential. It’s time for Bob Gainey and the Canadiens to take the next step and be active on the trade deadline- anything less will be a colossal failure.
As for the Maple Leafs, many have speculated that if Toronto actually trades its assets- Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle- it should also insist that a team take up its pylons in Hal Gill and Pavel Kubina. I have a team willing enough to do that- the Anaheim Ducks, who, as a big team, could actually use the sizeable Gill and Kubina. Cap space might be an issue, but perhaps a deal seeing Sundin, Gill and/or Kubina going to Anaheim for the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round draft pick (previously acquired by the Ducks), Corey Perry (who will need a big raise come summertime) and a prospect (maybe Bobby Ryan) would work? I like the idea.
After a Sky Italia report counted that Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama used the word “change” 39 times in a speech, I’ve decided to nickname him “Mr. Change”. I like him the best out of all the candidates though, because he always comes across as the brightest and most passionate of the bunch, as well as the most visionary. My only problem? His campaign does seem to border on an air of “idealism” and one has to wonder if he becomes U.S. President if he’ll be in way over his head, because the reality of the job makes it a lot tougher than it looks. Still, it’s refreshing to actually have a visionary on the trail- too many politicians are simple robots and the U.S. (and the world) deserves so much better.
Last, but not least, is a quote in a Reuters edition of a story chronicling a triple-murder suicide by a female nursing student of three of her classmates (also women) that stated that “gun crimes are not as rare in the U.S. because gun control laws are not as strict as in other countries”. Now, I do agree gun control in the U.S. is lax, but a country of 330 million people is bound to have at least a few gun-related murders. The incidents over the past few weeks- this story comes a week after a man herded five women in clothing store just outside of Chicago into a room where he killed them- are disturbing but proportionally don’t suggest something that is certainly a crisis. It still is a strong statement for better gun control laws, though, because there’s no reason why handguns (which have no other purpose than being offensive weapons) should be in the hands of “just anybody”.

-DG

The Greatest Game Ever Played, Part III

2008-02-04T04:56:00.000-05:00

18-1. Usually it’s the mark of a great season, but for the New England Patriots, it was only the mark of failure.

Coming into the game at 18-0, the Patriots had a chance to become the first National Football League team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to complete an entire season- encompassing the regular season and playoffs- without a single loss or tie. Instead, the Patriots join the only other two teams to complete the regular season perfect- the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears- who also lost in the NFL title game, although those Bears teams came before the Super Bowl era began in 1967. However, not even that tells the whole story about the gravity of the Patriots’ loss (17-14 to the New York Giants)- for two weeks before the game, many figured New England would romp all over New York, considering the Patriots had the best offence in NFL history, they looked unbeatable all season long (even coming up with wins when all seemed lost) the game would be played in warm weather (and thus would allow the Patriots’ vaunted passing attack to shine) and the fact New England had already defeated New York in the regular season, albeit 38-35 in the final game when the Giants had a chance to end the Patriots’ charge to perfection in both teams’ final regular season game.

Once the game began, it seemed to go according to plan. After the Giants’ rushing attack (led by Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw) chewed up almost ten minutes from the start of the first quarter to set up a Lawrence Tynes field goal, the Patriots stormed back with Tom Brady continuing to use dump-off passes to Wes Welker and running back Laurence Maroney (as he had in his previous post-season wins), the latter whose one-yard touchdown run in the first two seconds of the second quarter put the Patriots up 7-3. The drive was textbook Patriots: no matter how many times their opponents took the lead, New England always seemed to storm right back into the game and set the score the “right” way.

From then, one might have expected New England to pile on the points on the hapless Giants, since the score should have settled some nerves and all year once New England got their feet on the accelerator they kept it there. Instead, what transpired was a defensive game that kept the score at 7-3 until the fourth quarter, although it wouldn’t come without controversy- late in the third quarter, the Patriots faced 4^th down and 13 from the Giants’ 32, but instead of sending out Stephen Gostkowski to kick a field goal, the Patriots ran a play that misfired badly. The Giants took over on downs, and although they didn’t capitalize on their ensuing drive, the fact that they created a near red-zone turnover served to buoy the team in the fourth quarter.

Then the fireworks came: in the Giants’ first play of the quarter, quarterback Eli Manning- who had been effective all game long in leading decent drives derailed by the Patriots’ defence- found tight end Kevin Boss (All-Pro Jeremy Shockey’s injury replacement) for a 45-yard gain to the New England 35. After two Bradshaw runs Manning found Steve Smith for 17 yards, and a seven-yard Bradshaw dash set up a five-yard touchdown pass to David Tyree to give New York an unthinkable 10-7 lead.

Still, the Patriots had ten minutes to conjure up the tying field goal or, better yet, the winning touchdown, and New England did come back several times to win games in 2007 (including a twelve-point hole against those very Giants). The teams traded punts before Brady finally engineered what appeared to be New England’s game-winning drive. Passing primarily to Welker (who would wind up setting a Super Bowl record with eleven catches) and Randy Moss (a non-factor all day up to that point), the Patriots chewed the clock down to 2:45 for a six-yard TD pass to Moss to go up 14-10. Although the Giants still had all their timeouts, with the Patriots’ experienced defence and Manning’s tendencies to fold under pressure, very few would have figured that with 2:45 to go that New York had much of a chance.

Indeed, the Giants’ next drive appeared to be headed that way when one of the most unbelievable plays in Super Bowl history occurred. Facing third and five, Manning was flushed out of the pocket by the Patriots’ pass rush and appeared to be headed for a sack. Instead, on the run he fired a 32-yard pass to Tyree who caught the ball by holding the ball against his helmet and bringing it down just as Rodney Harrison was about to corral him. Another third down completion to Smith gave the Giants a first down at the New England 13 with 45 seconds to go in the game. The next play would confound everyone: Plaxico Burress, who predicted before the game that the Giants would win 23-17, slipped by the usually reliable Ellis Hobbs to make an unchallenged catch in the end zone to put the Giants up 17-14 with 39 seconds left in the game.

The Giants’ score was the latest anyone had forced the Patriots into a game-winning drive, with the previous high being in Week 13 when the Baltimore Ravens clung to a 24-20 lead with 3:30 remaining. Still, with Brady at the helm and three timeouts left, one would have figured New England to at least force overtime, especially considering that in previous Super Bowl appearances the Patriots needed late field goals. Instead, Brady and the Patriots heaved desperation lobs up field for four straight plays (including a fingertip drop by Moss when he would have cleared the Giants’ secondary and a ten-yard sack just as Brady was stepping into a long throw), forcing a turnover on downs (at 4^th and 20, no less) sending the Patriots to an improbable loss. After Brady’s last throw both benches cleared to meet in the post-game handshakes, but referee Mike Carey decreed there was still one second left and a play had to be run. Manning- later to be named the deserved MVP (a year after his brother Peyton did the same thing)- would kneel to seal the win and the handshakes resumed, although notably absent was New England coach Bill Belichick, who completed his handshakes in the first go around and fled to the comfort of the dressing room, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong.

When he looks at the tapes, it won’t be hard to figure out. Hindsight, as the saying goes, is 20-20, and no bigger mistake was made than to not kick a field goal late in the third quarter facing fourth down on the Giants’ 32. New England had a chance to go up 10-3 at the time, perhaps eventually forcing overtime given how the game itself actually transpired, but Belichick’s pride got the better of him. Like the video gamer (not an inappropriate analogy given how great the Patriots’ offence was) who saw a previously potent offence get derailed dead in its tracks, Belichick refused to abide by common sense and take the points, thinking that all his offence needed to get kick-started was one more play. However, this wasn’t “Madden 08” but Super XLII, and no matter how good New England was, winning would have to come with decisions grounded in reality. The decision was uncharacteristic for the Patriots, who would continue to make more blunders as the game progressed, most notably on their final drive when Brady insisted on completing one last bomb instead of completing first downs on out routes considering he had 30 seconds and a full compliment of timeouts (not to mention only needing a field goal to force overtime). The moves wreaked of a team used to completing “the big play” trying to force it to happen instead of keeping it simple, forgetting that the big plays work themselves out of the simple ones. That is ultimately why they lost, and credit for that goes to the Giants who took away New England’s big play capabilities and forced the Patriots into the simple plays they were just unwilling to do (but New York was). It should be no surprise that it was the Giants winning the day and spoiling what would have been New England’s greatest achievement- instead, with an aging team (especially on defence) and a snail’s chance this pinnacle can ever be breached again- it will amount to New England’s greatest loss.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- January 27, 2008

