Take My Baseball Team - PLEASE! [A Plea to Mark Cuban]
It's hard watching a team that you used to love continue to throw itself into and then FLUSH the toilet. But my formerly beloved Pittsburgh Pirates have done it yet again.
They traded center fielder Nate McLouth back in early June - yes, hitting.259 but with an .829 OBP - AFTER he singed a 3 year 16 million extension! - for 3 minor leaguers. Add 1B Adam LaRoche to the Red Sox last week for two minor league pitchers, left fielder Nyjer Morgan back on July 1st for a minor league outfielder. And lets not forget center fielder Jason Bay to the Red Sox last season - .280 hitting, 30 HR power Jason Bay - for a slump prone 3B [Andy LaRoche], a fourth outfielder in Brandon Moss and a couple minor league pitchers. And left fielder Xavier Nady to the Yankees. And super 3B Aramis Ramirez back in 2003 - yes I am still pissed over that! How good would a .290 hitting, 30 HR guy look now? How about Jason Kendall in 2004? A great contact hitting catcher? Who needs that?
Today they traded 9 year veteran shortstop Jack Wilson and the 2 - 8 pitcher Ian Snell to the Mariners for an underachieving Ronny Cedeno and 4 minor leaguers. They then flipped 2006 batting champ and 3 time All Star second baseman - injury prone this year, but still - Freddy Sanchez for another minor league pitcher.
This week alone, the Pirates dealt away almost 24 million - HALF OF THEIR PAYROLL. And their payroll was all ready 3rd lowest in the National League, if not the whole league [Yahoo Sports is unclear].
What they got in return will restock their minor league systems - not bad. But the Pirates have shown a streak for bringing talent to the majors then trading it. And this week just leaves the major league club just decimated.
Manager John Russell, obviously toeing the company line said on Yahoo Sports:
“People now might wonder what we’re doing, but if you keep looking at all the names we’re getting and all the premier talent we’re getting, it’s going to equate to a very solid, very good ballclub in Pittsburgh."
GM Neal Huntington told the Pittsburgh Trib-Review Sunday July 26th that this was good for the team:
"It is (owner) Bob Nutting's intention that any money saved from trades goes back into baseball operations," Huntington said.
It is unclear to me what baseball operations are left.
Let's not fool around here - when baseball talks about contraction again - and they will - let's put Pittsburgh at the top of the list. This is a team headed for a Major league record 17th straight losing season. These guys make the St. Louis Browns look like the Yankees! They make bad teams look... well... okay by comparison.
Let's stop trying to put happy face on an unhappy story. All the Pirates are doing is stocking other major league teams anyway, let's put them out of the misery. Yes they have a great ballpark there and a history, but let's face facts - current ownership is not about to spend one thin dime more than they have to to keep any player worth their salt.
Mark Cuban is a good boy from Pittsburgh - sell him - hell, GIVE HIM the club! I'm willing to bet the team that the 12 Dallas Mavericks could beat the Pirates in a real baseball game. PLEASE MARK! PLEASE! I know you were turned down from the Cubs because you say what is on your mind - but this is Pittsburgh. You're not going to get a hint of national media here unless you're sitting with the Rooney's at a Steeler game or Mario in the owners box at the new Igloo! Please find a way!
Christ, I may have to watch the damn Rangers now. Or the Astros. Or the Cubs. Never the Red Sox or the Yankees, though.
ADDENDA:
I thought the cupboard was bare as Old Mother Hubbard's place, but the Pirates managed to squeeze a little more blood from the turnip flipping lefty reliever John Grabow and lefty starter [and Chicago native] Tom Gorzelanny for Kevin Hart [who had just finished beating the Astros] and two more minor leaguers. This leaves the Pirates short of left handed pitching - not that it matters. The Pirates will struggle now to get to 70 wins.
That leaves Zach Duke and Matt Capps. The deadline isn't until 4 p.m. Eastern. See if the Bucs can get their payroll under $ 20 million by then.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Random Thoughts:
What is this fascination with everything Jack White of the White Stripes touches? The Raconteurs were ok at best and this new thing - The Dead Weather - is just awful. But it gets pushed by the few hype sits - My Space Music and ads all over the place. I'm not even big on the White Stripes anyway, but dude, stick to your own band.
