NHL Quarter Mark - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Now that the NHL is at the 1/4 mark, its always nice to take a look at where we are up to this point.  There's been a few surprises this season so sit back, relax, and take in what this 2014-15 season has already had to offer.

The Good

1.  Marc-Andre Fleury 

Say what you want about Fleury's performance in the playoffs, the guy is flat out one of the best regular season goalies in the NHL.  After getting a pretty solid contract from the Penguins at the beginning of the year, Fleury has proven he was worth it by having his best statistical start to the season of his career.  Stacking a 1.97 GAA / .933 SVP / 19 W (6 shutouts) line, right now Fleury should not only be in the early Vezina talks - he should be leading them.  

2.  Peter Laviolette

Turns out that Peter Laviolette is actually a pretty good coach, if you didn't know that already.  Clearly Philly didn't know that when the booted him out the door and now Nashville is reaping the benefits of his excellent, up tempo coaching style.  It also helps to have one of the best goalies in the world back and healthy after being in and out all last year with various injuries.  I don't know if they can keep this up, what with their lack of scoring depth, but right now they're the underdog story of the year so far.  Keep it up Preds.  

3. Tampa Bay's Scoring Depth

Looking at Tampa Bay's roster at the beginning of the year, I knew they were going to be a VERY good team.  They have a ton of talent up front and their third and forth lines are in the top 5 in the NHL.  Not only has Tampa Bay filled those hefty expectations, they've blown them out of the water. Johson, Kucherov, Palat, Killorn and Drouin are all playing way above their years, especially Drouin who has only been playing in the NHL for a few months now.  Um...Stamkos who? 

4. New York Islanders' Front Office 

I'm so used to the Islanders being at the bottom of the standings that always write them off at the beginning of the season just out of principal.  I may have jumped the gun here as the Islanders made a lot of really, really good moves this offseason.  Pilfering Johnny Boychuk from the Bruins is looking like the steal of the century and has helped stabilize a pretty now solid blue line and Jaroslav Halak is once again proving he can win in any place except the playoffs.  Look for these newly refurbished Islanders to make a splash in the Eastern conference this season, especially since they reside in the epic crap storm that is the Metro Division. 

6.Ryan Miller 

There was a lot of speculation coming into the season as to whether or not a fire sale was coming in Vancouver.  They're getting older and in a very competitive Western Conference, it appeared that another postless season was incoming.  Enter Ryan Miller, who, for some reason after his failure in St. Louis, was no longer considered a top tier goaltender at the beginning of the season.  Miller has helped stabilize what was a rather shoddy goaltending duo of  Lack / Markstrom last year and has provided a new source of veteran leadership in the locker room.  The Canucks hot start is not all credited to him but his impact on this team cannot be overlooked. 

7. Mark Giordano
Don't let the Flames early season success fool you, this team still is not very good.  That being said, their early season success can be attributed a lot to captain Mark Giordano who is putting together a Norris Trophy campaign up to this point and providing a great role model for a Flames team which is made up of mostly rookies.  This team will in all likely hood will not make the playoffs but that doesn't make what Giordano has done and what he could do this season any less special.

The Bad

1.  The Flyers Front Office
For the past few seasons, I've seen the Flyers trade away all their skilled players for what amounts to a steaming pile of crap.  Richards, JVR, Bobrovsky, Carter - the list goes on and on.  I knew this kind of season was coming for the Flyers, it was just a matter of time the culmination of all these horrible trades came to fruition - and here it is.  I can't even begin to describe how much I have hated the moves this front office has made the past few seasons.  Steve Mason is not a staring goaltender, no matter how well he played last season.  Vinny Lecavalier is a shell of the player he once was.  Andrew McDonald is a third pairing defenseman and is being payed like a top tier one.  Both Schenn brothers are vastly overrated.  RJ Umberger is not even close to as good a player as Scott Hartnell is - I don't care how much cap you saved trading him away.  The list goes on and on.  This team has so many holes, so many flaws that I don't think they're going to be really competitive again for a long time - even with top world talent like Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. It's gong to be a rough year in Philly...and I don't really see it getting any better any time soon.


2. Colorado's Regression
Last season, a young, talented Avalanche squad surprised a lot of people (myself included) by taking the top spot in the Central Division - before swiftly falling in the playoff to the Minnesota Wild. The team showed a lot of promise considering how young they are and with a little bit more veteran leadership they could be a really great time.  Then the offseason hit, and they lost one of their best centermen in the form of Paul Stasney - and then replaced him with a rapidly aging Jarome Iginla.  That's where their problems began.  The Avalanche quickly showed at the beginning of the season that it is in fact no longer 2013.  They limped out of the gate, showing incredible regression in all aspects of the game.  They can't score even close to as much as they did last season - and their defense is no where near good enough to make up for it.  Semyon Varlamov hasn't played badly, just not up to where he was last season - and no where near well enough to make up for the rest of the team's slack.  Colorado can be a good team, the pieces are there - but in a insanely competitive Western Conference it's very unlikely that they'll be able to rebound from this putrid spot they've found themselves in.  Hey, there's always next year.

3. Boston's Offensive Woes 
The Bruins are built around is defense - specifically Zedno Chara.  Chara is getting older, and with his former fellow blue liner Johnny Boychuk shipped of to New York he is being looked upon to provide even more than he did in the past.  You can only ask so much from a guy who's pushing 40.  There's been noticeable regression in the defensive side of the game because of it - and it's brought to light just how offensively impotent this team really is. Their top line of Krejci, Eriksson and Lucic just does not have enough firepower to be effective night in and night out, especially since how bad Eriksson has been since he got to Boston. This team is still very good, especially on the back end and in net but they may need shake things up on the offensive front if they hope to make it back into the postseason race.

4. Dallas's Defense 
Before the season began, I had the Dallas Stars listed as one of my dark horses in the Western Conference.  They had a solid showing in the playoffs last season despite being eliminated in the first round and had plenty of room for improvement in the offseason - something that GM Jim Nill took very seriously.  Trading for Jason Spezza and signing Ales Hemsky early on proved that Nill was serious at taking a shot this season. One thing Nill forgot to address is the gaping hole in defense after Alex Goligoski.  I mean it's really really bad.  Despite how good their offense is, what with two of the best players in the league in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin - their defense is that much worse.  The only way the Stars win is if they put up 7 goals a night.  And even then it's a struggle to keep the puck out of the net (especially of Lindback is in net). Unless a move is made, and made soon, Dallas will sadly miss the playoffs despite having one of the moss successful offseasons in the NHL.

5. The Injury Ridden Blue Jackets 
When a young Blue Jackets squad pushed the big, bad Penguins to their limit last postseason, a lot of people thought it was the beginning of something in Columbus.  With a lot of their team returning, Columbus was poised to make a run in one of the top 3 spots in a very weak Metro Division, as opposed to sneaking in as a wild card as the did the previous year.  Then, the shit hit the fan.  I believe at the worst of it as many as 12 regulars were out of the lineup, many of which were top line players.  Only time will tell of the Jackets can recover from this absurd brash of injuries (they're in the right division to do it), but they better hope that some of their terrible luck turns around and they start getting some of their key players back soon.

The Ugly 

1. The Oiler Crapstorm
You know, I could go on and on about just how poor this team is run.  But if you follow hockey at all you know that.  The Oilers are just, terrible.  There's no way else to put it.  Just prepare yourselves everyone for the impending fire-sale, because it has the chance to be a legendary one.

2. Staaled in Carolina
I said it when the Hurricanes signed Jordan Staal and I'll say it again, YOU CANNOT BUILD AN ENTIRE TEAM AROUND THE STAAL BROTHERS.  Yet the people Hurricanes still try, year in and year out and the results are about what you'd expect.  This team, much like the Oilers, are very very bad and there's really no hope in sight. Ya, it's going to be a rough season.

3. Buffalo and the Race for McDavid
Buffalo is not a good team, we all knew this at the beginning of the year.  A lot of that though is by design, as the Sabers, presumably, planned on tanking this season in order to get first dibs on future NHL franchise savior Connor McDavid (aka. the next Sidney Crosby).  One thing they did not expect is that they'd have so much competition in the form of the Hurricanes and Oilers.  Listen Buffalo, if you're going to tank, tank.  Stop winning.  McDavid is worth tanking for as this team desperately needs a player of his caliber.  So get to losing. 

Pittsburgh Pirates - Free Agent Targets

Ahh yes, free agency.

The best part of any off season. 

The Pirates have a lot of needs this off season and plenty of targets to go after.  Of course, they have a bevy of free agents themselves they need to think long and hard about before keeping them (I'm looking at you Frankie).  Here's a short list of Top 10 Free Agents that fit the Pirates needs.  

Also, this list takes into consideration that the Pirates are not able to outspend pretty much anyone when it comes to salaries.  

#10: Emilio Bonifacio - 2B

On the not so off chance that Neil Walker does not stay in Pittsburgh (an option that will become increasingly more likely if #1 on this list is signed) then the Pirates will have to look for another option at second base.  Sadly, I have no faith in Pedro Alvarez being able to reclaim his place at third base, meaning that Josh Harrison will have to stay there and not slide over to a possibly departing Neil's spot. Which means there is really no in house option, at least for another 2-3 years.  Bonifiacio, who you might remember who hit .700 against the Pirates in their opening series against the Cubs last season, is a reliable player who has fits any lineup nicely.  His numbers are not staggering - you can only expect a .250-.270 hitter during a good year and maybe 5-7 HRs.  He would be a downgrade over Walker, a pretty significant one, but in terms of bang for your buck second basemen, Bonifacio is one of the best available.  