2008-01-27T04:26:00.000-05:00

Shortly after the conference championship games were set, I thought about how funny it would be if the New England Patriots and the New York Giants met for Super Bowl XLII, since it would a case of perfect symmetry- the Giants had a chance to end the Patriots’ perfect regular season and now would get a chance to end the Patriots’ perfect playoff (and season). Now, we *have* a Giants-Patriots Super Bowl- I somehow feel smug that my intuition predicted that. Given that, though, I feel it’s pertinent to ask if we’re sure this game is going to be televised nationally, because the last time the Patriots and Giants played we had problems with that…
All kidding aside, you can’t help but feel for the Green Bay Packers, particularly Brett Favre, who were a feel-good story all year and played an epic NFC Championship game that really didn’t deserve to have anyone lose. I also hope Favre comes back next year, because I sincerely hope Cory Webster’s interception isn’t his last professional throw. A legend like him deserves a better ending to his career.
Speaking of which, just about everyone who commented on Favre’s performance at the game thought he played horribly. I don’t think he did, even on the last interception- Webster jumped the route- because the Giants’ secondary was revitalized with the return of Sam Madison. Favre also had two touchdown throws, and the Giants- for all the accolades they got for winning the game- nearly blew the game themselves when Lawrence Tynes missed two field goals in the fourth quarter that could have given New York the win in regulation. Seriously, this game could have gone either way and the Packers should only be proud of their performance in the game.
Shot of the NFC Championship game: three brave girls stood up after Donald Lee’s touchdown reception wearing pants, mittens and nothing but Packers gold bikinis as tops holding a sign saying “Brett, Take Your Time, (Aaron) Rodgers can wait”, signed at the bottom by the Bikini Girls (with the “G” taken from the Packers’ own logo) with a heart placed to the left of the signature. Said Troy Aikman after FOX cut to the ladies, “man, they make me feel like a wimp”. That’s high praise from a quarterback that had to play in conditions similar to what those girls were standing in: -4F (-20C) official temperature, with a wind chill of –23F (-31C). Of all the superfans that are seen throughout the NFL, the Packer Bikini Girls are easily the best among them- not only do they look the best out of all of them (that goes without saying), they’re also the bravest, since there’s no way I’d do something similar to that at a game, and that tops the lot.
It looks like we’ll get a great Super Bowl regardless of the result. The plucky Giants with the potential to create a new legend in Eli Manning, or the already legendary Tom Brady and the Patriots adding their name to an improbable list of legends- the “undefeateds”. This is going to be the highest-rated Super Bowl ever- easily.
Besides, it might be the second piece of an already remarkable quartet of Boston championships- the Red Sox are baseball champions, the Patriots are odds-on favourites to be the football champions, the Celtics are favourites for the basketball title and even the Bruins are having themselves a remarkable year. When has a city ever lay claim to a sweep of major sports titles? (Please don’t mention the New England Revolution’s loss in the MLS Cup…“Major League Soccer” is anything but) It certainly hasn’t happened in quite a long time.
My prediction: Patriots 42, Giants 34. The Giants went toe-to-toe in the regular season game that felt like a Super Bowl and came away with a three-point loss, so any expectations that New York will be blown out of this one don’t have any merit. That said, New England is going for *all* the marbles this time (not just records) and their intensity should be higher here as a result. The weather shouldn’t also be a factor, so the video game-like Patriots will be in full force. One thing is for sure- this game will be a fun ride.
Moving to other sports, remember the Toronto Maple Leafs’ three-game winning streak? Yeah, that came and went like Houdini after Toronto won just once in the following week (a 3-2 victory over Washington that went against the tide of play and where Nikolai Antropov clearly interfered with Olaf Kolzig right before the second goal went in). The positive part is that the Leafs are just six points shy of the playoffs, the negative part is that they’ve played two more games than the currently eighth-place New York Islanders. Toronto has made late runs at the playoffs the past two years so the season isn’t over yet, but time is slowly ticking.
Time officially ran out on General Manager John Ferguson, Jr. today, sacked by the Leafs in favour of- get this- Cliff Fletcher on an interim basis. Yes, “Trader Cliff”, the one who said “draft schmaft”, is back. Somehow I doubt the prospects Toronto desperately needs are going to be arriving any time soon.
Said Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings head coach, on the Leafs’ woes: “in Leafland, they won’t allow you (to rebuild)…they have probably the most ravenous fans in the world…and the fans want you to turn it around this year. They can’t understand that…you’ve got to rebuild it (by) drafting and trading away these players that you love and getting draft picks”. His words couldn’t be more accurate, but Babcock seems to forget that Detroit has been in the playoffs every year since 1991 and not everyone can be the Red Wings. The Wings are blessed with having the right people in the right jobs and that’s the kind of luck other teams wish they had; and while Babcock may think the solutions are obvious and easy to do, they’re much harder to execute in practice for other teams. Babcock’s heart is in the right place, but something tells me that he truly doesn’t understand the situation as well as he thinks.
Speaking of prospects…when Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment partner Larry Tannenbaum was asked about why the board rejected a Ferguson “season plan” that didn’t include playoff dates, Tannenbaum answered that the team considered itself contenders for the Stanley Cup and one can’t contend for the Cup without playoff dates. Then Tannenbaum was subsequently asked, if the GM ever suggested to the board he needed to trade his best assets in order to rebuild (thus building a team not likely to make the playoffs that year), Tannenbaum said he wouldn’t stand in the way of the “hockey expert”. So one end Tannenbaum said he wouldn’t mind trading a player like Mats Sundin for prospects, but when Ferguson tried to do just that he stood in the way. It just revealed what I’ve always known about the Leafs- they’re just after profits, not the Cup, because they’re just interested in playoff dates and not winning. Otherwise, the rebuilding would have happened a long time ago- and that’s something every “hockey expert” will agree on.
Speaking of seemingly lost causes, we have the Buffalo Sabres, also six points out of the playoffs and losers of 12 of their last 14 games. Endemic to their problems? The same issue that’s affected them all year- finishing. The Sabres make pretty plays in the offensive zone, but when it comes time to bury those chances, every player comes up short. If that isn’t enough evidence that letting go of Daniel Briérè (who always buried his chances) in the off-season was a bad idea I don’t know what is.
This then brings us back to the “Daniel Briérè or Chris Drury” debate that sparked during the 2006-07 season, which seemed like ages ago today. TSN’s Pierre McGuire was an unequivocal defender of Drury, noting his leadership skills and the fact that he routinely scored big goals. Those are undeniable traits to be a successful hockey player, but Drury’s clutch-scoring exploits are overblown: in the 2006 playoffs, Briérè had more key goals (the game-tying goal in Game 4 against Ottawa and the double-overtime winners in Game 1 against Philadelphia and Game 6 against Carolina, while Drury had just the overtime winner in Game 1 against Ottawa), whereas in 2007 the two were in a dead heat (Briérè tied Game 2 against Ottawa with six seconds left, Drury scored a second sooner in Game 5 to tie that game against the New York Rangers). Drury’s skills are undeniable, but “good leaders” aren’t as hard to find as “natural goal-scorers”, of which the Sabres only had one- Briérè. Perhaps Buffalo wouldn’t be so far off the pace with Drury, but I doubt they’d be anything except a fringe playoff team since the team would still face the problem they have now- who’s going to put pucks in the net? Drury sure wouldn’t.
Does this mean it’s time for Buffalo to change its coaching/GM tandem of Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier (respectively), in power since 1997-98? I think so- it’s clear that aside from a 1999 Cup Final appearance (stocked largely by previous administrations) neither can get the Sabres to the Cup. I might be willing to give Ruff/Regier another season to make sure this year isn’t a fluke, but unless things turn around sooner rather than later, it’s obvious Buffalo needs a real change to get them over the top.
So the Phoenix Coyotes fight for a playoff spot and suddenly Wayne Gretzky is the league’s best coach? I somehow don’t see that logic. The truth is that since Gretzky became the Coyotes’ coach in 2005-06 the team hasn’t come within even a whiff of the playoffs, and there’s no indication that the Coyotes will even qualify for the playoffs this time around, since teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild stand in their way (albeit the Coyotes are three points behind Vancouver for eighth). Meanwhile, Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien has his Bruins playing way out of their depth in that Boston has occupied a playoff position for much of the season. If you ask me right now Julien is the Jack Adams Award winner, not Gretzky, but hey, if Boston falls out and Phoenix qualifies, I might change my mind. Might.
I don’t know what to make of Ilya Kovalchuk’s hit from behind on Rangers defenceman Michal Rosival: on one hand, it clearly was pretty bad, since Kovalchuk left his feet to deliver the hit and sent Rosival careening into the glass. On the other hand, Kovalchuk was following the play and didn’t skate halfway across the ice like Jordin Tootoo did in levelling Daniel Winnik. I still think he deserved more than the single game he received- given a stride or two more and a different player and we might be looking at another Patrice Bergeron situation. Just because the Thrashers need Kovalchuk doesn’t let him off the hook.
Is it just me or was the CBC production crew slacking off as much as the players do at the SuperSkills competition? For the opening “obstacle course” event, the cameras were always behind the action, and- like the other timed events- we never had a clock showing how much time was left. Plus, the whole event looked and felt chintzy, although there was one bright spot- the breakaway exhibition competition, similar to the NBA Slam Dunk competition, where players are judged on how artistic their breakaways are. The highlight? Alexander Ovechkin skating in, lifting the puck, batting it a couple of times on his stick, doing a spinorama and then trying to bat it in the net. Ovechkin missed the puck on his swing but it was impressive. No doubt in future years, once players get the hang of it, we’ll see the event go to its full potential but this year was a great start.
How about this as an idea for the All-Star Game? Take a week off the season right before the game and hold it two days before the actual games resume. That way the stars can get adequate rest and have less of an excuse not to go- and maybe, just maybe, they might try this time around.
On one end, Inter Milan’s 3-2 victory over Parma ranks as one of the most fantastic finishes in recent memory, since Inter came from 2-1 down after 88 minutes of play to bag two quick goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to steal a victory from a Parma club that deserved a better result, as their creativity confounded Inter defenders all day. On the other end, no doubt anyone who’s not an Inter fan is wondering what they have to do to get a good scudetto race. Still, there should be little doubt about the actual result, as there’s no question that Fernando Couto’s arm guided Couto’s headed clearance in the box (leading to the equalizing penalty), and Parma’s lack of concentration in the end cost them their draw. I still think the chase will be closer this year- Roma is improved from last year’s team, the only significant improvement in the previous off-season in Serie A- and Inter’s lead is just seven points, but after this week’s performance, it might not still be close enough.
One Serie A result that *was* dubious was Fiorentina’s 2-1 win over Torino last Saturday. You may recall that both of Fiorentina’s goals were scored via the spot kick, the first deserved (since Adrian Mutu was clearly tripped inside the box) but the second not so (as it was clear Mutu’s feet were clipped accidentally by a defender rushing back into the play). Still, as much as Torino played on a level pegging with Fiorentina, it was Torino’s inability to bounce back from that unfortunate break which left them a single point above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Fiorentina get to stay in fourth, and hopefully they can qualify for a Champions’ League spot their previous officials robbed them of after Calciopoli.
I admit, Alexandre Pato looked pretty good against Napoli, managing to sneak by the entire defence on a long run to volley a long cross into the net. I’m still not convinced he’ll be of much help to Milan this season though- his performance in the U-20 World Cup last summer didn’t suggest a player capable of being a Serie A star immediately, and his goal was the 5-2 goal and thus meaningless. I’ll admit he seems to fit in with Milan’s system and does appear improved, but let’s see how well he does in later games before we start unabashedly admitting he’s the real deal.
Liverpool advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup, but that won’t be what will be remembered from their fourth round match: their opponents, Conference South and semi-professional side Havant & Waterlooville (who are more “semi” then “professional” in that all but one of their players also has a day job), twice took the lead at Anfield in the first half (and could have had a 2-0 lead at one point) before Yossi Benayoun’s hat-trick 15 minutes apart sealed a 5-2 victory for the Reds. Still, Havant’s play endeared them to neutrals who couldn’t have expected them to score twice at Anfield- let alone “only” lose by three goals- and the fact they twice took the lead on Liverpool showed they were at least mentally capable of scoring the huge upset. They can also be proud of the fact they embarrassed Liverpool, since the fans gave their club mocking cheers after the first half ended 2-2, and could potentially send beleaguered manager Rafa Benitez packing. Not bad for a team whose members comprise of a teaching assistant, a binman, a van driver and a school caretaker.
Don’t adjust your set: the New Orleans Hornets are the top team in the Western Conference, underscored by a 102-78 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on January 26 that was every bit the rout it actually was. The Spurs cut the inside for the entire game, but the Hornets weren’t fazed, hitting an impossible array of perimeter jump shots that no defence could possibly have an answer for. Meanwhile, the Hornets themselves did the same for San Antonio in being incredibly organized defensively, but the Spurs could not keep up the pace, shooting 41% to New Orleans’ 56%. Now, I’m not convinced New Orleans can win the NBA title (you have to wonder how’d they’d match up against a team like Phoenix or Dallas who can score with the Hornets), but after this latest victory, the Hornets’ place atop the Western Conference is very much earned.
Proof that the unbeatables don’t always win: Roger Federer, who had been to 14 straight Grand Slam finals (winning 12 of them), lost in straight sets to rising star Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals. To non-tennis fans, Djokovic’s victory has to count as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, but tennis fans have long known that Djokovic showed the potential to beat Federer in a major tournament, having beaten Federer at the “mid-major” Montreal Masters tournament in 2007 and coming up short in their previous major tournament meeting, the 2007 U.S. Open Final. What was revelatory at the Australian Open this time around was how well Djokovic played Federer’s game, being the kind of player who showed great anticipation, the quickness to defend and return properly and the ability to mix up his shot selection to keep his opponent off balance. You’d have to wonder how Djokovic would do against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his surprise unseeded opponent that also beat his semifinal opponent at his own game, the fire-and-brimstone, all-out-attack Rafael Nadal. Conventional wisdom says that Djokovic has the edge, but considering how well Tsonga snuck up on people as an unknown, you’d have to think Djokovic’s victory is anything but assured. One thing’s for sure: it’ll be one memorable final.
Turns out this is George W. Bush’s plan to revitalize the economy: give every American somewhere between $600-$1200 in a one-time tax rebate. That may sound like a lot but it’s not in the big picture: that amounts to little more than a month’s rent, mortgage or car payment for most Americans and thus won’t have much affect on their pocketbooks. Besides, one month of “more spending” won’t erase years of budgetary deficits accumulated by Bush. I don’t see this plan having very much success except on the PR front.
Last but not least is the amazing story that saw a French bank defrauded of €4.9 billion or US$7.16 billion (yes *billion*) by a single junior futures trader. According to Société Générale, France’s second largest bank, Jérôme Kerviel, a junior member of SG’s futures trading team (involved in “making bets” to how well stock markets will perform in coming months) had operated above and beyond his trading duties for much of 2007 in incurring trades that totalled €49.9 billion (US$73.3 billion), well above SG’s market capitalization total. When SG uncovered the scam and tried to “fix” the problem, the markets also happened to suffer incredible losses, including a Dow Jones drop that erased all of the previous year’s gains. The bank asserts that Kerviel worked alone, but I have to wonder how someone could work alone and rack up a €4.9 billion rap sheet- something here just doesn’t add up.

-DG

The Return of Harold Ballard

2008-01-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours, and it certainly did on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

After building a comfortable 2-0 lead early in the second period on face-off dot blast by Pavel Kubina, San Jose coach Ron Wilson juggled his lines, tipping the balance considerably in the Sharks’ favour. San Jose piled on the pressure as the game wore on, leading one to think that if they just broke down the door to Vesa Toskala’s net, the game would be theirs. Sure enough, a power play goal early in the third by Patrick Marleau set the tone for the rest of the game, setting up a Craig Rivet blast on a 5-on-3 (spurred by an obvious cross-checking call on Toronto’s roaming pylon Hal Gill) and a poorly-contested Joe Pavelski tip-in off a Jonathan Cheechoo shot that gave San Jose the deserved 3-2 win. Following the game, a visibly shaken Paul Maurice, Toronto’s head coach, held back the tears in vehemently stammering that the Leafs didn’t lose because of a lack of effort and you’d be hard-pressed to prove him wrong, since the third period clearly proved that San Jose was better than Toronto on more than just paper. Still, the loss did the Leafs no favours, as it dropped Toronto to 28th overall in the NHL and seven points behind the New York Islanders for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

To be fair, very few people thought Toronto would be a Stanley Cup contender this season, and, given the team’s late runs at playoff berths the past two seasons, the Leafs might not be dead yet anyway. However, it was hoped that the acquisition of the steady Toskala would counteract two straight seasons of ineffective goaltending and raise Toronto’s level of play, and while Toskala has lived up to his billing, Toronto’s level of play didn’t rise at all, as Toronto’s wonky defensive play has been shown to be much worse than many might have thought. Thus, the prospect of another season out of the playoffs has led to a cavalcade of suggestions for what to do with the Leafs, from trading Mats Sundin for youth to the firing of both Maurice and lame-duck General Manager John Ferguson, Jr., but the Leaf fans’ vitriol is misdirected. They really should be targeting themselves.

The reasoning here is quite simple: Leaf ownership has returned to the days of Harold Ballard, where they didn’t care about a successful team as long as the product remained profitable, and the only way to respond is to stay away in droves. It wasn’t always this way- you may recall the non-interventionist ownership of Steve Stavro, whose management led to a reinvigoration of the Leafs on the ice in 1992-93, a season after his takeover. Those early successes went to waste by poor personnel decisions by Stavro’s hired gun, Cliff Fletcher, and by the time Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment became an entertainment conglomerate with the acquisition of the Toronto Raptors in 1996, the Leafs’ fate was sealed. Despite having four teams get to the conference finals (1993, 1994, 1999 and 2002), the Leafs never really did ice a team considered by many to be solid Stanley Cup contender, appearing content to ice a team that would at least look like a solid contender to keep the mirage of ’93 magic alive but, deep down, everyone knew it didn’t stand a chance. Meanwhile, MLSE kept raising ticket prices telling fans it was willing to build a great team while visibly keeping its character- “hey, Gary Roberts and Shayne Corson are marketable characters, let’s go get them even though they’re washed up! Yeah! And Ed Belfour too! Who cares if their best years are behind them? At least they’ll keep those playoff dates coming!”

Now, after careful posturing for over a decade, it appears that MLSE is coming out of its shell and openly admitting to its own intentional mismanagement. That is the only logical conclusion one can draw after president and CEO Richard Peddie felt it was needed to remind curious reporters that Ferguson does not have the power to execute any major personnel decisions, including trading Sundin and firing Maurice, unless the MLSE board of directors approves the deal. Such a comment harkens back to the micromanaging days of Ballard, only this time it is marked with casual indifference to hockey affairs instead of being rooted in deep-seated contempt like it was for Ballard. Granted, Ferguson is far from the only Leafs GM to face MLSE’s Byzantine decision-making process- you may recall Pat Quinn faced a similar dilemma regarding free-agent acquisitions- but now, with the team in turmoil just begging for a major change, MLSE folds its arms like a stubborn child and simply screams “no!”

One would think that the Leafs’ problems on the ice should be enough to sway MLSE’s opinion that a major change is needed, but since MLSE mismanagement is so well rooted and well established in the hockey department, the fact that basketball is a much more profitable sport than hockey (why else do you think Bryan Colangelo is Raptors GM?) and that MLSE itself is obscenely profitable (in early 2008, it was valued at $1.5 billion, with the Leafs being pegged at $413 million), there’s no reason to suggest that MLSE should have any interest in seriously rebuilding the team. Otherwise, long ago, when the Toronto Star asked readers during the lean years of the 1990s if they’d follow a young, promising (but losing) Leafs team and the readership vehemently responded “Yes!”, MLSE would have actually bothered to bring in top-level scouts, a GM with a pedigree for producing young talent (how about Randy Sexton, Darcy Regier or Ken Holland? All those were available in the mid-1990s) and a coach with a pedigree for grooming young talent (Mike Babcock, Andy Murray, maybe?). If MLSE wasn’t going to do it then, why should they do it now?

Thus, there can only be two reasonable solutions to the problem- one is to buy MLSE, but since most Leaf fans probably don’t have $1.5 billion lying around, that option is out of the question. The other is for Leaf fans just to stay away, like fans do in other cities when their team doesn’t perform. While it’s true that the bulk of the tickets- mostly the prime ones- are owned by corporations, there still are enough seats to produce a noticeable difference in crowd volume, and there’s still no reason why those tickets have to be used. Leaf fans don’t even have to stay away the rest of the season- if, even for just one day, Leaf fans staged a massive ticket-refund drive and forced Toronto to play in front of an empty stadium for a single game they’ll force a public relations nightmare so big for MLSE that they’ll just have to start paying attention to them. Fans do have more power than they think- it’s time for them to use it.

The fact of the matter is, quick fixes and placing confidence in an ownership group that hasn’t exhibited any reason to be trusted won’t solve the problem, as both Ballard and MLSE has profited on Leaf fans’ naïveté for decades. Thus, if Leaf fans really want to enact a change, they’ve got to show they’re more than just docile lapdogs who’ll eat up anything management tells them even though they’ve shown they’ve never delivered. They have to show they won’t put up with anymore of their rhetorical nonsense and have to start demanding better from their owners, and they can show that first by staying away. As long as MLSE sees a full arena they’ll think the fans are satisfied since they’re paying MLSE for the tickets, so the obvious reaction is to simply return them, as that is a real act of dissatisfaction. Otherwise, Leaf fans might just have to wait another 40 years before Lord Stanley’s Mug gets paraded down Yonge Street if they ever get to do it at all.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- December 8, 2007