The Michael Jackson Circus has begun. You thought Michael was a freak show while alive, just the way the family - well, Latoya and Joe, not the stablest bananas in the bunch - think there is some sort of conspiracy rather than face the fact that Michael was an anorexic drug abuser.
I had to get a greatest hits of Fishbone recently and I blasted it for two days straight. Why the Red Hot Chili Peppers got huge and these guys are forgotten is beyond me.
As far as Wilco - The Album goes, If you liked Sky Blue Sky, you'll like this. If you didn't, you'll be moaning "Tweedy's no fun since he went to rehab." I recently had Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on my MP3 player and I really really like it, a lot more than I did before.
Another thing I discovered loading random things on my MP3 - Be Bop Deluxe. Haven't listened to much of their studio stuff but their Live at The BBC titled Radio Birdland is really interesting in a Cars / Gary Numan / little 80s King Crimson kind of way.
A 4 song [plus demo] EP and a new single from Superchunk in the last 3 months - I hope this means the band is gearing up for a full length album really soon!
What is this fascination with everything Jack White of the White Stripes touches? The Raconteurs were ok at best and this new thing - The Dead Weather - is just awful. But it gets pushed by the few hype sits - My Space Music and ads all over the place. I'm not even big on the White Stripes anyway, but dude, stick to your own band.
The Michael Jackson Circus has begun. You thought Michael was a freak show while alive, just the way the family - well, Latoya and Joe, not the stablest bananas in the bunch - think there is some sort of conspiracy rather than face the fact that Michael was an anorexic drug abuser.
I had to get a greatest hits of Fishbone recently and I blasted it for two days straight. Why the Red Hot Chili Peppers got huge and these guys are forgotten is beyond me.
As far as Wilco - The Album goes, If you liked Sky Blue Sky, you'll like this. If you didn't, you'll be moaning "Tweedy's no fun since he went to rehab." I recently had Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on my MP3 player and I really really like it, a lot more than I did before.
Another thing I discovered loading random things on my MP3 - Be Bop Deluxe. Haven't listened to much of their studio stuff but their Live at The BBC titled Radio Birdland is really interesting in a Cars / Gary Numan / little 80s King Crimson kind of way.
A 4 song [plus demo] EP and a new single from Superchunk in the last 3 months - I hope this means the band is gearing up for a full length album really soon!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
| I suppose it's inevitable - the post season let down. Sure my favorite team won out, but here it is less than a week later and I'm all ready bored. No scoreboards to watch, no rushing home after half a day to sit and watch and bite nails and cringe when the other team scores or slam on the coffee table when your team scores. The phone calls are made, the bets all paid - all that's left is the tattoo to be gotten - sorry Mom! Oh sure, there's Xbox hockey, but it's not the same. And the Penguins goaltending sucks, unlike the real Marc-Andre Fleury. Lots of long late hours doing Poker Stars and exploring the depths of the 1900+ albums on my hard drive [Del Amitri's Hatful of Rain is pretty good, Sara Brightman's Harem is good, Faith Hill's Cry not so much...]. I found myself so bored, I actually went to a movie Sunday night. [Star Trek - interesting premise... no spoilers!] It must have been a while since I saw a non-matinee - when the hell did the price go up to $ 9.50?!? Maybe that's a premium price for the three level stadium seating extravaganza that is Rave at Northeast Mall - I really don't know. Who would have thunk in 1978 when the fourplex or the Forum 6 was a big deal that we'd have these enormodome movie theaters? As I was leaving the Sunday late show - I don't have anywhere to be Monday mornings - I noticed a pack of kids goofing off in the summer worthy heat. Five dudes and one girl standing around yapping, trying to decide their next move because it's summer and there's really nothing else to do. Even on a sweltering muggy summer night, there's only so much to do after midnight on a Sunday / Monday. Bowling? IHOP, Denny's, Waffle House? I smiled to myself as I walked to my truck. Oh, to be young and bored again. I figured they were going into their senior year - they had the look of 