#9: Justin Masterson - SP-RH

Oh Justin Masterson.  I've saw Masterson show flashes of brilliance during his time in Cleveland.  The guy eats innings.  He's a 3/4 starter, not an ace by any stretch.  If he's having a good season, he'll probably have around a 3-3:50 ERA.  That being said, if he can stay healthy he can, like I said, eat innings like no other pitcher in the MLB.  Pirates starting pitchers last year often had a problem of not going late into games, wearing down the bullpen which defiantly started to show later in the season. Masterson had a terrible season last year, both in Cleveland and especially in St. Louis. Perfect.  Just the kind candidate Ray Searage specializes in - older pitchers who have lost their way.  There's plenty of upside to Masterson...but also plenty of risk.  That being said, there was even more risk with Edison Volquez last year and look how that turned out.  

RAY SEARAGE MAGIC POWERS ACTIVATE!

#8: Josh Johnson - RP-RH

Two seasons ago, Josh Johnson was the best closer in baseball, leading the league in saves with 51 for the Baltimore Orioles.  Clearly the Orioles saw a storm coming because that's exactly what happened with Johnson last season in Oakland.  It was so bad in fact, that Josh was chased out of Oakland and eventually signed a minor league deal with Detroit - but never actually made it back to the majors after being dropped by the As.  This is all good for the Pirates.  When Josh Johnson is healthy, he's in the Top 10 relievers in baseball.  When he's not, he's really really really really bad. (Think Ernesto Frieri but with much more upside).  Due to his putrid last season, he'll come cheap for the Pirates....with the hope that Jedi Master Searage can work his Jedi powers on him and turn him into the guy who saved 50+ games for the Orioles two seasons ago. 

#7: Jason Hammel - SP-RH

Ray Searage. Project.  Lots of upside.  Lots of risk.  Seeing a pattern here? Hammel was one of the best pitchers in the league last year before his trade to the As about a month before the trade deadline. And that's when the wheels fell out.  It's clear that Hammel prefers pitching in the NL and a switch back will be a very welcome reunion between Hammel and which ever team signs him.  Hammel is still relatively young for a pitcher for what you can get him for.  If he can keep that form he had at the beginning of last year for just 3/4 of a season, he'll be well worth the price of a contract.  

#6: Brett Anderson - SP-LH

The biggest wild card in the free agent market this off season, Anderson is a fireball throwing southpaw who I'm sure couldn't be happier that he no longer has to pitch in the ERA black hole that is Coors Field.  With so much upside I think Anderson could be the big steal of this free agency period.  The guy has never pitched anywhere else in Colorado.  I can guarantee that no matter where he goes his ERA will plummet compared to any of his seasons in Colorado because black hole. 

#5: Tom Gorzelanny - LHP

I've always liked Gorzy.  Now that he's a free agent, despite his struggle against lefties last year (which was an exception in his career, not a norm) I think he has plenty left in the tank for a bullpen that desperately needs to fill the void between the starter and closer. If key here is if he can stay healthy.  If he can I feel like he can be a huge piece to any bullpen, which will hopefully be the Pirates.

#4: Michael Morse - 1B
Right now, first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates is an empty shell.  A black hole where careers go to die and batting averages go to plummet.  Ike Davis needs to go and Gabby Sanchez only deserves to stay around as a bench player at best.  Right now, the starting first baseman for the Pirates would be the epic crapstorm of last season - former third baseman Pedro Alvarez.   Projecting how he will do is almost impossible.  Will we get the Pedro who took the NL home run crown two seasons ago, or the one last season who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.  Or throw a ball to first base.  I have no idea.  Enter Michael Morse.  Morse started last year on fire, hitting his 10 of his 16 home runs in the first 2 months of the season.  Then he dropped off a cliff, which could have had something to do with injures he sustained during the season.  Morse is a much better hitter than Pedro, average wise (is anyone worse?) and his power has right handed bat would complement Pedro's left handed power very nicely.  I'm not exactly sure what his market price will be due to his terrible second half - but power is always a highly sought after piece for any team.  And power is something Morse has defiantly shown he has.   

#3:  Like Gregerson -RHP
The one two punch of Gregerson/Doolittle in Oakland was a pretty formidable combo.  Doolittle got all the saves, and therefore all the recognition. Set up guys never get too much time in the spotlight.  Which is good for the Pirates because Gregerson has the stuff to be one of the best set up men in baseball - or one of the best closers, which ever one the Pirates need more.  The best thing about Gregerson is his consistency.  You can put him out there and you know exactly what you're going to get night in and night out, a top tier reliever with a low to mid 2 ERA.  Much of this depends on the Pirates decision to retain current closer Mark Melancon, who has been pretty consistently great in his own regard since joining the Pirate. That being said, a the combo of the two of them would be pretty hard to stop.  And a four punch combo of Holdzkrom, Watson, Gregerson and Melancon......that would be just terrifying.

#2: Brandon McCarthy
After being traded to the Yankees, McCarthy was simply one of the best pitchers in baseball last year. His strikeout/walk ratio was excellent, he gives up very few home runs (only 25 last year) and is a ground ball machine.  The risk you take is, which Brandom McCarthy do you get.  The one who was absolutely terrible for the Diamondbacks with an ERA over 5, or the one for the Yankees with and ERA under 2.5.  The last couple players the Pirates pilfered form the Yankees have done very well, Russell Martin being the prime example.  McCarthy will be a little more expensive than all the other pitchers on this list and stands to reason that the Pirates might not be able to afford him - but if they can he can be a great piece to a rather underwhelming starting rotation.

#1: Russell Martin
He's been the second most important player on the Pirates the past two seasons next to Andrew McCutchen.  You could argue that he's even more important.  He can hit.  He has power.  He's the best in the the majors at stopping the running game.  He's a great veteran presence in the locker room and he handles a pitching staff better than any other catcher in baseball.  He's the most important piece for the Pirates to go after this off season and they need to throw as much money at him as possible in the hopes that he stays.  Because the next best catcher on the market is Geovany Soto...who may as well be Rod Barajas compared to Martin.  

NHL Season Preview - Atlantic Division

Atlantic Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning 

2. Boston Bruins

3. Montreal Canadiens  

4. Florida Panthers

5. Detroit Red Wings

6. Ottawa Senators

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

8. Buffalo Sabers 

Tampa Bay

Additions: Brenden Morrow (F), Brian Boyle (F), Jason Garrison (D), Anton Stralman (D), Evgeni Nabokov (G)

Subtractions: Teddy Purcell (F), Nate Thompson (F), Matt Kostka (D), Kevin Aulie (D), Anders Lindback (G)

Key Player: Ben Bishop 

Dark Horse: Jason Garrison

Most Likely to be a Bum: Evgeni Nabokov

Final Take:  Flat out one of the deepest teams in the league and their off season moves just amplified that fact.  If Bishop can stay healthy and if Drouin can have a breakout rookie season, look for this team to not only challenge the Bruins for the Atlantic crown but also take a serious shot at capturing the Stanley Cup this postseason. 

Boston Bruins

Additions: - 

Subtractions: Jarome Iginla (F), Andrej Maszaros (D), Shawn Thornton (F), Chad Johnson (G), Johnny Boychuk (D)

Key Player: Torey Krug

Dark Horse: Reily Smith

MLTBAB: Gregory Campbell

Final Take: The Bruins will be good and they will make the playoffs again. Shocker. The question will be if whether or not they can make up for the players they lost with the players they already have, a question I honestly cannot answer.  Also, Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton better not have sophomore slumps...or get hurt...or take a game off, because the Bruins are putting a lot of faith in those young D-Men and no longer have the luxury to replace them if they go down.

Montreal Canadiens

Additions: P-A Parenteau (F), Manny Malhotra (F), Tom Gilbert (D)

Subtractions: Thomas Vanek (F), Josh Gorges (D), Brian Gionta (F), Daniel Briere (F), Devan Dubnyk (G)

Key Player: P.K. Subban

Dark Horse: P.A. Parenteau

MLTBAB: Brandon Prust

Final Take: The Habs are basically the same team they were last year.  Much of their success will come from whether or not Carey Price can stay healthy and whether or not Subban can live up to his new, humongous contract. Either way I see the Habs making it back to the playoffs - whether they get very far is a story in and of itself. 

Florida Panthers

Additions: Jussi Jokinen (F), Dave Bolland (F), Derek MacKenzie (F), Shawn Thornton (F), Willie Mitchel (D), Al Montoya (G), Aaron Ekblad (D - Draft Pick)

Subtractions: Tom Gilbert (D), Jess Winchester (F), Scott Clemmensen (G)

Key Player: Roberto Luongo

Dark Horse: Aaron Ekblad

MLTBAB: Shawn Thornton

Final Take: They threw money at every free agent available and will hope they somehow fit together to create a winning team.  Around the free agents, however, are plenty of great young players including 2014 #1 overall pick Aaron Ekblad.  If the young guns on Florida can produce and take major strides during the season than Florida will end up being pretty solid. If not....well ya they will probably suck.  

Hey, at least they finally have a goaltender worth a damn. 