2007-12-08T03:07:00.000-05:00

First off, I’d like to announce it’s my birthday, so there was at least one happy occurrence on this date (I know December 8 is better remembered for Dimebag Darrell’s and John Lennon’s deaths, but that’s not *all* that happened on December 8’s). Other notable December 8 births: Roman poet Horace, actress Kim Basinger, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells and reliever Jeremy Accardo, and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
There must be something in the water in the British Isles: a week after a refereeing blunder robbed Scotland of a Euro 2008 place, another refereeing blunder could potentially rob Zenit St. Petersburg a knockout round place in the UEFA Cup. In the 30th minute of Zenit St. Petersburg’s 1-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park, Zenit defender Nicolas Lombaerts was red carded by referee Kristinn Jakobsson for a handling offence inside his own penalty area. Miguel Arteta missed the resulting penalty (which brought a sense of “justice” to the proceedings) but the decision was still extremely wrong. Everyone (outside of the Everton camp)- from commentator Jon Roder to Zenit manager Dick Advocaat to Sportsnet analysts Tweedledee and Tweedledum (A.K.A. Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest)- knew the call was wrong, as replays clearly showed that when the ball hit Lombaerts, his arms were behind his back and the ball went off his chest. Forrest offered the referee’s positioning- outside of the penalty box, a couple of feet up from the right corner (the opposite corner Lombaerts was situated in)- as the reason why the call was bungled, but this too is bunk- considering that Lombaert’s arms were nowhere near the ball when it arrived, Jakobsson should have clearly seen that there was no offence. Somewhere Allan Hutton can breathe a small sigh of relief knowing he’s not the only one wronged by a referee- but it still doesn’t make the action right.
Congratulations to Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi for passing the great Gerd Müller for most goals in European competitions after his 70th minute strike against Celtic gave him his 64th European goal. He may be a contentious figure (as Derek Rae himself so accurately put it, “some would say he was born offside”, and he *is* offside a lot) but he does get the job done. Now, considering that’s over with, how about an Italian league goal then?
TSN’s Darren Dutchyshen on SportsCentre following the completion of the Green Bay Packers-Dallas Cowboys tilt on the NFL Network (broadcast by TSN): “Oh, I’m glad the game’s over, because the guy (Bryant Gumble) sounded like he was calling it from the library.” He likely got in trouble for blasting TSN programming on air, but at least “Dutch” had the courage to state what every viewer (including myself) was also thinking- that Gumble isn’t a play-by-play guy. He’s funny and does know his football (unlike some announcers who clearly sound like they’re transplanted from other sports), but he never conveys any kind of emotion in his play calling, often sounding like he’d rather be somewhere else. Combined with the NFL Network’s bush-league presentation, it’s a joke that the NFL is even demanding that anyone pay for their network, because it’s better suited for a local high school telecast (if that). It’s a shame because Cris Collingsworth- who has the voice of an announcer, at least- is one of the best analysts today and shouldn’t stuck alongside Mr. Bored on the Third-Rate Football Network. I hope FOX, NBC or CBS manage to find a way to land the New England-NY Giants game, because a big game like that one is shaping to be doesn’t deserve to be on such a pathetic broadcast.
Speaking of announcers, is there anyone better than those on CBS’ crew? Ian Eagle has the best announcer voice outside of CBC’s Bob Cole and ESPN’s Derek Rae, Kevin Harlan has a very poetic voice (although I think he’s better suited to basketball) and Gus Johnson is a little kid wrapped up in an adult’s body (as someone noted on Johnson’s Facebook fan page, “it’s too bad Johnson didn’t call the DII Final or else his head would have exploded [“DII Final” refers to the NCAA Division II men’s basketball final between the Barton Bulldogs and Winona State Warriors won a last-second shot by Barton’s Anthony Atkinson and called by Eagle].”) The only downside? Its number one broadcast team- Jim Nantz (who has an annoying habit of calling a first down “a first”, as if it was an event) and Phil Simms (Captain Obvious). Still, it’s better than having to put up with the NFL Network’s effort.
Over the weekend, more serious incidents occurred in National Hockey League games, including Nashville Predators dunderhead Scott Nichol’s cross-check to the face of Montreal Canadiens defenceman Patrice Brisebois and Philadelphia Flyers knucklehead Riley Cote’s best Randy Jones imitation in elbowing Dallas Stars defenceman Matt Niskanen into the boards. Combined, the two players received eight games worth of suspensions (five for Nichol, considered a “repeat offender” after a nine-game ban following a sucker punch to Buffalo Sabres defenceman Jaroslav Spacek’s chops last year), when the actions clearly merited more. Jesse Boulerice, let’s not forget, received twenty games for a similar strike on Ryan Kesler, and while Niskanen didn’t get injured on the play, there’s no reason to think Cote’s actions were any more dangerous than Jones’ were on Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron, who may miss the rest of the season. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record here, but if the NHL doesn’t clean up this mess, it won’t have any players left to play.
Of course, this was all overshadowed by a brawl in a game contested by players who were only eight years old. Yes, that’s right- they’re *eight*. Not twenty-eight (like Todd Fedoruk) but eight. The on-ice brawl took place late in a tournament game between the Duffield Devils and the Niagara Falls Thunder and while no one has determined what started the brawl, reports indicate that it spread after Duffield and Niagara Falls coaches started a fight of their own. Now, the immediate blame obviously falls on the coaches and the parents who didn’t direct their kids properly (there’s no reason for eight-year-olds to be fighting. Ever.), but tangentially the blame falls on the shoulders of Hockey Canada (for allowing body-checking at eight-years-old, when they haven’t developed the body strength to give and receive hits) and the NHL, whose implicit approval of violence through non-action on violent events sets the wrong example for kids who look up to NHLers. If this incident doesn’t spur the NHL into action, I don’t know what will.
Then again, maybe the NHL is thinking the way the CBC’s Don Cherry thought: “of all the two thousand million games the left-wing media chose this one to make hockey look bad.” Does that even *deserve* a refutation? Seriously- a conspiracy? C’mon, I expect better.
Not to be outdone is Greater Toronto Hockey League President John Gardiner (who oversees the league Duffield is a part of), who responded in a slightly less nonsensical manner by suggesting that the children are “byproducts” of adults who could be very decent people that transform once inside an arena. Really? I didn’t know arenas had some sort of force field that made otherwise decent people lose their demeanours (and if there is, it certainly has never affected me). Regardless, Gardiner’s and Cherry’s throwaway arguments is tantamount to them putting their heads in the sand and insisting “there’s no problem here”. There *is* a problem and ignoring it won’t make it go away- it will only make it worse.
Breaking news: Scott Niedermayer’s finally made up his mind: he’s coming back. So what does Anaheim Ducks General Manager Brian Burke think about it? Well, he’s not happy Niedermayer put him through this ordeal and with good reason- the Ducks stand to take a significant cap hit from Niedermayer’s return (it’s now at $1.5 million), and they shouldn’t have to put with Niedermayer’s selfish interests when he had all summer to decide if he wanted to come back. TSN’s Darren Dreger believes that Mathieu Schneider- brought in to replace Niedermayer- will be the one to go, but considering how happy Burke was with the ordeal, it just may be Niedermayer. Fortunately for the Ducks, it’s just this season they’ll have to worry about because Niedermayer won’t be back for next season- unless he changes his mind again, that is.
The most important thing learned from the Westroads Mall tragedy that occurred in Omaha this past Wednesday is the fact it was perpetuated by another “lost cause”. The shooter, Robert Hawkins, 19, explained in his suicide note that he’s been “a peice (sic) of s*** my entire life and that “this is the only option”, eerily extolling the silver lining, “just think tho (sic) I’m gonna be f***ing famous.” Like other murder-massacres (such as the Virginia Tech massacre), the tragedy that’s often missed is the life of the shooter, who is often troubled mentally and emotionally and thus feels that the world has left them behind (hence the rampages). More needs to be done to help the troubled (such as counselling options instead of more jail time for the “potentially troubled”, especially the youths), and more needs to be done to ensure that these rampages are far less common (they are not preventable) which includes restricting access to guns. This does not include things like banning video games (which do NOT turn players into killers) but would include things like better parenting, because it’s the parents’ job to ensure “the wrong ideas” don’t enter “the wrong head”. None of this will revive the eight lives needlessly lost here, but here’s hoping that after two massacres in 2007, 2008 will be massacre free. At least.
Speaking of “troubled”, there’s the case of Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide after a friend she met on MySpace turned on her and started writing offensive messages and spreading gossip. That’s not the worst part of the story- Meier’s “friend” (Josh Evans) was in fact entirely made up by Lori Drew, the mother of a daughter who was once best friends with Meier. Since Drew’s involvement became known, her house (in Dardenne Prairie, near St. Louis) became routinely vandalized and she has since become the target of angry bloggers worldwide. The Meiers attempted to press charges against Drew, but the prosecutors had nothing with which to try a case, as the FBI were unable to obtain the final messages Evans sent to Megan (including the one Megan’s father Ron said that killed her). Furthermore, the police report- released by The Smoking Gun- stated that others hacked into the Evans account was hacked (according to Drew), so the allegations obtained an air of “he-said-she-said” to them. That is the ultimate tragedy here: that there will be no charges, and the blame falls on both sides. What Drew did was gutless, but Ron Meier was careless with the evidence, since the fact that the messages could not be retrieved is likely the main reason why charges are not pending (you can’t try someone without evidence). It’s a sad ending to a sad story, but, unfortunately, there probably won’t be any other end. I do hope that Internet harassment can become better prosecuted (which may be the only silver lining here) because Megan Meier did not deserve to die in vain.
Let’s turn to baseball now: Barry Bonds expectedly pleaded not guilty to allegations that he lied in front of a grand jury during the December 2003 BALCO inquiry. The next hearing isn’t expected until February and the trial should extend well into (and maybe past) next season, raising speculation that he might play. The question is, will he? There’s not a team out there who could afford to take on Bonds (since he is a controversial figure) and, while his numbers are good, they’re not the “other-worldly” numbers where the controversies surrounding him would become irrelevant. Besides, he’ll be 44 next season and who knows how many years he’ll have left. Now, I’m a believer that someone is innocent until proven guilty (reminding everyone that everything- including steroid use- are just allegations) so I hope he does play, but I’m not sure if there’s a team that would be willing to give Bonds the benefit of the doubt and hand him a contract, meaning that we’ve likely seen the end of Barry Lamar Bonds on a baseball field.
Somewhat closer to the field is the rumours that Johan Santana, the star pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, is likely to be traded to either the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees. So much for economic parity, I guess, however, before anyone uses this as an excuse to further hate the Yankees or the Sox, the vitriol would be better served directed at Major League Baseball itself, because the Sox and Yankees are merely exploiting a system which clearly favours them over everyone else. It’s not the Yankees’ or Sox’s fault (mostly anyway) that MLB’s supposedly different economic arrangement continues the “major league farm team system” that has been around since the mid-1990s at least, because it’s the MLB- as a whole- that put that system in place. The real losers in all this are the Twins’ fans, who should expect some kind of respect from baseball and their own owners because, after all it was owner Carl Pohlad who tried to get their team contracted in the late 1990s and seems to be continuing the machinations now, meaning baseball, North America’s sickest sport, will continue its spiral into its ultimate path in the grave. An unfortunate end, yes, but it is still something baseball did to itself.
When the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the New England Patriots, the Patriots simply showed they were ultimately the better team and thus rightly won. When the Baltimore Ravens lost to the New England Patriots, it truly was an opportunity wasted. Their defensive co-ordinator called a timeout which nullified a late fourth down stop (that would have sealed the game), and the Ravens couldn’t capitalize when a Patriots false start penalty turned the ensuing play from a fourth-and-one to a fourth-and-six. Then the Ravens were flagged for defensive holding nullifying another fourth down stop. After that there was Bart Scott steamed at the referee for throwing a flag against him for dissention (after Scott was burned for Jabar Gaffney’s winning touchdown reception), resulting in Scott heaving the flag into the stands and seeing 30 penalty yards assessed to him (meaning the Patriots kicked off from Baltimore’s 30, not the Baltimore 45 as would have been the case had Scott not tossed the flag). Finally there was confusion among offensive ranks in the final drive, wasting too many precious seconds after each play forcing a Hail Mary pass instead of a drive that could have resulted in a field goal to force overtime. It’s not often this season where someone could say “they should have beaten the Patriots” but Monday night was a clear example of that.
Last, but not least, are two oddball news stories that caught my eye over the past week. I’ll quote Jay Leno before breaking into this next story. “What do I love the most? Stupid criminals”; and this one couldn’t be more stupid. Matthew Tillotson stole three handguns (valued at $12,000) and jewellery worth $1,500 after breaking into a safe in a Gillette, Wyoming store on December 2. Unfortunately for Tillotson, he left behind a receipt from another store- a tire store- that left his name, address and the identity of his truck. Tillotson surrendered when confronted with the evidence, although- unfortunately- only one gun was recovered. Still, that will be small solace for Tillotson, who can expect quite a long time thinking about just how dumb he was on that fateful day.
Finally there are reports that New Dehli police intend to start enforcing jaywalking offences in a city that sees more than 900 people killed in jaywalking related incidents. Things apparently are so bad in the Indian city that impatient pedestrians think it “takes too long for the light to turn green” and thus dart across the road regardless of the colour of the light. Indian police insist the program is about education (as police speculate that some of the jaywalking incidents occur because villagers who move to New Dehli are not aware of traffic lights), but not all seem to be getting the message- some, such as courier Vasant Pant, said he’d watch for police officers before crossing. I’m not sure how well this will work- according to the Reuters story, motorists aren’t exactly that careful themselves. Now, I’m wondering if the same thing could be done here considering Toronto streets that can be just as perilous and feature just as many jaywalkers…hmmnn…

-DG

Champions League reforms- business as usual

2007-12-07T02:31:00.000-05:00

UEFA chief Michel Platini, who won the presidency on a campaign of reforming the Champions’ League, announced his reforms on November 30. The reforms are to take effect beginning in 2009-10, which include the final on a Saturday (increasing viewership) and scrapping the Intertoto Cup. The major part of the plan, though, is a reform to the Champions’ League group stages, where, Platini hoped, would provide the competition with newer faces and give UEFA’s smaller federations- long shut out of the competition in general- a better shot at the prize and competing in the more lucrative stages.

However, his plan falls short. This is Platini’s plan to “reform” the Champions’ League: have 22 “direct entries” into the group stage (including the top three teams in the top three leagues- i.e., England, Spain and Italy) and have ten “qualifies”, determined from two sets of qualifying rounds. One set will feature the fourth place teams from England, Spain and Italy taking on the second place teams (remember that) from the No. 6-15 federations, while the other will see the champions of the No. 16-53 federations (except Liechtenstein, which does not organize a league competition). Five qualifiers will be selected from each group.

On the surface, it looks great- there is only one team from federations ranked No. 16 to No. 53 (“Europe B” I’ll label them, for convenience) in this year’s Champions’ League (Rosenborg BK of Norway) after two qualified last year (Levski Sofia of Bulgaria and FC Copenhagen of Denmark), so to have five of them in the group stages would be a major shake-up. Plus, instead of seeing the No. 1-15 federations (“Europe A”) teams feast on the Europe B teams in those glorified exhibition matches that are better known as the Third Qualifying Round, those teams are going to have to play each other, ensuring more competitive matches. There- more variety and a more difficult path for the biggest clubs in Europe, which is what Platini was hoping for.However, Platini’s changes are really nothing more than cosmetic ones. These are the federations ranked No. 6-15: Portugal, Romania, Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Belgium, Czech Republic, Turkey and Greece, with No. 4 and No. 5 being France and Germany. Yes, it means that the likes of, say, Liverpool, Sevilla and Lazio would have to play teams like AEK Athens, Sporting Lisbon and Beşiktaş instead of HiT Gorica, Pobeda and FC Almaty (cookies for anyone who knows where those teams play), but it still doesn’t mean they won’t get through to the group stage- the No. 6-15 teams have very rarely ever been much competition for teams in the higher leagues, so Europe’s Big Three leagues will still send their customary four teams to the group stage. As for the five Europe B teams now in the group stage: considering recent history (except for Rosenborg’s surprising run this year which may net them a knockout stage berth, no team from Europe B has made it to the knockout round in its current form, spanning five seasons, and have not made a knockout stage since Rosenborg themselves reached the quarterfinals in 1997), these teams will be nothing more than cannon fodder. At this rate, anyone reproducing Liverpool’s 8-0 victory over Beşiktaş would be considered “a disappointment”.

If Platini really wanted change, why not have separate groups for Europe A and Europe B, with the Round of 16 being where they link up? Yeah, the “cannon fodder effect” might still occur then (considering the opposition), but in a knockout stage there’s less room for error, so there’s a greater chance of an upset. Besides, this would provide the Europe B federations considerably more prize money than the paltry pickings they get now (and what they would get from the group stage) and might help them build teams capable of winning on Europe’s greatest stage. If Platini is worried about exposure, UEFA could market these “little clubs” better (first of all) and could even stage “inter-group” games that count in the standings. The Europe B teams might still have a hard time winning any of those games, but with any luck, the revenue generated from these games (and from the knockout stage games) would speed up their development faster than the current proposal will.