17 year old not yet terrified of jobs, SAT's or college. My junior summer started off grand - Cars tickets went on sale the Saturday after finals [though they weren't going to be here until September.]waiting outside Sears [where Ticketmaster was] About a dozen kids on a not too bad early summer morning, yakking about our schools and a whole lot of nothing. That was the summer of the "Limon," my faded green 73 Plymouth Duster. My first summer with a car, lots of going places just to be driving and not at home. First job - sorta waiting tables at this all you can eat Mexican place and sorta being busboy. The pay sucked, but they had a nice garden room I liked to eat in and read on my lunch. First drunk drinking those very missed short bottled Budweiser in the parking lot. Shoe polishing other people's cars. But it was a summer job and after toughing out a couple weeks in dish-washing [I HATED driving home in wet pant, wet shirt, wet socks and squishy shoes!] I quit in mid-August. I wondered if kids are really that much different today - I mean other than being wired to the gills. We had computers - "Trash 80s," "Crapples" and Commodores. We were getting cassette Walkman players [and cheap knockoffs] by my junior year. You could get cable in town [but not in the sticks where we lived] even tough it was only about 30 channels. But the rites of passage are the same - first car, first dates, first kiss - I'll leave it at that - it's all still so Fast Times At Ridgemont High, right? Driving around blasting your tunes, hanging with your buds and going someplace and drink iced tea or coffee beacuse going home is LAME. Isn't that the way kids have spent millions of sweltering Sunday nights? |
Friday, June 12, 2009
Okay I am breathing again. Whew! WHAT A GAME that game 7 was.
I wish I could say I was sure of this game, "Never doubted for a second." I wish I could say I could feel that Detroit was out of gas and we were a lock on thins. But I can't.
And while I expected the good fight from the Pens, and I hoped like hell that Marian Hossa would not score the game winning goal, I kinda suspected Detroit would come out like the team they are [were?] and just steamroll four lines over the Pens.
But that's not what happened is it?
I didn't cheer too loud on Max Talbot's opening goal. One is one and it's nice to start the scoring. But the second one I whooped for a while, pounded the coffee table a little, scared the neighbors. But I was on the edge of m seat the rest of the game, too. I definitely howled like a couple of the neighborhood dogs when Detroit scored. [I was watching on Tivo, about two minutes behind real time and had tried calling my brother in law - bad connection - but he was like 'I can't believe you're calling now.' Now I know why.]
It's fitting that Marc-Andre Fleury [he was a #1 pick overall, too -remember?] should stone Niklas Lidstrom on that last shot to win the game. I knew Detroit could and would bring the pressure that came in that last two minutes - just like the end of the second when they got buzzing. But credit the Penguins no name guys - Craig Adams, Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi [ANOTHER monster game for Scuderi - resign him tomorrow, please!], Brooks Orpik, Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy and that "other guy" Jordan Staal - for playing hard, dirty defensive hockey, blocking shots and tying guys up. Pittsburgh blocked 20 shots in the game - Detroit just 3.
And hat's off to Jordan Staal - when Crosby went out he stepped right into those minutes and played like a champion on both sides of the puck. I loved just seeing him whoop when he got the Cup.
And congrats to Bill Guerin on his second Cup. Bill was a Dallas Star for a couple of years and was a weekly call in guest on one of the radio stations here and seems to be another one of the great, humble guys in the NHL. I think he can hang them up as a champ.
And I guess I still have a little crow to eat here - Ruslan Fedotenko and Miro Satan both played extremely well in the finals. Fedotenko was a guy who controlled the puck and took a lot of shots on Malkin's line and Satan was pretty good as an energy / 4th line guy.
I did give the TV the finger and curse at Marian Hossa again - "Detroit has a better chance of winning the Cup." HA! But in the morning stories, he does point out that if he had signed, Pittsburgh might not have been able to sign guys who were important to this Cup run. Well, maybe so. Maybe you've learned to keep your mouth shut, too.