Detroit Red Wings

Additions: - 

Subtractions: David Legwand (F), Corey Emmerton (F)

Key Player: Pavel Datsyuk

Dark Horse: Tomas Tatar

MLTBAB: Jonas Gustavsson

Final Take: This team is old as balls. Seriously.  Somehow, they keep making it to the playoffs, probably because they have the best coach in the game. I think, however, that that will catch up with them this season as I can't see this team scoring enough goals to win day in and day out.  And their defense is......well it's just not good enough to win low scoring games all the time. 

Ottawa Senators

Additions: David Legwand (F), Alex Chiasson (F)

Subtractions: Jason Spezza (F), Ales Hemskey (F)

Key Player: Craig Anderson

Dark Horse: Kyle Turris

MLTBAB: David Legwand

Final Take: This team better hope Erik Karlsson scores 5 goals a night because looking at their lineup of forwards, with the exception of Bobby Ryan, is absolutely horrendous - especially down the middle.  The fans in Ottawa better hope Anderson finds his form from two years ago as well because if he has another season like last one, combined with the loss of Jason Spezza, could result in a disastrous season for the Sens.  Side note: When Kyle Turris is your number one center, you can only expect so much from your team - mainly that you're going to blow chunks. 

Toronto Maple Leafs

Additions: Leo Komarov (F), Mike Santorelli (F), Matt Frattin (F), Stephane Robidas (D), Roman Polak (D), Petri Kontiola (F)

Subtractions: David Bolland (F), Carl Gunnarsson (D), Nikolai Kulemin (F), Tim Gleason (D), Jarred McClement (F), Mason Raymond (F)

Key Player: Jonathan Bernier/James Reimer

Dark Horse: David Clarkson

MLTBAB: Colton Orr

Final Take: They Leafs will never win.  This team has so many problems, starting from its terrible core of players all the way to its terrible ownership. The only way I could see this team doing anything is if one of its goalies stands on their heads, something that has a very little chance of happening considering who's in net. Plain and simple, the Leafs suck. And will suck for many years to come. 

Buffalo Sabers 

Additions: Matt Moulson (F), Sam Reinhart (F - Draft Pick), Brian Gionta (F), Cody McCormick (F), Josh Gorges (D), Andrej Maszaros (D)

Subtractions: Christian Ehrhoff (D), Cory Conacher (F), Ville Leino (F), Alexander Sulzer (D), John Scott (D)

Key Player: Cody Hodgson

Dark Horse: Sam Reinhart 

MLTBAB: Chris Stewart 

Final Take: This team is absolutely terrible and will be a front runner for the Connor McDavid sweepstakes following this season. It's going to be a rough year to be a Sabers fan but hey, at least you have Ryan Miller in goa.........oh ya.  

Wow this team is bad.  

What WE ARE

Ok, let's get this out of the way first.

I am, currently, a Penn State student and I am, and will be, spending my next few years in the cheerful land of Happy Valley.  

So those of you who read this article and say; "Man, he has no idea what it's like to be a Penn Stater.  He just doesn't understand" - would be completely wrong.  

I know what it's like to be a "Penn Stater", I've spent the better part of the past 2 years of my life in State College and in that time I've taken in what Penn State has to offer.  I've seen the way things are up here.  I've seen the passion so many alumni are proud of when speaking of their alma-mater. 

At times, I've found myself standing along side them, whether it be shouting "WE ARE" at the top of my lungs in an effort to rally my beloved Nittany Lions back to life on the football field or singing the alma-mater with my father at the end of a victorious hockey game, I've seen and felt what it's like to be apart things here. 

It is, at times, is awe inspiring. 

But then again, 

It's also gut wrenching.

The difference between many of my fellow students and I is that I did not come to Penn State a Penn State fan. 

Quite the contrary. 

I came to this university hating it, with every inch of my being. 

I hated everything thing PSU stood for.  I hated the mob mentality of the students.  I hated how the university tolerated their underage students acting like drunken fools every weekend a football game was on. And, above all, I HATED Penn State football.  

More specifically, I hated Joe Paterno (as the two are one in the same).  

You see, I respected Paterno as a coach.  To this day I think he is the greatest college football to ever live.  But the man had too much power, too much influence. No one man should have that kind of influence on a university - especially not a football coach.  Joe Paterno was, and to a certain extent, still is Penn State.  He embodied everything Penn State stood (stands) for.  

Mainly, football above all else. 

This includes the safety and well being of children. 

As I'm writing this, I can hear the sounds of the mob, and yes I do mean mob, drumming up football fight songs and yelling WE ARE at the top of their lungs.  This is, of course, due to the fact that today the NCAA lifted the postseason game (or bowl game) ban on Penn State football.  

As of today, Penn State can play in a bowl game or the newly instituted football playoffs.  The full ban will be lifted next year when Penn State's football scholarship's are completely restored.  

Funny how we seem to forget the events that transpired only two years ago. 

Two years. 

That's it. 

That's how long it took for Penn State and the NCAA to regain some illusion of a conscience.  Some illusion of morality. Some illusion that Penn State had paid it's dues for the horrible acts it had allowed to happen under its roof two years ago. 

Nothing has changed up here.  Nothing.  Don't let the illusion fool you.  Don't let it consume you just like it has so many, if not all of, my Penn State classmates.  Don't buy into the notion that Penn State has somehow paid it's debt to society (or the NCAA for that matter) in just two years.  It's fault.  In fact it's not just false - it's bullshit.   

What happened at Penn State two years ago was the worst failure of an academic institution in the history of college sports.  Neigh, in the history of collegiate existence.  To this day, I still feel ashamed that I attend the institution that allowed such treachery to happen right under it's noses.  

But apparently - no one else does.   

Not my classmates

Not my teachers 

Not the NCAA

And this all goes back to what it truly means to be a Penn Stater.  What it truly means to dawn the blue and white.  

It means that you cherish football - a simple, nonsensical game - above all else.

And it's pathetic. 

Penn State should not have had it's bowl game privileges reinstated today.

Penn State should not even have a football program left for it to reinstate privileges to anyway.

I stick by my belief that the death penalty was the only proper punishment for the program that allowed what happened to those boys to happen.  And even then, that wasn't enough.  Nothing would be enough. Nothing could or can ever be enough penance for this institution...nothing can ever be enough for the innocence it help destroy.  

Penn State deserved every sanction it got. 

It deserved that and more.  Much more. 

But instead it got off with a slap on the wrist.  

A timeout.  

And that makes me sick.

And it should make you sick too. 

But hey, at least we get to play in bowl games again right.  That's all that really matters.

Plunder the Minors

The Pittsburgh Pirates are once again in the thick of the NL Central pennant race.

Some how.

It's still weird to even write something like that, especially after their stomach wrenching April, but here they are, the door to the Central wide open.

Time to take advantage.

 It's up to the Pirates to win and win now.  To take advantage of all the hardships that have befallen their Central foes and grab the Central title while they have the chance.  In order to do that the Pirates must improve, and despite what Neal Huntington says, that improvement cannot come from within.

It can't because it's just not there.

The Pirates have one of the best minor league systems in baseball.  Years of finishing in last place have allowed the Pirates to stock their system with a bevvy of young, talented players who will most certainly help this club, or another, in the long run.

They can't help now.
Well, they can, but not on the field.

The Pirates need to take a long look at what they need now and weigh it with what they think these kids will bring in the future.  I'm always a fan of trading prospects for proven talent, in any sport, but especially baseball. Prospects in baseball are such a crap shoot that you're lucky enough if 3 of your top 10 prospects see the MLB one day in some fashion.  That's not a knock on these players, it just a very realistic look at how hard it is to make it in this game and how many things can, and usually do, go wrong on the pathway to the big leagues. No one really knows how these prospects are going to do, that's why they're called prospects.  Getting a proven player for an unproven one is always an upgrade, whether it hurts you in the future or not. When you need to win now, you do what you have to get the pieces you need, and that means trading some of your farm. (Pay attention Penguins, as this is directed at you as well)

Now I'm not suggesting the Pirates have a full blown fire sale and sell the farm, but the fact of the matter is that the Pirates have too many prospects and not enough spots for them on the big league ball club. Trading some of the excess skill to improve your ball club now wouldn't be the end of the world, in fact, it would be the right thing to do. Not just for your team but for these kids as well.  If you don't have spots for them, another organization probably does.  It's a win win.

Here's a quick look at the most recently updated list of the Pirates Top 10 Prospects:
1. Tyler Glasnow RHP - MLB Top 100 Prospects Rank: 20
2. Jameson Taillon RHP - 32
3. Josh Bell OF - 33
4. Austin Meadows OF - 50
5. Nick Kingham RHP - 55
6. Alen Hanson SS - 80
7. Reese McGuire C - 81
8. Harold Ramierez OF
9. Cole Tucker SS
10. Mitch Keller RHP

Now let's look at the Pirates needs this season:
1. Relief Pitching
2. First Base
3. Starting Pitching

The nice thing is that the Pirates top need this season if usually something that does not require that much in return for. Relief pitching is something that is commonly undervalued in baseball and, with the exception of an elite closer, is not going to cost you an arm and a leg.  This is an area that needs to be addressed and needs to be addressed now.  It's clearly not 2013 anymore.  The shark tank has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese and it needs to be plugged quickly if the  Pirates are going to make a serious run at this division title.  The main issue right now is the 7th inning.  You need someone who can pitch before Watson and Melancon that is reliable...or at least more reliable than what we have now.