*sigh* I had so much promise for Platini’s efforts…instead, it’s going to be business as usual come 2009. So much for those meaningful reforms.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- November 25, 2007

2007-11-25T02:02:00.000-05:00

No matter how you look at it, Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez’s decision to award a free kick against Scottish defender Allan Hutton when Italy’s Giorgio Chellini clearly forgot he wasn’t playing hockey and bodychecked Hutton to the ground was a complete and utter disgrace- whether or not you’re Italian or Scottish. The free kick led to a cross that delivered Cristian Panucci’s 91st minute strike that made it 2-1 for Italy, leaving Scotland just seconds to find the goal that would keep their hopes alive. To paraphrase the Italian blogger at The Offside, if that had been the same situation only with a decision against Italy, Italians like myself would be all up in arms and scream to no end how wronged we were, with additional charges of anti-Italian bias by FIFA thrown in (as was the case at World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004, where excuses masked the fact that team vastly under-performed). Still, those are the breaks and any wrangling about it won’t change the result. Of course, leave to a Juventus player (Chellini) to know just how to influence the referee’s decision his team’s way.
Any doubters that the New England Patriots aren’t good should be gone after the 56-10 demolition of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, NY. The Patriots scored the most on the road since the Atlanta Falcons poured 62 on a hapless New Orleans Saints team in 1973, and saw Randy Moss catch four touchdown passes in the first half. The Patriots’ biggest enemies just may be themselves, because there’s not a team (or a league) that can match up with them when they’re on their game (of course, the Patriots’ running game isn’t exactly at an elite level but it does do enough to keep defences off balance). I could go on about how great Tom Brady and Moss were against the Bills, but what really impresses me about New England is their focus- week in, week out, they don’t play “a bad game” (like the Indianapolis Colts have been prone to doing, even when they were winning), always playing in synch and at the top of their abilities. Somehow, I don’t think a letdown will be coming their way any time soon.
The result also shows the Bills they’re still not an elite calibre (or even a playoff calibre) team, as the defence was lost for answers against the first really good offence they played against in a while (okay, the Cincinnati Bengals were contained, but they’re out of synch, and don’t start about the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets or Baltimore Ravens, the other three teams Buffalo defeated this season). There’s still a lot of promise, but the 5-5 Bills still have a lot of work to do (especially on offence) if a return to the playoffs for the first time since 1999 is in order.
Even though the officials weren’t supposed to “review” what would become Phil Dawson’s game-tying field goal for the Cleveland Browns against the Baltimore Ravens, I’m glad they did. It’s better they get it right instead of let a technicality potentially rob a team of a game.
This brings me to a related point- it’s time the NFL gets rid of the barriers to “challenges” and review. Wasn’t the challenge system brought in because Buffalo was robbed of a victory at the last second against New England back in 1998? So, then, what’s the point of telling coaches they can’t challenge late in the game? Those are the calls that are the most crucial because they really do decide the game. Furthermore, there’s no point in limiting what can and can’t be reviewed because, as we saw today in Baltimore, just about anything could decide a game. Yes, challenges waste time, but with the limit of two unsuccessful challenges, it ensures that it doesn’t take too much time during the game.
Another entry in the Brian Burke Log of Boneheaded Ideas: he wants to amend the rules of the National Hockey League’s salary cap to allow teams to pay part of a player’s salary if they’re being let go, after being forced to waive Ilya Bryzgalov (and lose him to the Phoenix Coyotes) after no teams bit on a trade for the talented netminder (stuck on the bench only because of Jean-Sebastien Giguere). No Brian, the reason you lost Ilya has nothing to do with the cap but everything to do with your inability to secure the right deal- I’m sure if you had waited even a month, those Coyotes would have bitten a trade deal that may just involve a draft pick. Just like the idea of the “legal bear hug”, this idea is yet another proposal invented because of your own team’s failures, failures of which you yourself are ultimately to blame for (and blaming someone else for them still doesn’t remove those errors). This idea is absurd on so many levels, chief of which is the fact that it would lead to heavy abuse of the salary cap- teams could “stock up” on players, not have to worry about paying them and build a team that would, for all intents and purposes, contravene the salary cap but doesn’t simply because those players were “waived”. Oh, and those fire sales? Forget them actually involving trades- if teams know they can get players “for free” (as is usually the case in such “sales”), they’re not going to offer any trade. Finally, what would stop a team from “signing” a player to an outrageous contract, placing him on waivers and having the team that really wanted him (but couldn’t because of the cap) claim him off waivers? Like the “bear hug” idea, it’s best the NHL just tune Burke out on this one.
Yet again, another NHL player was praised for making what should be a basic, two-foot, uncovered and un-pressured pass up ice- this time it was Tomas Kaberle (something about those Europeans, huh?), sifting a pass to Nikolai Antropov in what would eventually be a 4-2 Toronto loss to Boston on Tuesday night. Yeah, it led to a scoring chance and that’s what made it memorable, but it amazes me just how many people don’t seem to see how inherently simple this play is- it’s not like we’re dealing with a stretch pass or Kaberle and/or Antropov having to deal with a player on his back (those plays would be hard). Two feet? That’s nothing. Simply put, any defenseman- heck, any *player*- who is unable to execute that kind of pass doesn’t belong in the National Hockey League, but, sadly, with the talent level being where it is (due to over-expansion and too many NHL coaches still preferring size to skill), this doesn’t happen as often as it should.
As an extension to the “fading fundamentals” problem that plagues the NHL these days, it’s time teams get their players in better offensive positions. Seeing both the Bruins and Maple Leafs send three attackers right at the blue-line rules out the simple “outlet pass” because it forces the stretch pass- easy pickings for the lone defender at centre ice who’s not standing up at the blue-line. If players played a little further back, they just might force the defenders up and- gasp- create some openings; but that’s never going to happen as long as coaches insist of having rejected wrestlers in hockey uniforms.
Proof that Burke doesn’t have a monopoly on stupidity within the ranks of those with executive experience: Bill Watters, commenting on the lack of scoring opportunities in the second period (when Mats Sundin scored to give Toronto a 2-0 lead that Phil Kessel cut into late in the period), suggested the NHL “bring back the redline” (well, it wasn’t actually taken away- it’s still used for icing) because of the fact teams stacked the blue-line with four defenders; before finishing off with a yelp of “give us back our game”. The problem with this is twofold- one, the main reason why the “two-line pass” rule was taken out was because it allowed the trapping team to stick two players in the half of the neutral zone immediately adjacent to the defensive zone (closing off the immediate passing lanes and “forcing” two-line passes); and two, if teams can stack the blue-line with four defenders, what’s stopping them from doing so at centre ice? Or just leaving them at the blue-line anyway (just because the two-line pass rule is in effect doesn’t necessarily mean teams have to exploit it)?
I wonder who were the bigger turkeys- the opponents of the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts (the Detroit Lions, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, respectively) or the sorry saps who sat through almost eleven hours of those games. Yeah, Thanksgiving in the NFL is a great tradition, but it would behove the league to schedule better games for it. At least all the “awards” were nice, though.
Brett Favre after winning the Galloping Gobbler award: “it’s certainly the most moving and exciting award I’ve won”. No word on whether or not he’ll do as Troy Aikman hopes and display it proudly on his mantelpiece.
Speaking of Aikman, during Green Bay’s 37-26 victory over Detroit (which looks closer than the actual game was), commented on the fact next week’s Green Bay-Dallas contest (featuring two 10-1 teams) will be on the NFL Network by stating “it’s unfortunate because most of the country won’t be able to see it”. The question, then, is this: is he echoing the sentiments of the fans or just the sentiments of employers FOX, who would have televised that game. One thing is for sure- you can bet that FOX and CBS won’t let this happen again.
Also on NFL Network: the potential 16th regular season victory by the New England Patriots over the New York Giants. Now, granted, before the season began no one thought that Green Bay-Dallas nor New England-NY Giants would be the tilts they are (the Packers being an 8-8 team in 2006, the Cowboys 10-6; ditto for the Giants at 8-8 and New England at 12-4), but seeing how both games are probably going to be among the biggest (if not the biggest) regular season games in NFL history (especially the latter contest), the NFL needs to do a better job in distributing its games. If it wants to keep games on the NFL Network that is within its rights, but it’s doing a disservice to its fans by potentially hoarding the contests they desperately want to see (that and I doubt CBS and FOX want to pay the NFL US$3.7 billion in rights money to broadcast endless games between the 2-7 San Francisco 49ers and the 1-8 St. Louis Rams).
As for the actual NFL Network presentations as a whole: it looks very much like a second-tier, tattered up, cable broadcast, complete with a glitzy, “robotic” scoreboard that is just large and clunky, complete with simple camerawork and special effects tricks simply meant to evoke a “wow, cool!” reaction, like that 3-D freeze-frame action shot that showed the Atlanta Falcons’ secondary coverage on Indianapolis’ second touchdown. Yes, it’s true the NBA, NHL, and MLB also get this kind of “window-dressing” on a lot of their broadcasts but the vast majority of the NFL’s broadcasts are simple (not overdone) broadcasts (even on ESPN), the NFL Network’s production job just looks like it’s woefully out of place. It’s certainly not “big league” (because no one really *needs* an incentive to watch the NFL) and it’s not going to inspire me to pay for it either but the league, in it’s condescending, “holier-than-thou” thought process, believes the cable companies (who have refused to accept the NFL’s request for 70 cents of each subscription) are conspiring in keeping the Network- and hence football- off the airwaves. I think the companies did what I did and had a look at the channel (whose games are also carried on TSN up here in Canada) and came to the same conclusion- make the broadcasts better and maybe we’ll think about shelling out the dough.
Greg Millen after a linesman grabbed Bryan McCabe’s sweater and hauled the Leaf down while trying to break up a fight between him and fellow knucklehead Dallas Star Steve Ott: “they shouldn’t do that, players could get hurt.” Really? Wow. Such an obvious thing to say- but maybe not so obvious to those like Millen, who probably think players don’t get hurt in fights. Anyone who does think that might as well look up players like Brad Dalgarno, Nick Kypreos (Millen’s co-worker at Sportsnet), Jeff Odgers and Cam Russell, among others, all of whom *were* injured in fights.
Of course- as I have said elsewhere- fighting in the NHL isn’t even close to being *the* problem in hockey- referees clearly need to do a better job protecting their players. Witness Brendan Morrow’s hit from behind on Darcy Tucker (that tore a gash on Tucker’s face) and Ian White’s crosscheck on a Dallas player (the name escapes me) earlier in the game. Both plays are dangerous and illegal, yet neither were called. I know it’s a fine line between a good physical hit and a dangerous play, but unless the NHL truly acts on the issue, it’ll have no players left to play.
Speaking of missed calls- why did Mattias Ohlund only receive four games for an ugly, obviously pre-meditated slash on Mikko Koivu? Forget the fact it’s not at the head or that Koivu elbowed Ohlund (that should have also been punished)- that was a vicious hit that, maybe not quite on par with Steve Downie’s hit, merited a suspension of at least 10 games, because Ohlund’s slash broke Koivu’s left fibula (a shin bone). I guess the fact that Alian Vigneault really “needed” Ohlund is why the Canucks defenseman got a slap on the wrist- business as usual in the NHL, I guess.
NHL goals-per-game average (up to November 24): 5.57 goals-per-game. Not yet at the low of 1998-99 (5.28) but it’s a significant drop-off from the 5.8 posted a year ago and the reasons for that? I’ve said it before- far too little skill because the vast majority of players (including Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin) were drafted before the “new NHL” took its shape (hence there are too many players who are great at wrestling but terrible at passing, shooting, skating, etc.) and because coaches- many of whom are pre-lockout types themselves- simply aren’t being creative, because they too, still think in the mindset of the hyper-defensive days of the “old NHL”.
Congratulations to the Houston Dynamo for winning their second consecutive championship. What- you don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh don’t worry, you’re not alone- most of North America were paying attention to Peyton Manning’s wry smile and Phil Dawson’s luck to know what the Dynamo did anyway.
Anyway, I’ll cut the suspense, because the Dynamo are a Major League Soccer franchise- you know, that league that pretends to be a major league and started in 1996 as a requirement for FIFA handing the United States the 1994 World Cup. The Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in the MLS Cup Final, coming back with two second half goals (the winner scored on a header of a looping cross from Canadian national Dwayne De Rosario) after U.S. national Taylor Twellman put the Revolution up 1-0 midway through the first half. The game itself was pretty captivating- lots of end-to-end action, chances, and tension so big you had to cut it with a knife. Still, it- like much of MLS soccer- was incredibly sloppy, with a lot of chances simply created not because the attacking was any good but because the defending was just that bad. Case in point: Joseph Ngwenya’s 61st-minute goal that levelled the game for Houston. There, the ball was crossed in from a corner kick, cleared outside of the penalty area, but the Dynamo managed to work the ball back to the right flank and cross it right back in. It’s here where the “comedy of errors” (as Eric Wynalda so accurately put it) literally kicked in (yes the pun’s intentional)- the ball took several bounces in the penalty area as bemused New England defenders so desperately wanted to wail it out of there, while the ball manages to just roll on the ground for opportunistic Houston strikers to take care of. One attacker takes a weak shot right at Revolution keeper Matt Reis who, instead of grasping onto the ball, just simply blocks it, leaving the ball on a platter for Ngwenya to rifle home. The sequence probably left New England manager Steve Nicol hanging his head, as the Scotsman has more than likely seen better and more decisive clearances in his day (especially in his fourteen years at Liverpool). I’ll tell you this much though- I’ve NEVER seen that happen in games not just involving the so-called “big teams” such as Arsenal-Manchester United or Inter-Milan, I’ve never seen it in *any* major European first division match. That ball is either out or in the net in a matter of seconds, not being allowed to just sit there while clueless players take hopeless hacks at it.
Speaking of the MLS Cup Final, ABC’s presentation had more in common with a rudimentary cable broadcast (“borrowing” from subsidiary ESPN’s production team) than a true, “major league” broadcast. It is true that they use ESPN’s presentation in other sports (such as college football), but there weren’t a lot of camera angles (at least not the kinds that would be present on a European soccer telecast) and the look of the broadcast made it feel like the scoreboard was slapped on a “monitored” presentation. Then there was the announcing: Dave O’Brien did good, carrying a real sense of excitement and drama in his voice, but the crowded commentary box (featuring former U.S. nationals Eric Wynalda and Julie Foudy) meant that the commentators were never really allowed to finish a thought. Furthermore, the three of them offered glimpses of insight but were very rarely ever offering much depth in their commentary, something that could be expected of baseball man O’Brien but not of Wynalda and Foudy, themselves former soccer players. For example, Foudy commented (prior to Ngwenya’s goal) that Houston would switch to a “3-5-2” formation by pushing one defender up, but never offered much explanation on the chances of success that formation would have. Then there was Wynalda, referring to the fact New England were piling men forward in a bid to tie the score but never really commenting on how well the Revolution were doing in coming up with that tying score (and Houston for preventing it). Maybe Foudy and Wynalda were afraid of levelling criticism towards the players (perhaps because these are not “big time soccer players” and thus probably could operate “normally” with the rest of the population), as, otherwise, their commentating was insightful although, at times, painfully obvious. Still, part of being a great commentator is the ability to give an accurate review of the events, which means heaping praise on players who do a good job and criticizing those that don’t (hey, they’re professionals- they should be able to take the heat); as well as being able to say if certain tactics and players are working out. There’s potential, to be sure, but it still left a lot to be desired- and if ABC isn't willing to “go the extra mile” in their broadcast, it shows you what they really think of the MLS.
Still, there might be one good reason to root for the MLS to become a “mainstream” sport- it might mean having a “real”, lucrative and prestigious world club tournament, not the current “Club World Cup” where the European teams are just present for photos. Of course, therein lies the Catch-22: the only way the MLS *can* become immensely popular is if its teams win something of significance on the world stage (i.e., beating a top-quality European side in a competitive match (please don’t tell me about how the MLS All-Star team defeated Chelsea in 2006- that Chelsea team was in pre-season form and most likely saw the game with the All-Stars as just another “tune-up” contest. In other words, the game was meaningless for them and their effort showed). It’s not enough to just throw money at players- you might convince the “prima donnas” such as David Beckham, but players who have a desire to compete at a high level (as most high profile soccer players in their prime are), they want to “win” something with meaning- and the MLS Cup means nothing (besides, it’s not like the European teams are penniless. Also, look at it this way- would Derek Jeter play baseball in London if a team gave him $40 million a year?). So what is the next course of action? The MLS has managed to survive for eleven years while being a minimalist venture and, in deciding to incorporate a “designated player rule” to allow clubs to attract big-name stars, felt it had done enough to take “the next step”. Of course, this next step is convincing American soccer stars (what an American soccer fan ultimately wants to see) to stay in the MLS, which it hasn’t been able to do, before it can start thinking of Europe’s brightest stars. In the meantime, a soccer-loving entrepreneur with loads of cash (maybe Robert Kraft?) could look into setting up this “world tournament” to give the MLS an incentive to stockpile its teams- and to give world-class players a reason to come to North America in the first place.
Greg Millen stated during the Phoenix Coyotes’ 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs that the reason why the Coyotes are coming around now is because their market allows them to be patient (an obvious swipe at both impatient Canadian markets and the fact the Americans have no market). However, I remember when the Leafs missed the playoffs two seasons in a row in 1997 and 1998 The Toronto Star ran a poll asking Leaf fans what should be done and many Leaf fans said they’d rather watch a rebuilding team lose than the current, veteran-laden team lose. While I agree with Millen on the fact that Canadian markets are, in general, not particularly patient, I don’t think a Canadian market would mind if their team was upfront with their fanbase on the fact that they *are* rebuilding and ran the team in that manner. The problem is the fact that each Canadian market- except Toronto, actually- has seen periods of success since the lockout (Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver have all been playoff teams at least once the past two seasons, while Ottawa and Edmonton have each been to the Cup Final), and the failures of Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto have more to do with mismanagement than an a reluctance to rebuild (the botched Chris Pronger trade comes to mind). Still, the Oilers and Canadiens do possess some great young talent and seem to be on the right track, leaving badly mismanaged Toronto in the dust.
Finally, I come to the Grey Cup and I must say I’m happy that the two combatants are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (who should really be called the Yellow Bombers because I haven’t seen them wear blue in a while) and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, because those are two markets that genuinely care about the Canadian Football League, unlike Toronto which doesn’t. It’s here where I’ll make the case that should the unfortunate happen and the Buffalo Bills move to Toronto (and it would be unfortunate, because the Bills, like the Packers in Green Bay, *are* Buffalo), the team should be renamed the Argonauts (because that is too much tradition to simply throw away), with the CFL Argonauts possibly moved to a city that would want the CFL (such as, maybe, Halifax). I know there will be doomsayers predicting that a CFL without Toronto is a CFL without a future, but the CFL already practically *is* without Toronto (witness the “great coverage” the Doug Flutie Grey Cup wins got, as well as the 2004 victory not so long ago), and besides, there’s already GTA representation- the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The CFL would continue just fine without Toronto.