In the end, Detroit just looked like a team that was totally out of gas. We'll never know what kind of injuries or pains guys like Lidstrom, Draper and Datsyuk were fighting through. Lidstrom made mistakes in the series that he doesn't normally make - although Pittsburgh finally picked up that the Wings like going up the middle out of the corners and managed to cut a few off - notable on Talbot's first goal. And the adreneline to get on the scorebord led to some bad decisions by Brad Stuart in games 6 and 7. But I don't feel bad for the Red Wings. 4 Cups in 11 years is one hell of a run [and 6 finals in 14 seasons - everyone seems to forget that they lost - got swept - by the NJ Devils in 1995, a year we were all betting on Bowman's Big Red Machine to just steamroll these nobody's from New Jersey. And Draper, Maltby and Listrom were there for that bitter pill] and it's not like they don't have the tools to come back next year. Although someone will have to go to bring up Darren Helm and Abdelkader [Mikael Samuelsson wouldn't be a bad fit in Pittsburgh!]
Anyway, it was a great nail biter of a game and a better series than I even hoped for - capped with a victory by my team! WAY TO GO PENS!!!!
Saturday, June 06, 2009
The Cup
Okay, we're back to even and I'm in off the ledge - okay, so the ledge is my back porch / deck railing and it's only about five feet up, but I could, you know, fall and wrench a shoulder or hurt my wrist putting it out to break my fall.
My cousins on Facebook are as excited as I am about this series and going into tonight's game 5, I am encouraged. Yes, I know this is now a best of 3 with 2 games coming in the other guy's barn. Yes, "The Joe" is a rough place for visiting teams. And yes, the Red Wings are a veteran team that certainly know how to win the Cup. But I think the Red Wings are tired. Their energy just drained after Pittsburgh's three goals in the second Thursday night.
I think this is the game Pittsburgh can steal from Detroit, if they can weather what is sure to be a big push from Detroit. They will try and feed from a returning Pavel Datsyuk, but I ask again - who do you take OUT of the Wings lineup? Super rookie Justin Abdelkader [yes, I had to look that up] sat so the Wings could insert veteran shutdown center Kris Draper back in the lineup. I don't think Mike Babcock can sit center Darren Helm - he's earned his spot. You'd like to keep some youthful legs in there with Ville Leino, but he is probably going to sit. You could make a case for sitting Valterri Filppula or Jiri Hudler, too, but I doubt Babcock will rest his veterans.
Anyway, I think if Pittsburgh can come out and hold on or even shove the Red WIngs game back in their face - hard forecheck, take the body, make smart plays [this includes NOT shoving pucks up the middle from behind the net!] and be aware of the lively boards at Joe Louis - they can take this game from a tired Red Wings squad. And I say let the Wings match up all night against Sidney Crosby! Let them get Zetterberg and Datsyuk and Nick Lidstrom out there against Crosby. Because Sid can turn you inside out and burn you, but it's clear to me right now that Malkin is going to be the key to the Pens winning right now. He is the hot hand this playoff. And yes, it's going to take an ugly goal from a Tyler Kennedy or Jordan Staal or Ruslan Fedotenko, but if Malkin can get going and feed those guys, that's going to be it for Detroit.
Okay, we're back to even and I'm in off the ledge - okay, so the ledge is my back porch / deck railing and it's only about five feet up, but I could, you know, fall and wrench a shoulder or hurt my wrist putting it out to break my fall.
My cousins on Facebook are as excited as I am about this series and going into tonight's game 5, I am encouraged. Yes, I know this is now a best of 3 with 2 games coming in the other guy's barn. Yes, "The Joe" is a rough place for visiting teams. And yes, the Red Wings are a veteran team that certainly know how to win the Cup. But I think the Red Wings are tired. Their energy just drained after Pittsburgh's three goals in the second Thursday night.
I think this is the game Pittsburgh can steal from Detroit, if they can weather what is sure to be a big push from Detroit. They will try and feed from a returning Pavel Datsyuk, but I ask again - who do you take OUT of the Wings lineup? Super rookie Justin Abdelkader [yes, I had to look that up] sat so the Wings could insert veteran shutdown center Kris Draper back in the lineup. I don't think Mike Babcock can sit center Darren Helm - he's earned his spot. You'd like to keep some youthful legs in there with Ville Leino, but he is probably going to sit. You could make a case for sitting Valterri Filppula or Jiri Hudler, too, but I doubt Babcock will rest his veterans.