Also you need to call up Vin Mazzaro right now.  Why the man isn't up here in the first place is a travesty.

After you solve your bullpen problems, you need to take a long hard look at first base. I know this problem was supposed to have been addressed in the beginning of the season with the acquisition of Ike Davis but it's clear that that acquisition is not working.  The platoon of Ike and Gabby is by far the weakest spot we have in our lineup on a daily basis (well, depending on if Pedro is playing) and it needs to be improved upon before the trade deadline.  I know Huntington won't of course as it would be admitting that acquiring Davis was a complete failure but, none the less, it SHOULD be addressed.

Then you come to the big question mark of the whole Pirates team, the starting pitching.  The starting rotation has powered much of the Pirates rush up the standings, once again proving that good pitching always beats good hitting (just ask Colorado).  The reemergence of Jeff Locke has been a welcome sight as well as the dominance of Vance Worley, who I pegged as the Pirates best off season pickup at the beginning of the season.  As it sits now, I'm completely comfortable with the Pirates starting rotation. It's not a weakness but it's also not a strength either.  Now if Liriano can find just a sliver of his 2013 form and the Cole Train pulls back into the (healthy) station, then you have something to brag about.  If one of those two things doesn't occur, another solid starter would always be a nice trade target.  As the saying goes, you can never have too much pitching.

Clean House

I was waiting to write this article till after Coach Dan Bylsma was fired, which after the Penguins most recent meltdown I thought was all but a certainty.

Clearly I was wrong.

What happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins this year, neigh, the past five years in the postseason is unforgivable from a organizational standpoint.  Post Stanley Cup victory in 2009, the Penguins have flamed out each year in the postseason in spectacular fashion, each year more spectacular than the last.

The Pens need to clean house.  Flat out.  Firing Shero was a good first step - but stringing Bylsma along has me scratching my head as to just how much the leaders of this organization (Lemieux, Burkle, Morehouse) truly think change is necessary.

Don't kid yourself people, this organization is on the decline.  Serious change is needed in order to regain some semblance of organizational structure.  That means everyone must go.  The coaching staff, the GM and even some key players.  No one should be safe in this situation.

Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, Neal, Letang, Fleury.
No one.    

This is a key moment in this organizations history.
Change now, or fall back into irrelevance.

That means letting all our UFA's walk.

That means actually bringing up some of the great defensive products this organization has in it systems and actually using them on a regular basis.

That means trading James Neal.

That means buying out rapidly declining defenseman Rob Scuderi and equally rapidly declining forward Craig Adams.

That means taking a long hard look at Malkin and Letang and seeing if trading them would fix the many holes of the team's roster.

That means signing upcoming UFA Ryan Callahan to play on Sid's right wing.

That means firing Dan Bylsma.  Right now.

Serious change needs to happen.  Right now.  As a fan of another organization which was also once at the height of the hockey world, the Vancouver Canucks, I know what it looks like when an organization is at a turning point.  The aging roster.  The missed playoff opportunities.  The serious lack of organizational depth.  The terrible drafts.  I've seen it all before.  And unless the Pens make some major changes right now - their fate will be the same as the Canucks - league wide irrelevancy.  

Pittsburgh Pirates Drinking Game

Horrible play of the Pirates getting you down?

Spice up this stretch of horrible play by the Buccos by introducing a little alcohol to the situation.

Take a shot if:

1. Pedro strikes out

2. Pirates leave bases loaded

3. Pirates don't score with man in scoring position and less than 2 outs

4. When someone says: "Marte Party", "Cole Train", "Real Deal Neil Walker", "El Toro", "Grilled Cheese", "Mark the Shark", "We Like Ike" or "Mercer Me". 

5. The Pirates gain a lead

6. The Pirates lose said lead

7. The bull pen gives up a run

8. Grilli / Melancon blows a save 

9. Someone ways "Sea-rage" or "Shark-Tank"

10. Sanchez / Stewart throws the ball into center field

11. Someone reminiscences on how well the Pirates did last season

12. Pirates ground into an inning ending double play

13. Someone says Gabby, Wandy, Stolmey or Jeanmar (only the first time)

14. One of the Pirates is hitting under .200 - take a shot for every player doing so

15. Clint Hurdle is seen chewing bubble gum

16. A Free Shirt Friday is advertised 

17. Jared Hughes looks like he's going to kill someone

18. A player starts a "Yes" chant

19. A player flashes either the "Z" or "Pistols" when they get a hit
20. Pirates fail to bunt a man into scoring position 

21. Bob Walk mentions banning the DH

Playoff Preview - First Round

A little late - but the games that have been played have not changed my picks at all.

East

Most Likely to be Conference Champs: New York Rangers
Most Likely to Disappoint: Boston Bruins
Dark Horse: Detroit Red Wings
MVP: Ryan McDonagh

Tampa Bay vs. Montreal
An interesting match up on paper is not on the ice.  Going into the playoffs, the Lightning are beat up and in a state of flux.  Loosing St. Louis to the Rangers at the trade deadline, which is weird to say because they got a hell of a player in return in Ryan Callahan, really hurt the team.  Everything on the team, contrary to popular belief, ran through him.  Taking such a important cog out of a team so close to playoff time is never good for chemistry...and add in the fact that their MVP and should-be Vezina Trophy winner goalie Ben Bishop is hurt starting the playoffs.  That, most of all, is the reason the Lightning will struggle heavily going into this series.  Look out for them in the future though - this team has a wealth of young talent, some of which is not even in the NHL yet (Jonathan Drouin, cough, cough) but as of right now they are just too hurt and too much in a state of flux from the St. Louis trade to battle with a pretty strong Canadiens squad.  Montreal plays a very tight, structured game and the trade for scoring winger Vanek at the trade deadline seems to be paying off big time.  Montreal takes this one relatively easily.
Winner: Montreal Canadiens - 5 Games

Philadelphia vs New York Rangers 
Philly got the short end of the stick as they drew the one team they truly struggle to beat in the Metropolitan Division for their first round opponent.  I liked (and I say that with a scorn on my face) the Flyers coming into the postseason and I originally had them as my dark horse team coming out of the East....until they got locked into a match-up with the Rangers.  The Flyers are a good team...but much like the Lightning they do not have their starting goaltender to start the postseason and I have very little faith in goalie goon Ray Emery to pick up the slack from Steve Mason who has had a tremendous first full season with the Flyers.  The Rangers on the other hand are a very healthy team and have the most consistent goaltender in the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist.  The style the Rangers play, as well as their deep defense core, has always done to the Flyers what the Flyers do to the Penguins - basically get them out of their comfort zone and make them go out of their minds with frustration.  This series will come down to the Flyers not being able to score enough on a pretty strong defensive Rangers club - but then again this is all a moot point because the Flyers are not going to go anywhere with Emery in net.  Wow is he bad.
Winner: New York Rangers - 6 Games

Pittsburgh vs Columbus 
The easiest pick of all the first round match-ups, East or West.  That's not me being biased to my favorite team either.  The Pens style of play matches up extremely well against a very young Blue Jackets squad who has yet to register a postseason win for their franchise in their 14 year of existence.  The Pens take this series very easily - leaving the Blue Jackets still win-less in the postseason.
Winner: Pittsburgh Penguins - 4 Games

Boston vs Detroit 
Here is is, my pick for biggest playoff flop this postseason.  Boston is the clear cut favorite to come out of the East - and for good reason.  Looking at the Bruins' roster, there are no real holes in it - it's kind of scary in fact.  But Detroit is Detroit.  For some reason the Red Wings, and by some reason I mean their coach Mike Babcock, perform well in the postseason year in and year out.  Detroit has been in a very similar situation to the Pens all season in that they have been riddled with injuries, so it's been hard to really judge how good this team is since they haven't played together all season.  Also like the Pens, they are getting healthy at the right time and this sets up the perfect storm for a first round upset.  Don't get me wrong though, this won't be easy.  This series is up for grabs and it will be a defensive battle till the very end for two of the best coached teams in the NHL - but I take Detroit in this one simply because I believe Boston's luck has to end sometime and I believe that time is now.
Winner: Detroit Red Wings

West

Most Likely to be Conference Champs: Anaheim Ducks
Most Likely to Disappoint: San Jose Sharks
Dark Horse: Dallas Stars
MVP:  Ducks Goaltending Trio - Hiller/Andersen/Gibson

St. Louis vs Chicago
The best mach-up of the first round.  These Western Conference powerhouses both have about the same chance to go to the finals and both teams are about as deep and stacked as you could possibly be.  St. Louis has a slight edge in goaltending in late season pickup Ryan Miller but besides that these teams are pretty evenly matched.  This series should and will come down to the wire and whoever comes out on top will reach the conference final.  I have St. Louis taking this one, simply because I think their style of play is a little bit more suited for the playoffs, and they have Ryan Miler - but the defending Stanley Cup champions Blackhawks have just about as much chance as the Blues do to win this.
Enjoy this one folks, it has all the makings of an instant classic.
Winner: St. Louis Blues - 7 Games

San Jose vs Los Angeles 
It's pretty cut and dry - until the Sharks prove to me that they can win in the playoffs I will not pick them to win anything.  The Kings are the best defensive team in hockey and I believe that, if they can score enough, they will shut down the Sharks high octane offense and take this series relatively easily.  
Winner: Los Angeles Kings - 6 Games