-DG

SOBB: the Saga Of Barry Bonds

2007-11-17T01:10:00.000-05:00

You’ve probably already heard, but in case you haven’t, divisive slugger Barry Bonds, the current baseball home run champion, was indicted by a U.S. federal jury on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice on November 15, 2007, the fallout from a federal investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO). Bonds faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in jail.

However, before the indictment itself- and the potential impact of the trial will have on Bonds’ legacy- can be assessed, a history lesson is in order due to the long, complex gestation of the story. Bonds’ status as a contentious individual leaves the potential for a lot of misinformation, and it’s important to know all the details before one rushes to a judgement that may be too rash.

Controversy surrounding Bonds is nothing new. He has long been held as one of baseball’s “anti-heroes”, a superstar with undeniable baseball skills but non-existent people skills, famous (or infamous) for his disdain with the media and an overall appearance of a man who is both unapproachable and selfish (this couldn’t have been made more clear by Bonds’ refusal to participate in this year’s home run derby, despite the fact that the derby would be held in San Francisco). In 2001- three years after another steroid scandal involving Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa broke during their home run record chase- Bonds broke the home run record with 73 home runs in 2001 at the age of 36, adding his name to the list of baseball players alleged to have taken steroids. In the ensuing years, Bonds’ name came to be merely one in a long list of other stars like Rafael Palmeiro, the aforementioned Sosa and McGwire, Jason Giambi, and Ken Caminiti, with “rampant steroid use” already alleged in a tell-all book by Jose Canseco, himself admitting being a former user. The furor eventually found its way to the U.S. Congress, where McGwire, Canseco, Sosa, Palmeiro and Curt Schilling were all asked to testify at a 2005 hearing. At the hearing, Sosa didn’t speak a word of English, Palmeiro denied steroid use, McGwire denied to confirm or deny steroid use (although the truth of McGwire’s comment- “If a player answers ‘No’, he simply will not be believed; if he answers ‘Yes’, he risks public scorn and endless government investigations”- couldn’t have been more accurate), Canseco admitted a rampant problem and Schilling derided it. A year previously, Caminiti lost his life due to a drug overdose (unrelated to steroids), two years after admitting steroid use during his 1996 MVP season.

At this stage, Bonds seemed like a peripheral figure, but as the major players in the initial phase saw their cases (mostly) resolved- Palmeiro was indeed found to have used steroids (and suspended for them in 2005), Sosa’s injury-prone ways (where he infamously took out his back while sneezing) have stopped the talk there somewhat, and Giambi admitted (though never directly) to steroid use- Bonds and his steadfast denials found themselves in the spotlight. His specific story started in 2000 when he began work with a personal trainer named Greg Anderson, at that time a worker for BALCO. At the time, Bonds states Anderson gave him arthritis cream and flaxseed oil which investigators allege are “the cream” and “the clear”- components of the designer steroid THG. In 2003, the United States District Attorney for North California investigated BALCO after U.S. sprint team coach Trevor Graham made an anonymous phone call to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (the U.S. organization responsible for implementing the World Anti-Doping Agency’s policies). The ensuing investigation obtained on September 3, 2003 a list of customers that included baseball players Bonds, Giambi, and Gary Sheffield, shot-putter C.J. Hunter, his wife sprinter Marion Jones, fellow sprinter Tim Montgomery (who had a world record stripped), boxer Shane Mosley and several members of the Oakland Raiders, including All-Pros Dana Stubblefield and Bill Romanowski. The four BALCO defendants- including Anderson- stuck plea agreements in August of 2005 that prevented them from naming their customers, but in March of 2006, the book “The Game of Shadows” would be released that did just that. The book proved to be the most responsible in establishing a link between Bonds and steroids, as the writers- Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada- included within their exhaustive research grand jury testimony (against BALCO) of which Bonds was a part of.

April of 2006 saw the beginning of two new processes- the 2006 Major League season, where Bonds was on the cusp of breaking Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 home runs (held to be “the” standard despite it being second to Hank Aaron’s 755 home runs), and a perjury investigation into whether or not Bonds lied under oath at the BALCO hearings in 2003. Anderson refused to testify against Bonds, arguing it violated his plea agreement, but U.S. District Judge William Alsup sentenced him to prison, siding with prosecutors who argued their plea agreement didn’t preclude a subpoena. Anderson spent over a year and a half in prison as a result of his refusal, released only after Bonds was indicted.

Predictably, as Anderson’s legal troubles carried themselves out, Bonds surpassed not only Ruth (on May 28, 2006) but also Aaron (on August 7, 2007). Baseball fans sat on both sides of the fence on Bonds’ chase- some argued that Bonds’ mark was tainted by steroids (though an unproven allegation), while others chose to celebrate it, arguing that Bonds, at that point, was still technically clean. It was clear how MLB saw the experience- Commissioner Bud Selig could be seen clearly keeping his hands in his pocket while standing during Bonds’ standing ovation after he hit home run No. 756 off of Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik (who wound up winning the game, 8-6), while Aaron himself couldn’t have been bothered to show up (unlike Gordie Howe who travelled to arena to arena hoping to see Wayne Gretzky break his scoring marks). The best Aaron did was provide a video congratulating Bonds, and while Bonds appreciated it, the whole display felt forced. Later, fashion designer Mark Ecko won an auction for the home run ball, holding a vote to determine what he should do with it. The outcome was to donate it to the Hall and brandish it with an asterisk, a decision Bonds (expectedly) derided, insisting “there is no asterisk in baseball”.

That is how the story led up to November 15, 2007, which merely starts another long chapter that extends this already long story. According to the indictment, Bonds is alleged to have tested positive in a November 2000 test obtained by the federal investigators. This test was procured by BALCO, as the indictment quotes testimony that links documents recovered in the 2003 BALCO raid. That is- so far- the only definitive test that is included in the records, as the other charges the investigators are pursuing involve whether or not Bonds received drugs from Anderson from 2000 to 2003. At this stage, there appears to be no other test results in question, although- considering that investigators possess a bevy of BALCO documents, more could be unearthed as the trial progresses.

The anti-Bonds crew likely views the indictment as a positive development, a decisive cog in the battle against rampant steroid use in baseball because, now, the highest profile allegations could not escape itself from the law. The pro-Bonds camp, on the other hand, would be right to sense an air of inevitability, given the steroid shroud baseball has cast itself in and the air of hostility Bonds himself carried around throughout his entire career.

Of course, the question remains just what will happen as a result of this trial. ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said on the November 16, 2007 episode of “Pardon The Interruption”, “if Barry Bonds is acquitted, he walks into Cooperstown”, which should be the case but given the amount of media personnel who disliked Bonds before his steroid allegations and given the amount of disbelief that the “not guilty” verdicts of Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson received in their “can’t miss” trials, Bonds’ induction is no sure bet. In theory, he has the numbers and at least the technical exoneration to get himself into Cooperstown unanimously, but Bonds will probably never be the kind of character for which any doubt can be completely excised.

If Bonds is convicted, he is certainly not going to Cooperstown, although the circumstances of such a snub is murky. Considering that Mark McGwire isn’t technically banned from baseball, McGwire’s absence from the Hall of Fame is seen as a result of the fact he wavered on the steroid question. Palmeiro is also in a similar boat, since he has not yet announced his retirement despite last playing in the 2005 season. Consequentially, Bonds may meet the same fate- he’ll simply be a “persona non grata” instead of being formally banned, although a federal conviction (of which neither McGwire or Palmeiro have) and the fact he is already such a contentious character in baseball may lead to a formal ban anyway.

Bonds’ record, though, according to precedent, seems to be particularly safe. None of the players ever banned by baseball had their statistics nullified (not even the members of the Black Sox Scandal, whose 1919 World Series statistics still remain on record), and considering that MLB’s drug policy does not call for any records to be stricken from the books (as Palmeiro’s statistics, most notably, are still valid), Bonds’ 762 home runs appear safe. Furthermore, considering that no *baseball* test exists establishing a direct link between Bonds’ performance and steroids, MLB would be hard-pressed to remove Bonds’ mark without legal difficulty. It is true that in Bonds’ case, the alleged steroid use is retroactive (unlike Palmeiro who was tested during the season), but considering that other players have kept their statistics intact despite positive tests, it’s unlikely that Bonds won’t. Whether or not Bonds deserves the record is immaterial, because that is another argument altogether, but the fact of the matter still remains that it’s highly unlikely that Bonds’ record is in any serious jeopardy.

That, of course, is all in the long run- Bonds still has to have his day in court, a clearer picture of Bonds’ future can be made as all the details of the trial emerge. As for the guilt or innocence of Bonds- that won’t be discussed here, as the point of this piece was to examine the potential impact of his legacy, and “guilt” is a better question to be answered by the courts; and that legacy seems to be at worst tarnished but will not be taken away. One thing is for certain, however- Bonds, guilty or not, won’t leave baseball quietly (par for the course given his career) and, no matter whether or not one hates him or loves him, Bonds is certainly going to be remembered. For what, though, remains to be seen.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- November 13, 2007

2007-11-13T04:57:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER RIOT, ANOTHER DEATH

Just when things couldn’t get worse for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), news of yet another rioting death involving the police emerged over the weekend, forcing the indefinite postponement of three Serie A contests (Lazio-Inter, Milan-Atalanta and Roma-Cagliari) and all Serie B and Serie C contests this coming weekend. The Scotland-Italy Euro 2008 qualifier is unaffected, as the game is being held in Scotland.

According to reports, Juventus Ultras attacked the cars of Lazio Ultras at a highway service station near Arezzo. However, in the process of trying to break up the fight, a police officer’s bullet struck and killed Lazio supporter (and semi-famous Rome DJ) Gabriele Sandri while Sandri was sitting in his car. The officer stated in an interview he shot once in the air to gain the fighters’ attention, but when the officer ran after Sandri’s car, his gun went off again. The police at first called the shooting “accidental”, but Sandri’s family contend it was murder and reports now suggest that there is an investigation that could lead to a murder charge. As for the events of that night, Atalanta and Roma fans were involved in scuffles with police following the postponement of those matches, leading to multiple arrests and the trying of four Roma supporters under Italy’s terrorism laws, since, in the police’s eyes, their attacks were politically motivated. It was also announced that the Atalanta fans arrested would also face charges, although they haven’t been brought forward yet.

It does not bear mentioning just how unfortunate these incidents are. No matter how naïve one had to be to believe that the FIGC directives following Filippo Raciti’s death last February would actually work this quickly, no one could have possibly predicted that yet another rioting death would occur just nine months later; but, given the fact that several actions had already been taken this season against fans across Italy, perhaps there was a sense of inevitability concerning Sandri’s death. There are no shortage to suggestions for possible solutions, including a one-month (possibly more) postponement of Serie A matches as well as a travel ban of away fans. Postponing matches simply postpones the inevitable- yet another death- and given the fact that 1,000 Napoli supporters managed to buy tickets for the game in Milan against Inter, any “away fan ban” is going to be undermined in some capacity. There will also be the introduction a “fan ID system” (where the fan’s name will be printed on the ticket), which will work but won’t stop any would-be first-time offenders.

In light of these recent events, I’ve decided to change my tune. Earlier I railed against the FIGC- and soccer in general- about taking actions against fans as a whole when the actions of the minority are really the culprit. Now- perhaps very late- I realize the situation in Italy is far too extreme for anything but mass actions to occur. My solution would be to play the next home game for each team behind closed doors, with further stipulations allowing for more closed-door matches should more incidents occur, as well as increases in security measures (such as an increased police presence). Finally, the experience-gutting Ultra groups- the source of the majority of problems- should be gutted once and for all. Fan groups can still be created, but they must adhere to a promise of non-violence. Yes, it is terrible that Italian soccer has come to this, but if the fans are proving they can’t behave themselves then they shouldn’t be allowed at games- going to a game is a privilege, not a right, and we’re at the point of no return here- action needs to be done before another incident potentially soils for good what should be a great experience.

AVERY MAY FACE LEAGUE ACTION

In a somewhat surprising development, New York Rangers forward Sean Avery is scheduled to meet with the National Hockey League’s chief disciplinarian- Senior Vice President Colin Campbell- over an altercation he had with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Darcy Tucker during the warm-up skate in Toronto before the Rangers’ eventual 3-2 shootout victory over the Maple Leafs. The skirmish started when Avery shoved the Leafs’ Jason Blake and apparently commented on Blake’s diagnosis with a treatable form of leukemia; causing Tucker to rush to Blake’s aid. “It goes beyond just getting under guys' skin,” Maple Leafs defenseman Wade Belak said of the incident. “I think [Avery] takes it to a personal level and that is what guys hate about him.”

Avery- despite being a consistent offensive threat since his breakthrough 2005-06 season with the Los Angeles Kings- has been involved in a number of on-ice incidents since that campaign. In the 2005 preseason after Denis Gauthier’s hit on then teammate Jeremy Roenick left Roenick concussed, he stated that Gauthier’s hit was “typical of French-Canadian guys with a visor who play tough and not back it up.” Furthermore, in October 2005, Avery was alleged by black player Georges Laraque to have called Laraque a “monkey” (an allegation Avery denies) and became the first player in NHL history to be fined for diving in November of the same year, incurring another fine when he lashed out against Campbell. Finally, he cemented his place as the NHL’s most despised player when a 2007 players’ poll indicated he was their top pick for the position with 66.4% of the vote.