Anyway, I think if Pittsburgh can come out and hold on or even shove the Red WIngs game back in their face - hard forecheck, take the body, make smart plays [this includes NOT shoving pucks up the middle from behind the net!] and be aware of the lively boards at Joe Louis - they can take this game from a tired Red Wings squad. And I say let the Wings match up all night against Sidney Crosby! Let them get Zetterberg and Datsyuk and Nick Lidstrom out there against Crosby. Because Sid can turn you inside out and burn you, but it's clear to me right now that Malkin is going to be the key to the Pens winning right now. He is the hot hand this playoff. And yes, it's going to take an ugly goal from a Tyler Kennedy or Jordan Staal or Ruslan Fedotenko, but if Malkin can get going and feed those guys, that's going to be it for Detroit.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Here's something interesting - of course I Tivo-ed the Pens - Canes game last night, but in doing my setup I accidentally hit mute on my Super Space Command Remote Control for my cable. So I have picture but no sound. Which may not be a bad thing. I love 'Razor' Reaugh's color comments as much as the next hockey fan, but I get him for Stars games all year, too and I could do with a couple hours of hockey without a "Lareceny!" or a 'gargantuan rebound.'
SO, I actually picked up pen and paper and decided to totally unlive Blog the game as I watched.
1st period:
18:24 - [Eric] Staal [Carolina] stuffs one. I think this is the first time in the series [this is game 4, Pens up 3 - 0] that the Canes have outnumbered Pittsburgh below the goal line. Rob Scuderi versus three Canes and Staal on the wrap around. Malkin standing there on the boards not helping and Hal Gill nowhere near the net. Isn't the Center the Center's responsibility, Geno?
17:30 - Now the Canes are buzzing and pressing the forecheck. Not a good clear by [Pens goalie Marc-Andre] Fleury! Brind'Amour [that's not a typo] just held up the Pens rush for a good 20 seconds by himself.
14:40 - The Canes full court press keeps the Pens hurrying until Ray Whitney misses a keep in at the blue line -Fedotenko with a nice breakaway! Where's the late man? He had no passing option. Who is that # 28? [It may be my eyes are failing - 287 is Eric Goddard, but he wasn't dressed... but I looked several times to catch a number and that was not Fedotenko.]
11:39 - SCORE! Boucher to a wide open on the back door Ruslan Fedotenko. Not a red jersey, including the goalie, within ten feet of him. How many times have the Canes been burned by the back door play this series?
10:00 - TV just pointed out [Carolina's] Eric Cole has not been every effective in the playoffs - just 5 assists in his last 31 playoff games. So what? I like the way the guy plays the game. He can hit, he can shoot and he can pass. Don't blame him for Carolina's woes - NO ONE has stepped up this series. The Pens are killing penalties at 83 %. That's dedication and hard work and why I'm taking them to upset the Red Wings this year.
8:43 - Fleury just saved his own bacon on his belly and sliding the stick across the goal line. Gotta elevate those shots!
5:25 - Chippy and scrappy in the Canes end. Kennedy [Pitt] just sidestepped a Mack truck of a hit. Jordan Staal [Pitt] levels someone one the boards with a good shoulder! This year's Pens aren't afraid to hit and be hit. Good shift from the third line keeping the Canes bottled up in their end!
3:58 - Pittsburgh has a powerplay connecting 20.5 % of the time and it's only 7th in the playoffs [out of 16 teams]???
2:30 - Jordan Stall again in the corner. He is just a Ronnie Francis starter kit.
1:28 - Breakaway by Talbot, flutter puck of the top of the glove and SCORE! Oh, that's bad. That's Langenbrunner beats Osgood from just inside the red line bad. But we'll take it! hat's the game winner, too. Oh, it went up the defenseman's stick and arched up and over. Shades of Steve Smith. I saw Sergei Zubov put a pass right off his partner's skate into the Pens net when he was in Pittsburgh. That's one of those unlucky bounces.