Colorado vs Minnesota 
I'll be honest, I don't know a lot about either of these teams.  I've never a been a big fan of Minnesota though - they're a team built 100% from free agency and I don't believe that breeds success for a franchise.  Also, going into the playoffs, their goaltending situation is about as grim as anyone's in that they have......wait for it....Ilya Bryzgalov starting for them.  No I'm completely serious - the Bear guy is back.  Colorado has surprised me all season and I don't expect them to stop now - just don't expect them to get past St. Louis or Chicago in the next round.  The Avalanche take this one without breaking a sweat (quickly prompting Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to acquire every free agent on the market in hopes of buying a winning team)
Winner: Colorado Avalanche - 5 Games

Anaheim vs Dallas
It was great to see such a hard working team like Dallas finally get back to the post season after being a bubble team for the past couple years.  The Stars are led by Bruin's throwaway (nice going Boston, didn't think that one through, did you?) -Tyler Seguin and the most underrated, unappreciated player in the league - Jamie Benn.  If you haven't been following hockey in Texas this year, and why would you, it's Texas, let me just say that the combination of Benn and Seguin has simply been the best combo in the NHL - bar none.  No two combination of players were more important to their team this year then them and, keeping with the trend of undervalued players, Dallas's goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, is one of the biggest work horses in the NHL and tends to go unnoticed because of where he plays.  That should change as this is one of the best goalies in the NHL.  Despite all of that though the Ducks are the most evenly spread offensive team in the NHL and boast the best goaltending trio, yes trio, probably in the world.  Also, Teemu Selanne.  No one is really giving Dallas a chance here but I could see a possible upset in the works if the Ducks can not solve the dynamic duo of Benn/Seguin in time.  I'm giving this one to Anaheim - mainly because I can't see Teemu going out in the first round in the last playoffs of his career.  Keep an eye out for Dallas in the future though - this team has the potential to be a player in the West in the seasons to come.
Winner: Anaheim Ducks - 6 Games

A Rookie Maattas

Take a look back at the Stanley Cup finalists (the last two teams remaining) for say, the past five seasons.  Chances are at least one of them every year has something in common.  An overlying factor commonly overlooked in the grand scheme of things when looking back on the the series as a whole.

A rookie.

Not just any rookie of course.  The type of rookie I'm referring to is one that makes a significant enough impact but, more importantly, was not part of the teams original plans at the start of the season.  Take, for example, rookie Boston D-Man Torey Krug, who spent the better part of his short first season in the NHL playing for the Bruins in their run to the finals last year - and looking pretty good in the process. On the opposite end, look at Pittsburgh native and Chicago Blackhawks rookie forward Brandon Saad. 

Throughout the playoffs last year, both players gained their far share of recognition by the league, and rightfully so.  Neither team would have made it to where they were last year without them, I'm convinced of that.  But is wasn't simply the play of these rookies that made them so vital to the team, but, more importantly, their unexpected presence.  

When looking at a team, and I know every hockey fan (coach, player, GM, etc) has done this either pre-season, pre-trade deadline or pre-playoffs (or all three for that matter), you look for possible weaknesses in your lineup.  On the flip side, you look for possible weaknesses in the lineups of your most hated rivals.  Having a rookie surprisingly, and unexpectedly, fill a top NHL spot at any point of the season is something that you simply cannot predict.  It would be like counting your chickens before they hatched, if you were.  But this random even, this unexplained stroke of luck is something that, in my opinion, you need nowadays in order to be a serious Stanley Cup contender.  

Lets go back to our Torey Krug example.  Going into the playoffs, the Boston Bruins lacked a true puck moving, offensive defenseman ala Kris Letang.  Sure they had (and still have for that matter) many above par Dmen that could execute puck movement efficiently, but none that truly excelled in the process like some other star NHL Dmen do.

Enter Torey Krug.

Do you think for a moment that the likes of the Maple Leafs, Rangers and Penguins thought to themselves going into the playoffs: "Hey, better watch for that Torey Krug fella. I hear he's pretty good at scoring goals."  

No, of course not.  They had no idea who he was and, if they did, it was just from AHL reports which by no means translates into guaranteed NHL success.  

A player like Krug can be applied to any team, any where in the NHL.  A rookie who, at some point in the season, steps in and makes the roster unexpectedly better without so much as a draft pick going out the door to another team.  It's a random event, a stroke of luck that few teams are able to conjure up year after year.

But when they do it, in my opinion, provides that extra boost on and off the ice - off the ice referring as how opposing teams look to prepare against you - that takes teams from being Stanley Cup players to serious Stanley Cup contenders.  

So as your watching this upcoming NHL post-season, take a look at all the surprising rookies sprinkled throughout the rosters of all the teams.  There has been a plethora of them this year.  

Guarantee by the end of this hockey enriched gauntlet that one of them will be the, although unsung, hero for their team. 

It just the way it works these days.  

In the NHL playoffs.  

A rookie Maattas.  

Hoping for Madness

As I watched today as my Spartans faltered late against a surprising UConn team, I thought to myself: "You know, what a couple of great weeks of basketball this has been."  Not just for my Panthers or Spartans but for all the teams.

March Madness offers something that no other tournament on the planet does - equality.  Every team, big or small, has a chance of winning.  It's the only place where a team like Mercer can upend a national powerhouse like Duke.  It's the only place where a team like Dayton can captivate an entire nation in nothing short of 3 days.  It's the only place in sports where hope truly reigns supreme, for in this tournament, in the madness comes a sort of optimism that is found no where else.

Every team, from Florida to Mercer, all entered this with the hope and optimism that it would indeed by they who would walk away with the national championship this year.  That it would be they who defied the odds and came out on top.  As I starred at my empty bracket a few weeks ago, before this all began, I felt myself feel some of the same things.  What if Pitt did defy the odds and win it all this year?  What if this would be the year a #16 seed upset a #1 seed.

What if........... - You can apply this to almost an infinite number of situations leading up and into March Madness every year.  It's a beautiful thing in that no one, no matter how much research you do or basketball knowledge you have, knows how this tournament will shape out.  In the same note, no basketball team, no matter how talented or well coached, truly knows what opposition lies ahead of them.  But they, team after team, coach after coach, player after player and fan after fan, all have that hope that it is fact they that have all the answers.  That it is they who have the perfect game plan.  That is is they who have the perfect bracket.  That it is they who will defy the odds and come away with glory.  It's that kind of optimism that makes this whole thing so special.  Beyond the basketball, beyond the brackets, beyond statistics and billion dollar bracket pools, it's the simplest thing that that shines through here more than all of those things.
Hope.
Hope that no matter what team your rooting for (or playing for), big or small, has a shot to make history.

You just can't create that kind of hope anywhere else.

It's what makes this tournament the greatest sport spectacle on earth.

BIG 10 Tournament - Prediction

Now that the BIG East is no more, the BIG 10 is the best basketball conference by far.  I have always payed the most attention to the BIG 10 tournament because I know teams coming out of the BIG 10 always have decent shots at going deep in March Madness.  It's the way these teams are set up and the level of competition they are held to throughout the course of the season that, in my opinion, sets them apart from other conferences.  Any BIG 10 team is dangerous in the tournament, plain and simple.  Which is why this is the most important conference tournament to take a look as it usually has the most NCAA tournament able teams in one conference.  Here's a quick look at who in this writer's opinion, will take home the BIG 10 trophy home this season.

Round One
Illinois vs. Indiana 
Winner: Illinois

Ohio State vs. Purdue 
Winner: Ohio State

Minnesota vs. Penn State
Winner: Minnesota

Iowa vs. Northwestern 
Winner: Iowa

Round Two
Michigan vs. Illinois 
Winner: Michigan

Nebraska vs. Ohio State 
Winner: Nebraska

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota 
Winner: Minnesota

Michigan State vs. Iowa
Winner: Michigan State

Round Four
Michigan vs. Nebraska 
Winner: Nebraska

Minnesota vs. Michigan State 
Winner: Michigan State

Championship Round
Nebraska vs. Michigan State 
Ok, I am a bit biased here.  My love for Michigan State always has them going far in any tournament but I really like the possible match-ups they have at the bottom of the bracket.  I think they will make it to the championship no matter who they play.  Also, Tom Izzo has a knack for winning in tournament play.  It's what he does - despite a rough second half of the season.  Nebraska has surprised me all season long.  They've played well when they've needed to and are red hot coming into the tournament.  They also are very lucky in terms of where they located in the bracket and I think that their hot play will carry them into the championship game.  At least, I hope they do so Michigan doesn't end up there.  Because no one wants that.  Winner: Nebraska  

ACC Tournament - Prediction

Despite the ACC Tournament starting yesterday, I still would like to take a very quick look at it.  Honestly, this is just a warm up for the greatest sports tradition of the year - March Madness.  Before the Madness hits though, we must get through the division tournaments.  I chose to take a look at the ACC and BIG 10 this year.  Here's just a quick look at what I think will take place this year in North Carolina.

As a note, I don't follow every NCAA team with a microscope.  That would be impossible.  All of these predictions are based off of results from the past couple years.  Because if there is one thing I believe in is that, especially with sports, history tends to repeat itself.  Most of these predictions are based off that mindset.