It is refreshing to see the league take action on Avery in this incident instead of brushing it aside as the league too often does. Now, it is true that Avery’s past history may be what is triggering the league’s response in this case, but considering that Avery is being flagged for triggering what are usually considered “minor dustups” is a step in the right direction. Far too often players are seen chirping and hacking at opposing players in an effort to “get under their skin” and referees do nothing, apparently because “players are supposed to fight their own battles”. Now, don’t get me wrong- I think trash talking is a fundamental part of playing a game and the practice itself should never be banned, but in the NHL, it gets out of hand far too often; and this is where potentially violent situations begin. Let’s not forget, Jesse Boulerice’s hit on Ryan Kesler was done because Kesler and Boulerice were apparently “battling”, and if referees had flagged it down instead of “letting it pass” the dangerous hit may never have happened. Yes, players should “be allowed to play” but they- and the NHL- need to know that there are limits if they are ever going to be serious of ridding “violent play” once and for all.

THIS AND THAT

Another entry in the category “they’ll take a poll for anything”: A recently released poll in the run-up to the Australian general election revealed that 34 percent of Australians wanted to see opposition leader Kevin Rudd naked while 16 percent wanted to see current Prime Minister John Howard naked. Said Howard of the results, “I’m surprised it’s not zero”. Now, as for political leaders *I’d* like to see naked, I vote for New Zealand’s Helen Clark…there’s a looker.
From “Air McNair” to “Error McNair”: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair committed three turnovers against the Cincinnati Bengals a week after a two turnover performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In both games, the Ravens only managed a single touchdown and lost by multiple scores, as Bengals kicker Shayne Graham had all the points in a 21-7 win and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had five touchdown passes in a 38-7 win. “This is probably the lowest point in my career,” McNair said about his performance against Cincinnati. “What do I need to do about it? I don't know.” I know what the Ravens should do- start Kyle Boller (or even rookie Troy Smith, the quarterback for the 2006 national runners-up Ohio State) and see where the future is, because it’s no longer with the 34-year-old, “Air”-ed out quarterback.
So the Indianapolis Colts go from 7-0 to 7-2 in less than a month. Who would have figured? The Colts’ second consecutive loss (wrap your finger around that one) came on the heels of a botched comeback where Indianapolis went from 23-0 down late the first half to 23-21 late in the fourth quarter, including an improbable touchdown shortly after the 23-15 score where Philip Rivers lost the ball in the end zone and, while trying to tip the ball out of bounds for a touchback, nudged the ball into the path of Colts linebacker Gary Brackett who scooped it up for a score. However, Joseph Addai was stuffed at the line on the two-point conversion, and a 29-yard field goal was pushed wide right by the usually reliable Adam Vinatieri. The day of miscues would belong to Peyton Manning, who heaved six interceptions (including one to Clinton Hart with nine seconds to go that sealed the game), one week after misfiring on a late drive against the New England Patriots (although the Colts’ defence was more in on that one, blowing a 20-10 fourth quarter lead). Now, the story of the game was Vinatieri’s miss, reminding some of Manning’s “idiot kicker” comment of Mike Vanderjagt, who had another famous miss in the 2005 playoffs (although the “idiot kicker” comment came in another incident), but Manning is looking a lot like an “idiot” himself, forcing a lot of plays (his six interceptions are more than some teams have all season) and just not being the calm, dependable quarterback we’ve known for so long. Now, 7-9 is incomprehensible, but unless Manning fixes his quirks the Colts’ great start- and its Super Bowl championship defence- may all be for naught.
A baby in Mozambique was recently born with two heads, according to hospital officials in the capital of Maputo. The hospital hasn’t released many details but a neighbour for the mother revealed that the second head was connected to the abdomen and did not appear to be functioning. Hey, maybe that mother is on to something- if she can create a child with a second head affixed to its belly, that child has no excuses for spilling any of their food, because the other head should catch it. The unfortunate part? No belly flops…oh well, you can’t win them all.
It’s easy to look with scorn at the amount of Leaf fans that make their way to places like Buffalo and Ottawa and think “they stay in their own rink”. However, look at it this way- considering Leaf ticket prices, going to a game in Buffalo or Ottawa is the only way Toronto Maple Leaf fans can see their team play, because the Leafs have priced them out of their own rink. If that’s not an argument for putting a second team in Toronto, I don’t know what is.
Last, but not least, is a report that states that the Rhinoceros Party of Canada is back- as Neorhino.ca. The party is headed by François “Yo” Gourd, who had been involved with the old Rhinoceros Party. Gourd- who picked the nickname “Yo” since it would make his name sound like “yogurt” in French- promises, among other things, to replace the Canadian military’s guns with paintball guns, to guarantee all Canadians a weekly orgasm and marijuana portions, and a gas barbeque registry. Above all else, Gourd promises not to keep any of his promises if he is elected. Considering all the childish antics and meaningless posturing serious politicians commit, Gourd just may the best candidate out there- whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’ll let you decide.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits- November 10, 2007

2007-11-10T04:11:00.000-05:00

YOU MEAN, RONALD McDONALD WAS NEVER PM?

A new joint survey conducted by the Dominion Institute and Ipsos-Reid indicates that only 21% of people between the ages of 18-24 have a passing knowledge of Canadian history, two percent less than the results of the survey conducted in 1997. Among the results was a 26% clip for those who knew the year of Confederation (1867), down ten percent from 1997, 45% who knew John A. MacDonald was our first prime minister (down from 54% in 1997) and only 37% who knew that Vimy Ridge was fought in World War I and Remembrance Day ended that very war (though both findings are up from 1997, which saw 31% and 33% rates respectively). The findings were described as “disappointing” by the DI’s Rudyard Griffiths, who had hoped for higher percentages after millions were spent on initiatives such as the “Heritage Minutes” and war museums. According to the DI release (http://www.dominion.ca/YoungAdultHistory3.pdf), 1,004 adults were randomly phoned between the period of September 6 to October 27, 2007, with the results accurate to within ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had this entire population been polled. You can take the quiz yourself at CityNews (http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_16598.aspx#1) and see how well you’d do (I scored 28/30).

------------------------------------------------SPOILER-----------------------------------------------
The DI’s answers themselves contain a small error- in the answer for the question “name two countries Canada fought in World War I” one answer is missing. The DI lists three- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey (technically an anachronism since it was still the Ottoman Empire then)- but does not list Bulgaria, which did fight alongside the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans) in World War I.
---------------------------------------------END SPOILER--------------------------------------------

There are two ways to look at the findings. The first is to agree with the feelings of disappointment, as everyone should have a basic knowledge of their country’s history in order to build a sense of culture and national pride- one only need look across the border at how the Americans approach history to see why this is necessary. On the other hand, considering that the “Heritage Minutes” are unequivocally *not* history but idealism (one of my old History professors used the term “heritage myth” and he couldn’t be more on the mark on that one) and one has to wonder what kind of “past” the DI really wants us to know about. History isn’t about cherry picking the events you want people to know about and disregard the rest- history is about knowing everything and seeing how it built our present. Canadian history isn’t just the Underground Railway and Lester B. Pearson’s Nobel Prize- it’s a nation that once forbid immigrants from its World War I enemies from voting in the 1917 elections (http://www.parl.gc.ca/Infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=59&art=22) and it’s a nation that once turned away a boat of Jewish emigrants fleeing from Nazi Germany shortly after Kristallnacht in 1938 (http://history.cbc.ca/history/?MIval=EpisContent.html&series_id=1&episode_id=13&chapter_id=4&page_id=2&lang=E). Canadian history isn’t just learning what we did right and being proud of it- it’s also learning, to paraphrase the great George Santayana, what we did wrong so that we do not repeat it.

EIGHT FOR LIVERPOOL

So, was I watching the UEFA Champions’ League or playing FIFA 08? On Tuesday, Turkish club Beşiktaş J.K. was smacked 8-0 by Liverpool F.C. in a game that saw Israeli international Yossi Benayoun score a hat trick and braces from Peter Crouch (who opened and closed the scoring) and Ryan Babel. It was Babel’s second goal that encapsulated the night for Beşiktaş, where, in the 78th minute, Babel attempted to control a cross with his foot and, in doing so, managed to bounce the ball off the chest of his marker in such a manner that it caromed over the befuddled goalkeeper and into the net. It was that kind of night for Beşiktaş, where everything went in on them no matter what they did. Liverpool never did score on a direct free kick it should be noted, but that’s small solace for a club that was beaten by a Champions’ League record scoreline (the previous high was Juventus’ 7-0 thrashing of Olympiacos in 2003). The funny part about that game is that it didn’t appear to be a blowout in much the same manner that the Manchester United-Roma contest from last season did. In that game, United were up 4-0 at the break and just continued their streak in the second half (while failing to keep Daniele De Rossi off the scoresheet). Liverpool, on the other hand, were *only* up 2-0 at halftime and, while in control of the game, didn’t exhibit any signs of the onslaught they would bring in the second half.

The result will no doubt bring questions regarding the quality of European soccer at the highest stage, as Beşiktaş were nowhere close to being in Liverpool’s class on Tuesday night. It was almost like watching a hockey game between the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, where the fast, skilful Senators ran rings around the lumbering, slow Maple Leafs (much like Liverpool did to Beşiktaş), although the Leafs have more shooting ability than Beşiktaş do. Despite the result, I’m not quite sure I’d go as saying that there’s a huge disparity of talent at the group stage, because it’s not like every year a team loses 8-0 in every game (for the record, Liverpool did *only* beat Beşiktaş 2-1 when the two teams played in Istanbul, and Beşiktaş has *only* allowed four other goals in its previous three games). However, if there could be a change coming out of this game, it could be splitting the Champions League into “Western” and “Eastern” conferences, because Western Europe (more specifically, England, Italy and Spain, who are very much now a “Big Three”) is clearly dominating the competition. 32 champions (out of 52) have been won by the Big Three, including 11 of the last 16 (when the Group Stage was introduced). Maybe if 16 teams were taken from the Big Three (plus Germany, France and Portugal, the “next three” that do produce quality sides from time to time) to form one “conference” and 16 from the rest of Europe to form another (with inter-conference play used to maximize exposure for all teams)- with the conference champions playing off for the title- we’d see a more diverse competition that will increase fan interest for clubs in smaller confederations, since they’d have a real chance at *competing* in the competition. Michel Platini wanted to reform the Champions League to benefit the “smaller clubs”- this is the way to do it.

THIS AND THAT

Reason #1 why televised poker just doesn’t work- the game itself requires its players to wear faceless expressions at all times. It’s great for strategy but stinks as entertainment, because the players all come across as utterly lifeless; and no one wants to watch a parade of drones. Yes, millions are at stake, but I have no reason to care about them if they display all the emotion of the common housefly.
After witnessing the Buffalo Sabres getting shut out for the third time this season (after only being shut out once last year- in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against Ottawa) because the Sabres have an inability to finish (boy do they miss Daniel Briérè badly), I’m wondering if Buffalo would be better suited to employing the New Jersey Devils-style trap. It’s clear Buffalo doesn’t quite have the same punch it had last season where every chance seemed to result in a goal, but they are speedy and they are positionally sound, better suiting them to a defensive, counter-attack style that’s worked for so long in the Swamp. Otherwise, this could be a longer season than most in Buffalo expected- or even wanted.
Yeah I know- I’m suggesting Buffalo use the dreaded trap (although this trap is an offensive one, much like the Devils’ version), but let’s be honest- there *still* isn’t a NHL team capable of rolling more than a single line of even decent scorers. The media like to crow about “defensive systems ruining the game” but let’s be honest- there really isn’t enough skill to go around. When players are praised in the media simply because they can make a short outlet pass from their own zone to an uncovered player that’s not that much further up ice (as was the case with Andrei Markov just a few weeks ago)- basic plays that should be fundamental to hockey players- then you know the NHL has a severe talent shortage.
I don’t care how much Don Cherry crows about Sam Gagner’s skills- from what I’m seeing in the NHL not enough players (particularly from English Canada) are developing the kind of fundamental, basic skills that should be second knowledge at the NHL level. I’m sounding like a broken record here, but the amount of players who simply cannot perform a basic, straightforward tape-to-tape pass to a nearby uncovered player is just mind boggling; and now I know why. Canadian hockey players- particularly in the Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League- are taught more to be hitters above all else, rendering them second rate in terms of stickhandling, shooting and passing. I mean, think about it- most of the “pure skill” players are those raised in Europe or the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (as is the case with Sidney Crosby)- and most of the “character guys” (re: “hitters”) are WHL or OHL alums. Now, I’m not suggesting that there aren’t any English Canadian skill players- Joe Sakic throws a wet blanket on that- or physical QMJHL/European players (e.g. Tomas Holmstrom), but since a lot of the players who seemingly can’t do anything except hit (who are the majority in the NHL) are mostly trained in English Canada, I’m led to believe that Canadian hockey isn’t properly developing its players. Of course, I don’t really blame them- as long as NHL coaches heap more praise on guys who can hit than guys who can score then that’s the player Canadian hockey will produce, because the bottom line is Canadian hockey players dream of being NHLers. Only once coaches realize there’s more to hockey than a big hit will there be a change for the better in offence, because as long as coaches aren’t looking for skill there won’t be any skill- no matter how many rules the NHL puts in.
“The Game of the Century” between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots produced the result we thought it would- a hard-fought, drama filled 24-20 New England victory that was every bit as intense and well played as we thought it would be (okay, save for Peyton Manning’s late interception, but the occasional mistake is allowed). Makes you wish the Colts and Patriots could hook up for the Super Bowl and not the AFC Championship game but, sadly, the AFC title game will have to suffice.
My dream Super Bowl (other than the Buffalo Bills finally making it) would feature an 18-0 New England against the Green Bay Packers. Hey, wouldn’t you want to see Brett Favre have one last shot at glory? Favre may be 38, but he’s again found his enthusiasm and- after seeing him link with Greg Jennings for two consecutive game-winning bombs- his arm, and that’s reason enough to root for him and the Packers to add one last ring to his already filled trophy cabinet.
Make sense of this: in successive weeks, basketball powerhouses Michigan State Spartans fell to the Division II Grand Valley State Lakers 85-82 in double overtime, the Kentucky Wildcats were demolished by Atlantic Sun minnows Gardner-Webb Bulldogs 84-68 and- the biggest shocker of them all- the Illinois Fighting Illini fell 86-82 to the Concordia Stingers, one of the top teams in Canadian college basketball (but still not a team that anyone thought could beat Illinois- witness the Brock Badgers’ demolition at the hands of the Florida Gators last year). Granted, only one of those games “counted”- the Bulldogs-Wildcats game was a regular season game for the 2K Sports Hoops Classic- but the results are still eye-openers nonetheless. It’s upsets like those that make sports the entertainment that it is, because everyone loves an underdog no matter who they beat.
Get this: Adriano, after under-performing for well over two years, has been left off the Inter Milan bench. Not surprisingly, the Brazilian is sulking. Also not surprisingly, his effort hasn’t risen to even merit a second chance. Adriano states the reason for his lacklustre performance is due to a slew of problems that includes alcoholism and depression but (and I hate to sound mean) Adri, if your mind isn’t on soccer, then don’t play. Otherwise, don’t whine when the teamsheets don’t go your way, because Inter Milan are a soccer team- not a therapy session.
So São Paulo won the Brazilian title for the fifth time, which the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is recognizing as the first-ever occurrence, earning São Paulo the right to keep the Brazilian championship trophy. This isn’t even the meat of the story- in 1987, the top sides of Brazilian soccer threatened to breakaway forcing a hastily drawn year-end tournament that featured a “Green Module” (recognized to be “the” first division) and a “Yellow Module” (the “second” division). Flamengo won the Green Module and thus claimed the Brazilian title, but the CBF insisted they play against Sport, the Yellow Module winners. Flamengo, backed by the other big clubs, refused, claiming it legitimately won a recognized “first division” and thus should have a title. The CBF however, left the title “shared” with Sport, meaning in 1992, when Flamengo won the title it was only “officially” its fourth. Now that São Paulo have won a recognized fifth title, Flamengo supporters are up in arms, claiming they should receive the trophy that was won this year and not São Paulo, even though they didn’t bring up the issue until now. The irony? The trophy São Paulo won this year isn’t even the same trophy Flamengo would have won in 1992, as the club stowed away that trophy and forcing the introduction of the one São Paulo is now the holders of. The story is endemic of Brazilian soccer, of which the description “organized chaos” would be kind, but saner heads do exist- Flamengo manager Joel Santana stated the obvious in stating the solution is to hand a trophy to both teams- but, Brazilian soccer being what it is, it’ll be a tall order for those saner heads to prevail.
Last, but not least is a report that a Boston area priest stalked late night comedian Conan O’Brien for well over a year, insisting for a “public confession” so that the priest may give O’Brien “absolution”. It’s believed the priest- who said in one of his letters that he was also seeking a confession from John McEnroe who apparently assaulted the priest while he was in seventh grade- went to Harvard University at the same time as O’Brien, who graduated in 1985, and O’Brien is also involved in charitable work for the Boston archdiocese. If convicted, the priest faces a year in prison. Not surprisingly, the priest was barred entry to a taping of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” (to which he snarled, “is this how you treat your most dangerous fans?”), and, also not surprisingly, the priest has been relieved of his duties as a public minister. The motive? The priest wanted to be famous (at least that’s what documents obtained by The Smoking Gun reports). Therefore, you shall remain anonymous, and here’s hoping it’s you who’ll discover you’re the one who needs “confessing”, not O’Brien.