'Tween Periods - Aw screw the NHL injury reporting process. Detroit can say Kris Draper has a groin injury, Pavel Datsyuk has foot problem, but Nicklas Lidstrom has a 'lower body injury.' Anything from a hangnail to a sprained ankle to a broken leg to a groin... PFFFFT. Can the Wings beat Pittsburgh without Lidstrom? It would be tough. He just never seems to be out of position defensively and he's so smart with the puck. Lidstrom may be the best all around defenseman of his generation. Christine Simpson. Yumm!
2nd Period
20:00 - Canes start with 1:30 [ish] of power play. Big shot block by Hal Gill. Once Gill got past taking bad penalties [for being out of position] he has become a great shut down guy. Rob Scuderi, too. Neither will get a sniff for MVP honors, but both have been fantastic all through the playoffs.
15:51 - Yeah, big obvious high stick there Seidenberg. Go sit in the box and feel shame! Eric Staal and Rod Brind'Amour just killed 20 seconds of OUR power pay and had a couple good whacks short handed. Come on guys! Wake up! Nice deflection by Jordan Staal. Kris Letang is going to be good for a long time. He's got a wicked wrister that finds the top corner. Power play over Canes rush, 5 Pens in front of their own net against 3 Canes, no shot!
12:00 - Another shot off the blocker of [Canes goalie Cam] Ward. He's not playing playing well, not making good clean saves. It looks like he's lunging at the puck. Of course a few years back the knock on Fleury was he can't catch, cover, play the puck, kick rebounds into the corners, cover the five hole or skate. But other than that he's a good goalie. Ward has a Conn Smythe and a Cup ring all ready.
10:17 - What's Bill Cowher doing at the game? Wish I could hear what he has to say. Dumb trip Seidenberg, go sit again. What is this short handed break on our power play again? Gonchar pushed his shoulder at the last second. Why is Bill Geurin in the box?
9:02 - Mark Eaton on a 4 on 4 rush. This guy hasn't scored 4 goals in 2 seasons, but he comes out of nowhere to wire 4 this playoff. Nice. Must be a contract year.
7:50 -Crosby to afresh from the box Guerin, flip to the far post and score! Pitkanen HAS to stop that pass. Bill Guerin with playoff beard looks a lot like Jonathan Frakes from Star Trek: Next Generation.
6:20 - E Staal on the wrap around and stuff try again. He's playing very well tonight. Too Bad the Carolina D isn't. Or most of this series. Where's Frank Kaberle and Joe Corvo? I see Corvo's 77 flashing around once in a while here. [Kaberle was scratched for Anton Babchuck who only played 10:41 of the game, Carolina going with a 5 D rotation?]
1:48 - Well Carolina just played 2 minutes of keep away in our zone. But nothing to show for it. I see Tim Gleason for Carolina. And Nick Wallin.
3rd Period
17:00 - Seems the plan this period is to get the Carolina D active shooting and try to have someone about 10 - 20 feet out tipping shots. Couple of good chances all ready. Matt Cullen on the shake 'n' bake, Craig Adams [former Cane] lifting the stick and hooking and he still gets a shot off! Crosby tries a short handed split the defense rush - he need Mario to show him how to lower that shoulder and plow through. The Pens have killed 11 of 12 power plays this series.
12:00 - great poke check and pick the pocket by Malkin, great pass to Talbot for the one time. Eric Cole got a knee to the head behinds the play. He's a hockey player, he'll be back.
10:00 - the Jordan Staal line again cycling off to the goalie's left. Boy that line has been great tonight.
9:00 - Carolina just win the faceoff to their goalie. Saturday night was the first time I've ever seen a team in an offensive zone faceoff right into their own empty net.
5:45 - Eric Staal on the toe drag short handed breakout, 3 white sweaters converge. Pens in a 1 - 1 - 3 to clog up the blue line. Ron Francis is on the Carolina bench [coaching now], they need him to go lace 'em up!
4:15 - Look at Crosby forecheck. Wow! Canes outnumbered 4 - 3 below the dots in our end.