Round One
Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame 
Winner: Wake Forest

Miami vs. Virginia Tech 
Winner: Virginia Tech

Georgia Tech vs. Boston College 
Winner: Georgia Tech

Round Two
Maryland vs. Florida State 
Winner: Maryland

Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh
Winner: Pittsburgh

Virginia Tech vs. N.C. State
Winner: N.C. State

Georgia Tech vs. Clemson 
Winner: Clemson

Round Three
Virginia vs. Maryland
Winner: Virginia

UNC vs. Pittsburgh
Winner: UNC

Syracuse vs. N.C. State
Winner: Syracuse

Duke vs. Clemson 
Winner: Duke

Round Four
Virginia vs. UNC
Winner: UNC

Syracuse vs. Duke
Winner: Duke

Championship Round
UNC vs. Duke 
As if this should surprise anyone.  UNC and Duke are by far the most talented teams in the ACC.  They've both gotten better as the season has progressed and they are playing the best basketball of both of their respective seasons at the right times.  If this really is the championship game the outcome will be a toss up.  Both team has beat one another once this season.  I give UNC the benefit of the doubt though because they are playing better, in my opinion, coming into the tournament The tournament itself is also being played closest to the UNC campus - giving them a slightish home court advantage.
Winner: UNC

Olympic Hockey - What We Learned

We learned - or were reminded of - a lot about hockey during these 2014 Winter Olympics.
Here's the top 10 (no specific order) prominent things these winter games showed us: 

1.  Canada is still, and will be for the foreseeable future, the world power in hockey.
For all the blabbing I have to put up with from all the snobby Canadian fans about how superior Canadian hockey is to US hockey, I must say, at least they back it up. 

2.  Finland was the real best team in the tournament

Finland was the only team who actually came close to taking down Canada in the preliminary and I stick by my prediction that had they met again the Fins would have come out on top.  Every game they played was by the book and was extremely close.  A couple bounces go their way the it's Teemu Selanne getting the gold placed around his neck, not Sidney Crosby. 

3.  Teemu Selanne still has plenty left in the tank

The Finnish Flash has been benched more times this season then he ever has in his career.  After these Olympics, I'm pretty sure Coach Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks will reconsider that.  Also, how lucky are we that we still get to see this guy play?  What a great player.  

4.  Olli Maatta is the real deal

Wow.  Is there anything this kid can't do?

5.  Dan Blysma - STILL - can't adapt on the fly

Stop me if you've heard this before.  A Dan Blysma coached team wins every game that does not matter (i.e. the regular season) then falters the as soon as the real games begin (i.e. the playoffs).  Hmm, seems familiar.  I don't completely blame him for the last two games - but his stubbornness when it came to not changing lines was something that seriously hurt the US squad in their final two contests.    

6. Defense wins championships

The three strongest teams on the back end won medals.  No coincidence there. 

7.  Russia's head coach was an idiot 

Zinetula Bilyaletdinov is somehow avoiding blame for the epic fail that was the Russian hockey team in this tournament.  Let me just say - if you employ a 4-1 scheme on the ice, with the kind of talent has offensively, you deserve to lose.  Also, he had no idea how to use the star power that was given him in Malkin and Ovie. 

8.  Carey Price is still overrated

The most overrated player in hockey got even more overrated because of his performance in these Olympics.  Carey, if you're not posting a shut out every single game with the kind of defense you had in front of you then there is something wrong.  I look forward to seeing you blow it in the playoffs again this year.  

9.  This will be the NHL's last year in the Olympics

Whatever chance the NHL had of competing the next winter games, a smorgasbord of injuries to NHL players put the final nail in that coffin.

10.  Olympic Hockey is amazing

Say what you will about the NHL taking time out of its season to participate in the games, but the kind of hockey we were treated to over the past two weeks was second to none.  It didn't matter what team you were rooting for, if any at all; this was just fantastic hockey.  

Olympic Hockey - Semi Final Round

Taking a quick look down the match-ups, here's how, in this writers opinion, it's going to go down in the semi final round and beyond.

Qualification Round

#8. Slovenia vs. #9. Austria
Somehow, Slovenia managed to not only be competitive but also actually win a game.  That in itself is a surprise.  Despite Slovenia's strong play up till this point - Austria takes this with another great offensive performance from Michael Grabner who's excellent speed is showing to be a real asset for the Austrians on the big ice surface.
Winner: Austria

#7. Czech Republic vs. #10. Slovakia 
The battle of what used to be Czechoslovakia will go to the........Czech Republic.  Despite having a decent team on paper, the Slovakians have decided not to show up in this tournament.  They've looked terrible in every game they've played and I don't see that changing now.  Czech Republic wins it in a relatively low scoring - and very high hitting - affair.  Slovakians fail to show up - again.
Winner: Czech Republic

#6. Switzerland vs. #11. Latvia
As I predicted in my first Olympic article, the Swiss are the real deal.  Despite not having a lot of offensive, they have the best defense up till this point and Jonas Hiller is playing out of his mind.  His play, and the play of the Swiss defense, continues here in this game and the Swiss take this one from a Latvian team with very little offensive talent. Hiller sensational once again.
Winner: Switzerland

#5. Russia vs. #12. Norway
Plainly put, Russia just isn't that deep a team.  Yes, their first two lines of forwards are great but after that things just fall off - especially on the back end.  Despite that they are able to take down a Norway team, who has played surprisingly solid hockey up till this point, in a low scoring affair. Varlamov with the start in goal - solid once again.
Russia: Russia

Quarterfinal Round 

#1. Sweden vs. #9. Austria
Austria puts up a strong fight but can't get enough pucks behind Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who has been the backbone of the #1 seeded Swedish squad.
Winner: Sweden

#2. United States vs. #7. Czech Republic 
Czech Republic goes quietly into the night as they can't match the intensity from a team who that has proved they are the best team in this tournament.  Quick gets the start in net.
Winner: United States

#3. Canada vs. #6. Switzerland 
Here's your upset folks.  The Swiss continue their strong defensive play and take down a Canadian team who has been out of sync all tournament.  Jonas Hiller - that is all.
Winner: Switzerland

#4. Finland vs. #5 Russian
I believe Finland is the second best team in this tournament and I have since it began.  On the backs of goaltender Tukka Rask and rookie phenom Olli Maatta - they are able to shut down the Russian's top two lines and the Russians, who once again have no depth beyond that, fall apart.
Winner: Finland

Finals Round

#1. Sweden vs. #2. United States 
Despite carrying a #1 seed - it's clear after this game who is really the best team in these games.  The U.S. break through a beat up Swedish team and finally solve The King who is chased from the net at some point during the game.  Total team effort from the U.S. - as it has been the case all tournament long.
Winner: United States

#6. Switzerland vs. #4. Finland
A 1-0 win, either way.  It will depend on who's goaltender can stand on his head the longest.  I'm sticking with my gut though and going with the Fins who have impressed me since the start of the games.
Winner: Finland

Bronze Medal Game

#1. Sweden vs. #6. Switzerland
Lundqvist bounces back from being chased in the U.S. game and puts up another great game.  Swiss squad can't match the offensive of the Swedish squad - but they put up another great effort and they leave the games clearly with more hope for their program than they began with.  Man, do the Anaheim Ducks have a great goaltender in Jonas Hiller - not enough people talk about him.
Winner: Sweden

Gold Medal Game

#2. United States vs. #4. Finland
My original pick for the gold medal game comes to fruition and it's a great one.  The Fins and U.S. battle neck and neck - both boasting complete team efforts.  The game goes into O.T. - where the United State's deeper offensive shows up and takes down the Fins after a defensive slug fest.  Both Tukka Rask and Jonathan Quick post up fantastic, awe inspiring games.
Winner: United States
MVP: T.J. Oshie 

Playing the Fool for the MLB

In very Jaromir Jagr like fashion, former Pittsburgh Pirates RHP A.J. Burnett is gone.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.  It certainly wasn't to me.  Even when A.J.publicly stated after last season that he either be back pitching for the Pirates, or retire, I knew he was going to leave.  So did you.  Whether you want to admit it or not, you knew A.J. wasn't coming back.  You knew he was going to take a huge paycheck someplace else that could pay him - because that's what baseball players do.  It sucks but it's the reality of being fans of a small market team.  It's one we've all come to terms with.

But we continually fool ourselves.  We tell ourselves that things will change - or have changed.  That maybe a player like A.J. would mean what he said and take a discount to come pitch for a team and city he fell in love with because, hey, money isn't everything.  That maybe, just maybe, a big name free agent would want to come to Pittsburgh because it's such a great place to be a professional athlete - a great place to be a professional baseball player (for proof of this see: any of the Pirates post season games).

These are fantasies folks.  They will never happen, at least, not in this MLB.  Money will always triumph over loyalty - meaning that teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, etc. will always triumph over small market teams. Because they have the money.  A.J. Burnett was no different than any other big name free agent.  When the money comes calling - the player always answers.

 The Pirates will never land a big name free agent.  Ever.

So why even follow this team?  Why fool yourself into thinking that a player like A.J. would come back here?  Why keep playing the fool?  Well, it's simple really.

When you're a fan of a small market team, being a fool is part of the territory.  If it wasn't, then what would be the point of being a fan.  It's not that we don't know that these players are in no way in hell going to sign with us - and by us I mean any small market team.  We're not stupid.  We know they're not coming.  We know they're going to take the money 10/10 times.  But we tell ourselves that they might anyway.  Because we need to.  Because if we didn't then it wouldn't be worth being a fan of these small teams.  Because it's hope that drives us to keep rooting for these terrible teams. It's hope that keep fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, etc - rooting for their teams.   It's hope that drives us to keep following them year after year of loosing seasons.  Year after year of watching big market teams pilfer our players.  Year after year of the same 6 teams in playoffs.  See, we need to fool ourselves - in order to make watching these teams meaningful.  We need some silver lining - that one day, maybe, things will be different.