-DG

The mixed bag of Serie A

2007-11-09T16:27:00.000-05:00

Aside from the World Cup victory, there wasn’t a whole lot to cheer about in Italian soccer in 2006-07. Already rocked in the aftermath of Calciopoli, police officer Filippo Raciti was killed in senseless rioting following Palermo’s 2-1 win at Catania in early February, causing the cancellation of games for the following week (which included Roma-Inter and Italy’s friendly with Romania) and the imposition of tough new stadium security measures that UEFA itself labelled as “extreme but necessary”. The pitch itself didn’t see any major incidents- at least none as big as Calciopoli (not at the moment, anyway)- but those hoping for a close scudetto race would be disappointed. Forget everything said by the naysayers- Inter Milan were head and shoulders above the rest of Serie A in 2006-07 (regardless of the point penalties and Juventus’ absence), comfortably winning the scudetto by 22 points over Roma (a margin greater than any of the point penalties). Inter’s track record also included records for longest winning streak (17), most points (97) and most wins in a season (30), as well as tying the record for earliest scudetto victory (five games). Inter also had a 30 game unbeaten streak, scored the most goals in Serie A (80) and had a 22-game scoring streak. At the peak of Inter’s dominance- from January to March- Inter had become “the most hated team in Italy” to which defender Marco Materazzi- himself no stranger to controversy- replied “that means we’re doing our jobs”.

The summer transfer window provided more heartache for Italian soccer fans, as stars Luca Toni and Cristiano Luccarelli both departed Serie A for Germany’s Bayern Munich and Ukraine’s Šaktar Donetsk (respectively), although neither moved because of the state of Italian soccer- Toni’s departure had been rumoured for a while, while Luccarelli quit his hometown team after fans accused him of throwing a late season game. If that wasn’t enough for Serie A to handle in the preseason, Lazio fans were accused of using racial epithets during a game against Dinamo Bucharest that almost evicted the Biancocelesti, although all Lazio received from UEFA was a fine.

This season presents, perhaps, a different story. Perhaps it was expected given the sensitivities behind the trauma of Raciti’s death, but it seems like every week there are a stories of fan misconduct. Right before the season began, Genoa city officials barred Milan fans were barred from entering the Stadio Luigi Ferraris (Genoa C.F.C.’s home grounds) over fears of violence, and Napoli supporters have seen bans from entering games at Inter Milan earlier in the season (although 1,000 managed to buy tickets for that game), at Palermo this coming Sunday and from their own home ground against Genoa in September (that one being played behind closed doors). Meanwhile, Juventus may face discipline after a slew of incidents during Inter’s visit to Turin that saw the game delayed by 15 minutes.

The news is certainly disheartening; and not just because fan misbehaviour isn’t going away as quickly as the FIGC might have- faintly- hoped. The incidents in question are all over the spectrum- at the extreme end, we have Juventus supporters pelting Inter’s team bus with eggs (causing Inter manager Roberto Mancini to quip his team were pelted “with omelettes”) and holding a sign reading “Zlatan zingaro” (aimed at Inter’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who acrimoniously left Juventus before its Serie B demise in 2006), which translates to either “Zlatan the betrayer” or “Zlatan the gypsy”, meaning the sign could be adjudged to be racism (although Ibrahimovic was born in Bosnia, Bosnians are Slavic much like the ethnic Gypsies, who are Romanian). Not to be outdone are the Napoli tifosi, who were so incensed at a call made during the match against Livorno that bottles were hurled onto the pitch, one of which struck the fourth official.

At the other end of the spectrum, however, reveals just how far- too far- the FIGC directives have gone. The decision to bar Milan fans from Genoa could only be because of sensitivity, since it was only a week prior Lazio had their incident at Dinamo Bucharest. Obviously, the Genoa officials wanted to take no chances, especially after the last game in Genoa between the Ligurian side and Milan in 1995 saw a Genoa fan fatally stabbed. Still, Genoa team officials argued the team- and the country- needed a fresh start and, although another fatal incident would definitely set the season on more of a wrong foot, the stabbing was 12 years ago, and banning fans for something they “might do” (not did) certainly sends the wrong message to them. This false perception is more of a problem with fan treatment as a whole, not just with Milan fans- far too often in European soccer the majority are made to pay for the minority. Granted, incidents such as Raciti’s murder and the stabbing in 1995 are no small incidents, but it needs to be said that those are actions made by a handful of fans, not the fanbase as a whole.

However questionable the Genoa decision may be, nothing could be more absurd than what happened at the Napoli-Livorno match. This isn’t a reference to the bottle-throwing incident, which *is* serious, but a reference to an official removing a sign that simply read “Livorno merde” (“Livorno’s crap”). The official explanation was that the sign was “offensive” and “could spark violence”, which doesn’t need a rebuttal since this is utter nonsense- if Livorno fans can’t handle some playful bantering (which is the message here) then they shouldn’t be attending games (or following soccer) period. Harmless heckling is a fundamental part of the fan experience (no matter the sport), and if the FIGC believes even that could cause problems they’re insulting the fortitude of their fans (not to mention their players). Presumably, the only signs that will be allowed will be ones praising the other team and its players, because any of hint of animosity will be squelched by Big Brother at the FIGC. Yeah, good luck with that- the day I see a Roma supporter holding a sign calling Lazio forward Goran Pandev “the ball wizard” will be the day after Hell freezes over.

At least on the pitch the FIGC has a good story, as six teams are within seven points of first place Inter after 11 games. Inter have set the pace at 25 points, with Fiorentina two points off the trot, Roma three points behind, Juventus four, Udinese six and Atalanta seven. It is not surprising to see Inter and Roma in the championship mix- both teams are improved from the sides that finished one and two last year- but the rest are surprises. Fiorentina looked to be mid-table at best after losing Luca Toni, but a cohesive, determined, team-oriented approach led by a revitalized Adrian Mutu is fueling the Florentine club’s surprising start. Juventus, being a shell of its former all-conquering self, were probably tagged to be at least top six (enough for a UEFA Cup spot), but they’re also putting forward a determined effort, playing with a lunch-pail ethic that’s in sharp contrast to the arrogant sides that dominated the middle part of the decade (and might warm a few Italian hearts if they weren’t Juventus). Udinese showed flashes of brilliance last season- they were the only team Inter did not beat in 2006-07- doing it with the same lunch-pail effort the other “bianconeri” team are using, while Atalanta are led by veteran Cristian Doni (who leads the team in goals (6) and yellow cards (7)), one of Italian soccer’s more under-appreciated players. Right behind Atalanta is Napoli at 15 points, *the* surprise of the season as, despite their status as Italian soccer giants, their “no name roster” didn’t suggest the kind of heights the club is so far achieving this season. Yet the “no names” move the ball rather freely and at will, being sparked by the attacking tandem of Marcelo Zalayeta (four goals) and Roberto Sosa (three), with Maurizio Domizzi chipping in with four from the back end (two of them coming from the spot against Juventus). The tightness of the race is generating interest and drama that was absent from last season’s scudetto race (which was more of a coronation for Inter than an actual competition); although the race was this tight last season as well, so more should be said if the race holds up at Christmas.

At the other end of the pitch story are this year’s biggest disappointments, chief of which being AC Milan, mired in ninth at 14 points, eleven off the trot. Depth is a concern for the men of Carlo Ancelotti (Serie A’s longest serving manager), particularly in the middle as the youngster Youann Gourcuff and the fading Cristian Brocchi have failed to be adequate replacements in the league games for the first choice team which has no problems competing at the European stage. Of course, last season Milan started poorly before roaring to a fourth-place finish last season so there isn’t a lot of panic among the milanisti, but Milan would do better to improve its home record, where they have yet to win and have scored just three times in six games (results that include 0-0 draw with struggling Torino and a 1-0 loss to bottom-of-the-table Empoli). Not to be outdone in the disappointment department is Palermo, who sit in eighth on goal difference tied with Napoli after many prognosticators believed they had a legitimate shot at the title. Palermo is still playing with the effort they displayed last season, but the confidence- particularly at the back- is lacking, which may be a carryover from last year where the team didn’t win for over three months after Raciti’s death, scuttling them down from third to fifth. Sampdoria, a sleeper pick for the title and a threat for European qualification, are also proving to be a disappointment mired in 12th, as the expected goal production from Antonio Cassano (one) hasn’t materialized, although Cassano began the year carrying an injury; while Lazio, who haven’t recovered from the loss of Luis Jimenez’s creativity sit in 15th place. Finally are the cases of last season’s surprise outfits, Empoli and Reggina, the gulf in class catching up to the former, whose plucky play earned them a seventh-place finish last term but are 17th this term, while the latter’s goal scoring woes (seven in eleven games) continue to dog them, gutting one of Serie A’s better defensive sides to a last place start.

Thus, after the first two months of the season, Serie A is a mixed bag of the wrong kind of sorts. The pitch story is there to provide excitement and drama that was missing from last season’s campaign, but the hyper-sensitivity following Raciti’s death is threatening to destroy fan involvement in the game. That action needed to be taken after the riots in Catania is undeniable, but one wonders if the extent of the extreme measures are really as necessary as UEFA suggested because, what good is an exciting pitch story if no one is there to watch it. Thus, Serie A is at a crossroads- it’s either on course for the most exciting, special season in recent memory or in a season that could erode fan interaction for good; and, with all due to respect for the Racitis (who would not want to see the death of the fan experience), that would be the ultimate tragedy.

-DG

DG's Quick Hits, November 2, 2007

2007-11-02T04:59:00.000-04:00

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS GO ON STRIKE

It’s official: the Writer’s Guild of America is going on strike with the main issue being- you guessed it- money. Specifically in this case what is at stake is a cut of the royalties in DVD and Internet distribution. The Guild is demanding a raise to 40% arguing this would make up for the low royalties they received in the VHS era, while the producers do not want to raise the royalty- currently 1.2%- arguing that the market and consumer preferences are not yet known and thus no one knows how much money could be truly generated. What the strike means is the scriptwriters for Hollywood programming- including TV shows and movies- will be off the job starting today, meaning no new scripts can be generated or current scripts edited until the strike is over. Movie production is expected to be the least affected, as scripts have been stockpiled well into next year (although any script issues cannot be reworked until the strike is over), with roughly the same situation affecting prime-time serials (who have scripts into February). Late-night TV is expected to take the most immediate hit, as they rely on current events for material and thus aren’t written in advance; and pilot production would also take a hit as this is the time most pilots are refined and worked into production for the following season. If the strike continues into next year, it’s expected the directors and the actors may soon join the writers, because they have the same grievances as the writers.

The longer ramifications of the strike are open for debate. It is not expected to affect airtime schedules, but the last time the writers went on strike- in 1988- reruns were the order of the day and several shows (including “Moonlighting”) were unable to recover from the lost writing and production time. Now, since 1988 studios now have more options- such as reality TV- but the strike may still have a negative effect on the serials, particularly newer shows which could use refinement in order to produce the quality programming needed to firmly establish their shows as hits. If the directors and writers join their scriptwriter colleagues, it could affect production- even of movies- deep into 2008, creating a very unpredictable entertainment landscape for the end of the decade. At the extreme end is the death of Hollywood- with TV viewership already at an all-time low, the prospect of lower quality shows and movies (not to mention the end of production regarding that programming) could erode away audiences for good; and this isn’t necessarily such a bad predicament- independent filmmakers, looking for a way to barge into the padlocked doors of mass movie presentation, will finally have an inroad as audiences look for something to watch. Thus, the potential for a radical change in entertainment might be in order and that, frankly, is a very entertaining prospect.

THE COLBEAGLE WON’T SOAR AS A DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN

One of the oddest stories in the U.S. Presidential Election race is the fact that Steven Colbert- who poses as a conservative talk-show host (also named “Steven Colbert”, but it is a character and not representative of Colbert himself) on the “Steven Colbert Report” on “Comedy Central”- attempted to get his name on the Presidential primary ballots in his home state of South Carolina as both a Republican and a Democrat (“so (he) could lose twice”). He declined to run on the Republican ballot because their fee- $35,000- was too high (and which would have subjected him to higher scrutiny under Federal Election Law), leaving his only choice with the Democrats, who only demanded $2,500. On November 1, the South Carolina Democrats voted 13-3 not to include Colbert on their ballot, meaning the “Colbeagle” would have to run as an independent.

The South Carolina Democrats- reasonably- thought that Colbert was using the campaign as part of a greater sketch for his show, and I never thought Colbert- whose show is very well crafted but very much a satire- was going to enter politics seriously like Arnold Schwarzenegger did in California. Having said that, it’s still entertaining to see Colbert’s attempt, and the fact that he would garner 13% of American voters says something about the state of American politics- if a comedian who doesn’t appear to have a serious campaign can have a significant portion of the vote then the serious candidates still haven’t struck as much a chord with voters as they thought they did; and it’s easy to see why- after eight years of George W. Bush and five years of a costly, wrong-headed war in Iraq, Americans are not going to wait for the politicians to get their act together. Otherwise, Steven Colbert won’t be running “The Word” out of his Comedy Central studios- he’ll be running it from The White House.

THIS AND THAT

*Montreal Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau objected to Sergei Gonchar’s inclusion on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ shooter list in the deciding shootout of the Canadiens’ 4-3 victory. Gonchar received a minor penalty for boarding (which should have been higher but that’s beside the point), and despite the fact that Gonchar missed, Carbonneau believed Gonchar shouldn’t participate since he had a penalty. Hockey people are supportive of the idea as players in the penalty box at the start of overtime stay in the box until their penalty is finished, but what they are missing is the fact shootouts are not timed. In overtime, there is a natural point when a player can return (the corresponding second in the period when the penalty expires) but shootouts don’t have a clock and thus provide no natural point of return. If they wish to pursue this angle, at least prevent a penalized player from participating as one of the first three shooters, but do not bar them completely (unless they’ve been tossed from the game itself)- if a player can return for overtime, he can return for a shootout.

*Another hair-brained hockey idea: Brian Burke, GM of the Anaheim Ducks, is positing the idea of allowing players to “bear hug” opponents when they’re along the boards because the “new rules” provide no leeway for defenders to adequately handle their opponent. TSN’s Keith Jones supported the idea because “coaches are teaching their players to cross-check opponents to push them off the puck” but even this is nonsensical. “Bear hugging” would legalize holding since referees would have to make a distinction between defenders just using the opponent for balance and defenders actually obstructing player movement (and it’s this judgement call that led to the dreaded “clutching and grabbing”), and cross-checking is itself illegal. Besides, defenders can still push players off the puck with their shoulders, lift the opponent’s stick or put the blade of their sticks on the puck to wrestle it away from the attacker. Such plays should be routine for hockey defenders, but because of the laxity of the rules until now, everyone seems to think the rules are restrictive when they just require a different- but no less complicated- set of options. Hockey has gone so far since they went to the standard and can only get better; and hockey people should be supportive of the directives and let the game develop instead of insisting things go back to the way they were just because the changes aren’t developing as quickly as they’d like them to.

*The Kobe Bryant trade rumours refuse to die, even though a proposed trade with the Chicago Bulls has apparently gone by the wayside due to the fact that the Bulls were not willing to part with Luol Deng or Ben Gordon. Although Bryant has retracted his demands, his coach, Phil Jackson, insists Bryant lacks the mentality to compete and the Los Angeles Lakers need to start over. Of course, given the talent of Bryant, finding a fit may be next to impossible, especially considering that the Lakers were jobbed in the Shaquille O’Neal trade. Still, I don’t think Bryant will last the season as a Laker- things are boiling over too much for that to be a certainty.

*Most pointless story of the football season: Georgia Bulldogs Mark Richt allowed his entire team to come onto the field and celebrate the Bulldogs’ first touchdown in their game against the Florida Gators. Some viewed the move as un-sportsmanlike by “rubbing it in”, but the Gators and Bulldogs are rivals- as long as players aren’t involved in fisticuffs, it’s all fair game. Besides, teams should be allowed to have a bit more fun- the way football people moan about celebrations, it seems like no one can be happy at all, and, last I checked, this was still a game and a game should be fun.

*I also will not discuss the Patriots and the Colts…oh, never mind. I just won’t get into it, because the sports reporters will do that for you…it would be funny if the Houston Texans-Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks-Cleveland Browns games (which are on at the same time) turns out to be the better games but I digress.

-DG

DG’s Quick Hits October 29, 2007

2007-10-30T03:18:00.000-04:00

RED SOX WIN SECOND SERIES IN FOUR YEARS

In 2004, no one expected the Boston Red Sox to overcome the Curse of the Bambino in winning the World Series, but they did just that overcoming a 3-0 series deficit against the hated New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series while going on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 to capture their first Series in 86 years. This year, they didn’t have any cure but that didn’t stop the Sox from overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the Cleveland Indians in this year’s ALCS while stomping all over the overmatched Colorado Rockies in a four game Series Sweep. In 2004, no one outside of the Red Sox clubhouse expected the Sox to win the Series, this year everyone in baseball saw it from a mile away as soon as Boston claimed first in the AL East way back in mid-April and held on to the end. In doing so, Boston exposed a Colorado team that surprisingly wasn’t hitting, shutting them down with their excellent pitching staff while clobbering the Rockies’ staff who must have felt they were under siege the entire Series.

The victory is no doubt going to raise questions about baseball’s economic system simply because Boston- usually lumped with the Yankees in terms of baseball’s “big spenders”- won. However, since 2001 (when baseball ratified its new collective bargaining agreement) there have been six different Series winners, with only one- Boston- winning it twice. Besides, we should give the new CBA a chance- 20 different teams made the playoffs since 2001, an impressive feat given the fact that each year only eight teams qualify, so on both counts it’s not like the same teams rotate earning the prize like it is in European soccer. On the other hand, Red Sox fans must be wondering if they’ve become the Yankees and the Yankees have become the Red Sox- I mean, now Boston is winning and the Yankees are choking. Oh how quickly the tide turns.

SO MUCH FOR “THE STANDARD”

Two days after Philadelphia Flyer Randy Jones levelled Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron into the boards during the Flyers’ 2-1 win, the National Hockey League suspended Jones for just two games. NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell, the one who is mainly responsible for handing out suspensions, stated in the league’s press release (NHL.com) that the hit wasn’t comparable to earlier hits to the head (like Jesse Boulerice’s hit on Ryan Kesler and Steve Downie’s hit on Dean McAmmond), adding that while Jones hit an unsuspecting Bergeron, he didn’t “intend to injure his opponent”.

Campbell is correct that Jones’ hit wasn’t as dangerous as Boulerice’s hit or Downie’s hit (it also wasn’t as dangerous as Nashville Predator Jordin Tootoo’s unpunished charge on Phoenix Coyote Daniel Winnik but that’s another matter), but it could be reasonably argued that neither Boulerice (who was battling with Kesler at the time) or Downie (whose hit was reckless but probably wasn’t targeted at McAmmond exclusively- he would have dinged whomever was coming around the net) intended to injure their opponents either. Furthermore, looking at the video, it’s apparent Jones hit Bergeron from behind, Bergeron didn’t suspect the hit coming, Jones left his feet and used his elbow, which, under my own math, should equal at least ten games, at least if we’re to believe the NHL’s new standards on hits. Of course, that should have also meant that Tootoo should have been suspended for his obvious charge on Winnik, but who watches a game between Nashville and Phoenix anyway? In any case, the message the NHL is sending is clear- it doesn’t care about violence. Otherwise, it’d crack down hard on it, not lessen up simply because too many “hockey people” (who took too many hits themselves it seems) whine about how “there’s no hitting left in the game”.

THIS AND THAT

The biggest loser in Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory’s failed bid to land a seat in the Ontario legislature may be Ontario itself. While the Conservatives were probably a long shot to win Ontario anyway, Tory is far and away the province’s best leader. Here’s hoping he gets another shot.
Earlier last week, I had an unexpected road trip to Pittsburgh when my friends and I didn’t realize that a Leaf game against the Penguins was in Pittsburgh. The trip was still an eye-opener, because Mellon Arena was packed with Penguin jerseys and a crowd far more vocal than it ever gets at the Air Canada Centre, where Leaf fans are priced out of their favourite team’s arena. It’s been said that Toronto could support a second NHL team- now it’s a case that they need one, because the Leaf organization is certainly abusing its monopoly.
PJ Stock on the poor defending by the New York Rangers on Nikolai Antropov’s 3-1 goal for Toronto: “in the old days, you used to be able to shove him down and cross check him but they don’t allow that anymore. They should go back to that.” Uh, P.J., that’s against the rules- knocking a player down is interference, and cross-checking is already a penalty. What the Ranger defender should have done was move his stick in such a position that he can put the blade of his stick in front of Antropov’s stick, tip or lift Antropov’s stick as soon as he receives the puck or even “nudge” Antropov out of the way in trying to establish his own positioning. All such moves are legal hockey moves, and should be routine decisions by defensemen. Some days I wonder when hockey people will end their crusade against the NHL referees that “unfairly penalized them” and just understand that the game is now being called by the book (there’s no new rules) and that the game is better off because of it. The way hockey people talk you’d think that defending is impossible when the game is called by the book and it isn’t- the options are there, people now just have to realize it.
I know it’s old, but Steve Kouleas mentioned on The Spin while commenting on Jesse Boulerice’s hit that he didn’t remember Original Six era players receiving the same kind of disrespect that NHLers receive nowadays. He may be right, but let’s also not forget how the game was played in the Original Six era- with six teams, at most only the best 100 hockey players could play in the NHL, whereas today over 700 players will compete in the NHL by the year’s end (counting minor league call-ups). Furthermore, due to the size of the league, teams played each other 14 times, now, with 30 NHL teams, clubs play each other eight times if they’re divisional opponents, four times if they’re conference opponents and just once if they’re inter-conference opponents, with the divisional games all spread out through the year. That means that one, fringe players today don’t possess nearly as much skill as the fringe players of the Original Six (and thus today the most some players could do is lay a cheap shot) and two, players don’t see each other enough to really gain enough respect for each other. Sure, players can research opponents online but it’s not the same as it would be if they played them, and in the Original Six era, you were guaranteed to play each other at least once a week. That’s a world of difference than it is today.
While we’re on the subject of the Original Six, if Ross Bernstein, author of “The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting And Retaliation In The NHL”, is correct, players actually struck each other with sticks until they hit the bone. Something tells me that the battles we see today are pretty tame.
Don’t look now, but the Buffalo Bills are 3-4 after that stunning 13-3 victory over the New York Jets, with games against the defensively inept Cincinnati Bengals and the simply inept Miami Dolphins in the next two weeks, meaning Buffalo could be 5-4 by the time they play the New England Patriots on November 18. Of course, before Bills fans get giddy let’s also not forget that Buffalo let a winnable game against Denver get away from them in Week One and that Miami is still Miami, meaning those records will be meaningless come game time. Still, the prospect of a 5-4 Buffalo team is a positive development for a team that’s had so much go wrong for so long.
So the New England Patriots scored 52 on the hapless Washington Redskins…so what. As Mike Wilbon himself put it, “they’re professionals, if you don’t want them to score, stop ’em.” Yeah, running up the score is classless, but these are the Redskins, not Trinity College- Washington are technically the same league as New England and aren’t that far below the Patriots, so there’s no reason for New England to “let up” if they have the chance. Besides, back-up quarterback Matt Cassel got a touchdown- that says something about how Bill Belichick treated the final few moments of the game, and just how good the Redskins really are.
If the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts will be playing each other to determine who gets to stay undefeated, can the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams- the two winless teams remaining this season- play each other so one team can get a win? Of course, that begs the question- does anyone *want* to see those two teams play? Watching the Dolphins flail around against the New York Giants in London and the Rams blow a two touchdown lead at home against the Cleveland Browns makes me think a Miami-St. Louis game would be a 3-0, penalty-filled contest…or even 0-0…oh, the horrors of that!
Hey, Toronto Blue Jay fans- Mike Lowell, World Series MVP, is a free agent. Wouldn’t he be a nice fit on a Jays team that lacks intensity and leadership? The Jays have the talent to compete with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, just not the mental toughness to do so. Lowell would go a long way in rectifying that, even if it means having to give up on Troy Glaus.
So, Juventus are stuck in fourth on 17 points following a 3-1 loss to Napoli (their first loss to Napoli since March 25, 1990, a streak of 18 winless games), and AC Milan are stuck in 13th on a measly 10 points. Meanwhile, Inter Milan are leading Serie A with 21 points. I know it’s early in the season, but maybe this means that Inter really are that good and that last year- when Milan went on a similar dizzy spell- Milan really didn’t stand a chance for the scudetto in 2006-07. Of course, Juventus fans, if their team loses, would probably whine about how Calciopoli robbed them of their best players (in particular Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira, mainstays at Inter now) and that this year’s title “won’t count”. Oh well- it wouldn’t be Italian soccer if someone didn’t whine.
Speaking of implosions, does anyone know what’s going on at Chelsea? Jose Mourinho, the team’s best manager in their history, leaves in a huff after the team draws 1-1 at home to Rosenborg of Norway in the Champions League to compliment an ugly start to the Premiership season despite the fact he won the FA Cup in 2007 and the 2005 and 2006 Premierships with the team. Then questions start abounding on the commitments of several key players to the team, foremost amongst them Didier Drogba, amidst the hiring of former Ajax Amsterdam manager (and noted disciplinarian) Henk Ten Cate as an assistant to Mourinho’s replacement Avram Grant. The team’s 2-0 win over Schalke 04 in the Champions League should right the ship somewhat, but right now this is still a team in disarray.
Story of the season: Manchester City. Don’t look now but Sven-Goran Eriksson has the club third in England with 22 points, four behind co-leaders Manchester United and Arsenal. City has already beaten United this season, and a Premiership victory would go a long way to casting City out of United’s long shadow. Of course, losing 6-0 to Chelsea doesn’t help Eriksson’s title aspirations, but if there is something City fans can draw upon, it’s the fact that Eriksson is a winner, moulding a consistently strong English national team and Lazio to the 2000 scudetto. City are on their way up.
Speaking of remarkable results, take a look at what Walter Smith is doing at Rangers: seven points in the Champions’ League, including a strong performance in a 0-0 draw against Barcelona and a 3-0 win over Lyon, and second in Scotland, three points behind Celtic (whom Smith beat 3-0 earlier in the year), a much closer result than the mile behind the team finished in 2006-07. It’s probably too early to crown Rangers as champions this year, but if Smith- who last managed Rangers in 1998- plays his cards right, he just might add European hardware to Rangers’ stockpiled cupboards.
I know this is old, but Craig Forrest needs to stop viewing the Canadian national team with rose-coloured glasses. During Canada’s friendly against Costa Rica, he admonished the fact that Canada’s U-20 players all listed foreigners as their favourite players, citing the reason as a lack of exposure for the Canadian national team. Craig, the real reason why no one picked a Canadian player is because they stink. Okay, I’m being harsh to some of the Canadian players who do possess world-class talent, but you can’t tell me you’d take Dwayne De Rosario, Atiba Hutchinson, Julian de Guzman or Paul Stalteri over the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Zinedine Zidane, or David Beckham, no matter how good any of them are.
Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports wrote a story stating that Thierry Henry said he’d consider signing in the U.S. Rogers used the story as proof that Major League Soccer is a legitimate major league, but he- like the rest of the overtly giddy North American media- forget that quality is what makes a major league, not a league’s title. Henry’s contract with Barcelona runs out when he’s 33, and, depending on Barcelona’s successes in his three years there, Henry might not leave when he’s 33, because at that age he can still contribute to a Barcelona title drive. Considering that the MLS has nothing to offer European stars except a break from the overbearing European press (as the really prestigious titles are in Europe), there’s no reason to believe a mass exodus of European stars is about to happen any time soon. Plus, the MLS does a poor job of keeping its own quality players- the likes of Tim Howard, Cory Gibbs, Kasey Keller, Clint Dempsey, Bobby Convey and DaMarcus Beasley (among others) all play in Europe. Americans, who are used to watching the best baseball players, the best basketball players and (presumably, considering it’s played nowhere else) the best football players, aren’t drawn to the sport unless they’re watching the best (a fact not mentioned by the North American soccer press), so regardless of how “good” the MLS is, unless the league becomes a real quality league (at least in terms of American talent) then the sports-buying public will stay away in droves. I, for one, hope that soccer can catch on in North America because it’s a great sport, but the MLS needs to improve its talent level (especially in terms of American talent) first. Otherwise, as long as casual soccer fans know that the MLS is a soccer bush league and that the real soccer quality is on at 7AM on a Saturday, soccer in the U.S. will get the attention it deserves- nothing.
Rogers also wrote that Toronto FC is proof of the MLS’ legitimacy because TFC managed to create a “buzz” in Toronto for the sport by appealing to soccer’s traditions (such as not using a nickname). Being a Toronto resident, I can safely say there is no “buzz” for TFC at all- all summer, the Blue Jays and Argonauts dominated sports talk, often burying TFC coverage which often felt “thrown in” (like hockey often is in the U.S.). Of course, TFC were garbage but the team didn’t receive nearly as much press as the Raptors did in their first season. I’ll give TFC the benefit of the doubt in that it is Year One, but, like the MLS, TFC has a long way to go before it can safely establish a solid place in the Toronto sporting landscape.
Last, but not least is TFC manager Martin Johnston’s plea to have TFC’s Canadian quota reduced to five from 11, because it hamstrung Johnston’s team depth in the face of so many TFC injuries. This is a move I would not support, because the goal of TFC was to promote Canadian talent and reducing the amount of spots for them defeats the purpose. Of course, a real Canadian league would be a nice alternative, but considering we in Canada think we can’t operate anything without the Americans’ help, that’s not going to be happening anytime soon.

-DG