Until that day though, I'm going to keep playing the fool.
I'm going to keep hoping.
Because, at the end of the day - as a Pirates fan, it's all I have.

Being a Pitt Fan is Soul Crushing

4.4 Seconds left.
Up by one.
The other team all the way down at the other end of the court.

This game is in the bag....right?

Not if you're Pitt.  

As I sit here, pondering why I continuously think that things will get better for Pitt fans, I find myself no longer being able to come up with any logical answers.  As I watched Coach Dixon call a time out - for no other reason other then to postpone his team's inevitable demise - I thought to myself, "They're going to lose.  I don't know how you can lose being up with 4.4 seconds left, but I just know it."
And sure enough - Pitt came through for me again. 

I've stopped being surprised when things happen like this.  Pitt has a tendency to kick my heart in the ass the way no other team I follow can.  Only Pitt could lose like this.  

Listen fellow Pitt fans - I'm not saying I'm going to stop rooting for Pitt.  I'm going to be a Pitt fan till the day I die.  It's in my blood.  But maybe we should stop thinking that we're ever going to be really good at this "winning" thing.  There's some invisible hump that Pitt - whether it be basketball or football - can not and will never get over.  That's not me being pessimistic, that's me coming to terms with almost 8 years of heartbreak. 

8 years of seeing Pitt blow every big game.  

8 years of seeing Pitt highly ranked at the beginning of a season only to finish in the second round of the NCAA tournament  - or losing to some scrub team again in the BBVA Compass Bowl. 

8 years of seeing Coach Jamie Dixon fail to hold onto a lead at the end of a must win game.  

8. Years. 

8 long, hard, heartbreaking years.  

Pitt fans, I'm done expecting things out of these teams - both football and ESPECIALLY basketball. 

It's time we realize that this curse - this curse of mediocrity - is not going away any time soon and in order to save ourselves countless hours of future heartbreak, we need to lower or expectations and come to terms with that reality.

The reality, Pitt fans, is that being a Pitt fan is soul crushing.
And I for one am done having mine crushed every single year.     

2014 Olympic Preview

Oh, Olympic hockey.  There's no better time to be a hockey fan.  As this is probably the last time we will see NHLers on the Olympic stage, I recommend everyone enjoy every last second of Olympic hockey - despite most of the games starting well before any of us get up.
Here's a quick run down of how, in this writers opinion, it will shape up this winter in Sochi.

Preliminary Round: 

Czech Republic vs. Sweden
Czech Republic's aging roster can't keep up with Sweden's excellent mix of youth and experience.  Lundqvist shines in first game of the tournament.
Winner: Sweden

Latvia vs. Switzerland
Battle of two of the tournament's worst teams.  Even battle is won solely on the pads of Anaheim Duck's goaltender Jonas Hiller.
Winner: Switzerland

Finland vs. Austria 
Fins start the games by shutting out an Austrian team with a serious lack of offensive depth.  Tukka Rask with the shutout.
Winner: Finland

Russia vs. Slovenia
Russia dominates a Slovenia team that has no business being in the these games - with the exception of Anze Kopitar.  Semyon Varlamov gets the nod for the Russians and is just ok in his first game - a bit concerning considering Slovenia's lack of offensive power.
Winner: Russia

Slovakia vs. United States
A tough, experienced Slovekia squad puts up a great fight but can't keep up a youthful United State's roster.  Both Jaroslav Halak and Ryan Miller put up great games.
Winner: Unites States

Canada vs. Norway 
Norway puts up a surprisingly strong fight considering their lack of big game experience but can't defeat a Canadian team with just too much firepower.  Cary Price gets start but struggles heavily in Canada's first game.
Winner: Canada

Czech Republic vs. Latvia
The experience of the Czech's shows up where it didn't in their first game as they trump a weak Latvian squad.  Ondrej Pavelec struggles for a second straight game.
Winner: Czech Republic

Sweden vs. Switzerland
Great goaltending duel between Hiller and Lundqvist but the depth of the Swedish roster for a Switzerland squad that is seriously lacking in skill is too much for them to handle.
Winner: Sweden

Canada vs. Austria
Austrian duo of Grabner and Vanek shine but the rest of the Austrian roster can't keep up with the Canadian squad.  Price bounces back with a solid game.
Winner: Canada

Norway vs. Finland
Fins win again in another impressive fashion.  Rask follows up his great first game with another stellar performance.
Winner: Finland

Slovakia vs. Slovenia
A surprisingly close game but the Slovakes come away with the victory in the end.  Hossa brothers shine in win.
Winer: Slovakia

United States vs. Russia
The best of the preliminary games is exactly what was advertised.  An offensive explosion from both teams leave them questioning their goaltending choices...but it is Russia who comes away with the victory in the end.  Both teams pull and switch goaltenders at some point in the game.
Winner: Russia

Switzerland vs. Czech Republic
Hiller's magic finally runs out and the Czech's cruise to an easy victory.
Winner: Czech Republic

Sweden vs. Latvia
Sweden continues their domination of the worst pool in the tournament.  The King is looking like the early favorite for the tournament MVP.
Winner: Sweden

Austria vs. Norway
A relatively unknown Norway team takes down the Austrians in the closest fought battle of the games up to this point.  Vanek and Grabner no where to be seen.
Winner: Norway

Russia vs. Slovakia
Russia continues their strong offensive performance up to this point with another strong effort.  The switch to Sergei Bobrovsky after the US game proves to be the smart move as he shines against a pretty strong strong offensive Slovakian team.
Winner: Russia

Slovenia vs. United States
Unites States bounces back from the loss against the Russian team to crush the worst team in the tournament.  US sticks with Ryan Miller and it proves to be the right choice as he posts a shut out.
Winner: United States

Finland vs. Canada
The Fins pull the quintessential upset of the tournament and take down the Canadians in a close battle.  Tukka Rask steals the win as Carey Price falters.
Winner: Finland

Playoff Round One:

Slovakia vs. Switzerland
Jonas Hiller single handily knocks the Slovakes out of the games posting the performance tournament up till this point.
Winner: Switzerland

United States vs. Slovenia
The U.S. get an easy draw for the first playoff round and move swiftly by the worst team in the games.  Ryan Miller sensational again after being pulled during the Russian game.
Winner: United States

Czech Republic vs. Latvia
Czech's crush the Latvian squad and move into the next round on sheer offensive talent.
Winner: Czech Republic

Norway vs. Austria
The Austrians......lose again to the Norway team who have no business going into the second round.  After his performance in the games no one is going to want to pick up Vanek at the trade deadline. Grabner still a huge defensive liability.
Winner: Norway

Playoff Round Two: 

Russia vs. Switzerland
Switzerland's surprising victory against the Slovakians does not translate over to their game against the Russians.  Bobrovsky great again.
Winner: Russia

Canada vs. United States
Oh. Oh my.  The rematch of the 2010 Gold Medal game.......ends up very similarly to the previous game, except this time the US comes out on top in a low scoring, defensive slug fest.   The rematch between Miller vs. Luongo, who replaces Price after a lack luster preliminary round, is the highlight of the tournament.
Winner: United States

Sweden vs. Czech Republic
The Czechs who under performed up till this point finally show up with a full team effort against the Swedes.  Lundqvist finally falters a bit at the worst possible time and his team who stood on his shoulders the whole tournament can't pick up the slack.
Winner: Czech Republic

Finland vs. Norway
Norway can't even begin to solve the strongest defensive team in the games.  Finland cruses to victory behind Rask.
Winner: Finland

Playoff Round Three: 

Russia vs. United States
Following up their strong defensive play against the Canadian team - the US squad is able to shut down the Russian offense; exposing that, once again, they were only a one denominational team.  Bobrovsky very strong despite loss. Miller sensational once again.
Winner: United States

Czech Republic vs. Finland
A great match up on paper turns out to be a blowout.  The Fins shut down the Czechs offensively and an aging core of Czech forwards can't match Finland's mix of youth and experience.  Tukka Rask  looking like the clear choice for MVP.
Winner: Finland

Bronze Medal Game:

Russia vs. Czech Republic
The Russian's won't go home without a medal.  They crush the Czech's by sheer force of will.  The Czech's play well but they can't stop the Russian's high octane offensive.
Winner: Russia

Gold Medal Game:
United States vs. Finland 
The gold medal game is a defensive struggle.  The top two defensive teams meet as well as the top two goalies.  In the end it's United States offensive depth that pushes them slightly over edge as well as pushing them into the record books as the winners of the gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Winner: United States
MVP: Tukka Rask

Pittsburgh Penguins - Trading for Winger the RIGHT Move

The Penguins are once again the best team in the Eastern conference.  It's safe to say that already have the Metropolitan Division sewn up, currently having a 16 point lead over the next nearest team, the Washington Capitals.  So before I start this article let me say that the Penguins don't need any immediate help.   At all.  That being said the recent loss of top line right winger Pascal Dupuis leaves a gaping hole on the right side of Sidney Crosby, a spot that can't afford to be empty come playoff time.  Some extra depth on the third line would also be nice.  The Penguins have roughly $7.3 M in cap space, giving them some decent options to fill those holes.

Winger


The hole to the right Sidney Crosby is, and should be, the primary concern and target this trade season for the Pens.  Here are some of the names being thrown around that could possibly be on the trade block that fit the Pens needs:

1. Evander Kane - Winnipeg Jets
One of the hottest names on the trade market this year, Kane was a high first round pick in 2009 by the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) and has not really lived up the the expectations that comes with being a player drafted that high.  By no means has he had a bad career (his best year coming in 2011-12 with 30 G - 27A) as he has put up solid numbers each year hes been in the league but he still has not risen to the that many people projected he would.  The Jets, as projected, are in the leagues basement and are not in the playoff picture.  They're whole team is one giant gaping hole that needs fixing, only having a mediocre parts to build around as it is - so any new players in organization would be a welcome sight for the Jets organization.  Kane is a very skilled player and a right winger by trade.  On paper, he would fit perfectly into the spot now vacant next to Sid.  Kane carries a $5.27 cap hit, so he would take up a large chunk of the Pens available space - but he is signed until 2018...and is only 22. Having a young, skilled winger to grow with Sid would be something that the Pens have been searching for since they lost Marian Hossa back in 2008.  Kane would be the final piece in giving the Pens the best top two lines in the NHL.  It would also allow Dupuis, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, to take the RW spot on the third line - a place that also needs fixing - but that would be for the season following this one.
If Kane is available this trade season than GM Ray Shero should make a move for him.
2. Michael Cammalleri - Calgary Flames 
Quite often in this blog, you will will hear me talk about Mr. Cammalleri and my desire for the Pens, or any team of worth for that matter, to acquire the current Calgary Flames right winger - who's talents are being wasted away in a place as horrible as Calgary.  Cammalleri, 31, has not really had a solid season since his 2010/11 campaign where he a 19 G - 28 A - 47 P spread.  If his name sounds familiar, it should, as he, along with former Montreal Canadians goalie Jaroslav Halak, eliminated the Penguins in the 2009/10 Stanley Cup playoffs.  Cammalleri's talents are being wasted in a place like Calgary, plain and simple.  He's an extremely talented winger, and hes one of my favorite players to boot.  I've always felt that he could be a 40+ goal scorer (almost being one during the 2008/09 season where he scored 39 goals) if he was put on a line with other talented players.  Hes old enough that he can be counted as a leader in the locker room and he, being 31, still has a good bit left in the tank so he shouldn't be considered a rental player.  The problem with Cammalleri, as much as I would like to see the Pens go for him, is the 6 M cap hit he carries with him. It would not leave a lot of room for the Pens to fix their current third line problem but then again - this is a really good player.  The Flames - much like the Jets - are in rebuilding mode.  The Flames have a long rode ahead of them before they can be a playoff team again, let alone a contender.  Some of the Pens defensive propects would help speed up that process, at least on the blue line.
3. Paul Stastny - Colorado Avalanche 
I highly doubt this will happen, as the Avalanche are not really in the seller pool this trade season, but apparently Colorado Avalanche C Paul Stastny is on the trade block this season.  This is mostly due to him being the odd one out in Colorado in a place flush with center depth and the team may be looking to move him for something prior to him hitting the free agent market this offseason.   Stastny, who has put up at least 20 G in all but one of his 7 NHL seasons is a very solid, all around center who can pass as well as shoot the puck if put in that role.  As much as I would like to see a player of Stastny's caliber come to Pittsburgh, as the upsides are obvious.  Hes only 28.  Hes in the top 50 players in the league and adding him to any roster would instantly make it much better.  As much upside as there is, there is also significant downside. Stastny is a center by trade.  The switch to RW is one some players can't make and with his 6.6 M cap hit - by far the biggest of any of the players I could see the Pens going after this trade season - is a risk the Pens would need to think long and hard about before seriously considering him for the RW spot next to Sid.  Also, the Avalanche don't really need prospects as much as say the Jets, Flames, Panthers do since they're not in the leagues basement.  The Pens wouldn't have nearly as much trade leverage in dealing for Stasney as they would with Kane or Cammalleri which is why I would only go after him if the previous two were off the market.

Third Line

The Pens third line has not had "an identity" all season long.  C Brandon Sutter has not really blossomed in to the center people though he could be when coming over in the Staal trade a few years ago and part of that can be accredited to the lack of consistency with his wingers.  Sutter has not really had true line partners since he came here which is a significant problem for the Pens come playoff time.  Part of what made the Pens so formidable during the 2008 and 2009 playoff runs was their third line of Kennedy - Staal - Cooke. The third line can be one of the most important parts of a team, especially come playoff time, and as of right now the Pens don't have one. The Pens need to seriously take a look at upgrading their third line if they really want to go far in these upcoming playoffs.

1. Jamie McGinn - Colorado Avalanche
Cheap, young, solid third line player.  Only has a 1.75 M cap hit and for a player who puts up at least 10 goals in 5 of his 7 NHL seasons he would fit very nicely on the Pens third line, or any third line for that matter.  Word is that Colorado is trying to move him and the Pens could probably get him for a lower level prospect or a 2/3 round draft pick.
2. Steve Ott - Buffalo Sabers 
I really, really like Steve Ott.  He is a very solid defensive player and can also put up solid offensive numbers - putting up 22 G with Dallas in 2009/10.   He could add some serious grit to a Pens line up that lacks heavily in that department and would fit nicely on the right wing on the third line. His 2.95 M cap hit is a little more pricey than other third liners on the market but, in my opinion, is well worth the price.
3. *Beau Bennett - Pittsburgh Penguins
The in house solution.  Bennett has been out most of the season and has yet to show the Pens what he can do for an extended period of time.  Coaches say that he is going to get a spot on the first line but in the very likely chance that it does not work out (as you can see, I don't have much faith in the Pens in house offensive depth) he will get a chance on the third line, where he began the season.  Bennett is a wild card.  He has not really played long enough for me to accurately predict what kind of players he would either on the first line or on the third line.  He could work out, he could not.  It's up for the Pens to take that risk or whether or not they want to look else where for third line help.

Other Players to Look At
Dustin Byfuglien - LW - Winnipeg Jets - 5.25 M
Sam Gagner - C - Edmonton Oilers - 4.8 M
Ales Hemsky - RW - Edmonton Oilers - 4.1 M

O'Brien Lyin?

I was born and raised a Pittsburgh Panthers fan.  My dad went to Pitt, his dad went to Pitt, my mom went to Pitt.  Naturally, I wanted to go to Pitt as well...but those plans were dashed when I failed to get in.  I did however get into Penn State, an institution I was raised to despise.  That just comes with being a Pitt fan though - it's part of the territory.  I grew up hating...no despising Penn State - specifically Joe Paterno.  I despised that man.  I hating everything he stood for, I hated the way he was (is) idolized as a some sort of God.  So when I decided, very reluctantly I might add, to continue my studies at Penn State I did so with the mind set that if that man was still there, if he was still coaching, I wouldn't have gone there.  Just because of what he stood for, for the kind of power he had.

Having just finished up my first semester at Penn State, I have to say that, as expected, blown away by the school spirit that envelopes State College.  It's something that now, as a Penn Stater, I am proud of.  A huge part of that school spirit stems from the football team.  That hasn't changed, it's always been the case up there.  Now though, now that Paterno is gone, heading up there I was curious as to if the spirit would be diminished.   It wasn't.  Most of that can be credited to now former head coach Bill O'Brien.  Of course, the players deserve credit as well but what this team was projected to do, or wasn't for that matter, and what O'Brien was able to get out of them is remarkable.  He was able to tap into a team's full potential...and then kept going.  He was able to turn a completely mediocre team and make them, with what they had, the best they could be.  He was part of what made me proud to be a Penn Stater.  What he did when he came in, the way he handled the absolute shit storm of the situation was simply amazing.  Now that he's gone though, what now.  

Let's get this out of the way, O'Brien leaving is not good for Penn State.  He is one of the best coaches in the country and whenever someone like that leaves any team is going to take a blow.  The questions are whether or not he left Penn State football in a better or worse situation than he found it it and whether or not O'Brien is at fault for leaving PSU.  

In my opinion, Penn State is better off for having O'Brien.  When he arrived, the football program as well as the university was in shambles.  He came in and made the best out of it.  He helped make Penn Staters proud again.  He gave people hope, hope that PSU could maybe get back to what it once was before the Sandusky scandal hit.  O'Brien leaving PSU does hurt the university - but it's minor gash compared to what it was before.  O'Brien should be commended, not criticized, for hit time at Penn State.  What he did was nothing short of a miracle.  

People are calling O'Brien a lair.  Saying that he betrayed the university.  Saying that he lied to university.  That he lied to recruits.  I'm here to say that O'Brien is about as far away from a liar as you can get.  He's not wrong for telling recruits that he would be there and then leave.  It's part of his job to get recruits to come.  What is he supposed to tell them "Ya, come to Penn State.  It's great.  I won't be here next year.  But come anyway."  O'Brien was just doing his job.  He didn't lie to anyone.  

Bill O'Brien leaving PSU is sad.  He was a great coach and great for the university.  I, however, find no fault in him for leaving for greener pastures.  I wish him the best of luck in Houston and hope that whoever fills his shoes at my new home away from home does an adequate job.  He's got quite the shoes to fill.