2:23 - Fleury flip flopping like the Fleury of old. He's been good, not great.
1:10 - Crosby to Adams into the empty net. That does it. Assist to Talbot. It's always great when grinder get points.
Handshakes. Oh, the "Don't Touch It Trophy" presentation. The superstition is you don't touch the Prince of Wales [Eastern Conference championship] trophy or the Clarence Campbell [Western Conference championship] bowl because you only want to touch the Stanley Cup. And it's weird superstition - Jordan Staal did not touch the Cup when Eric brought it home after the 2006 win because you only want to touch the Cup when you win it. [I will not win win it, so I touched it at the Hockey Hall of Fame.] The only person I saw make a deal out of it was Scott Stevens with the '03 Devils. He skated it and had a team photo with it. OH! Crosby touched it! And took a picture with his alternate captains Malkin and Gonchar! And he's taking it to the locker room!
Note: I heard on Sportscenter last night and read today that Crosby touched it this year because he didn't last year and the Pens lost - so he's trying a new superstition.
LET'S GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!
SO, I actually picked up pen and paper and decided to totally unlive Blog the game as I watched.
1st period:
18:24 - [Eric] Staal [Carolina] stuffs one. I think this is the first time in the series [this is game 4, Pens up 3 - 0] that the Canes have outnumbered Pittsburgh below the goal line. Rob Scuderi versus three Canes and Staal on the wrap around. Malkin standing there on the boards not helping and Hal Gill nowhere near the net. Isn't the Center the Center's responsibility, Geno?
17:30 - Now the Canes are buzzing and pressing the forecheck. Not a good clear by [Pens goalie Marc-Andre] Fleury! Brind'Amour [that's not a typo] just held up the Pens rush for a good 20 seconds by himself.
14:40 - The Canes full court press keeps the Pens hurrying until Ray Whitney misses a keep in at the blue line -Fedotenko with a nice breakaway! Where's the late man? He had no passing option. Who is that # 28? [It may be my eyes are failing - 287 is Eric Goddard, but he wasn't dressed... but I looked several times to catch a number and that was not Fedotenko.]
11:39 - SCORE! Boucher to a wide open on the back door Ruslan Fedotenko. Not a red jersey, including the goalie, within ten feet of him. How many times have the Canes been burned by the back door play this series?
10:00 - TV just pointed out [Carolina's] Eric Cole has not been every effective in the playoffs - just 5 assists in his last 31 playoff games. So what? I like the way the guy plays the game. He can hit, he can shoot and he can pass. Don't blame him for Carolina's woes - NO ONE has stepped up this series. The Pens are killing penalties at 83 %. That's dedication and hard work and why I'm taking them to upset the Red Wings this year.
8:43 - Fleury just saved his own bacon on his belly and sliding the stick across the goal line. Gotta elevate those shots!
5:25 - Chippy and scrappy in the Canes end. Kennedy [Pitt] just sidestepped a Mack truck of a hit. Jordan Staal [Pitt] levels someone one the boards with a good shoulder! This year's Pens aren't afraid to hit and be hit. Good shift from the third line keeping the Canes bottled up in their end!
3:58 - Pittsburgh has a powerplay connecting 20.5 % of the time and it's only 7th in the playoffs [out of 16 teams]???
2:30 - Jordan Stall again in the corner. He is just a Ronnie Francis starter kit.
1:28 - Breakaway by Talbot, flutter puck of the top of the glove and SCORE! Oh, that's bad. That's Langenbrunner beats Osgood from just inside the red line bad. But we'll take it! hat's the game winner, too. Oh, it went up the defenseman's stick and arched up and over. Shades of Steve Smith. I saw Sergei Zubov put a pass right off his partner's skate into the Pens net when he was in Pittsburgh. That's one of those unlucky bounces.
'Tween Periods - Aw screw the NHL injury reporting process. Detroit can say Kris Draper has a groin injury, Pavel Datsyuk has foot problem, but Nicklas Lidstrom has a 'lower body injury.' Anything from a hangnail to a sprained ankle to a broken leg to a groin... PFFFFT. Can the Wings beat Pittsburgh without Lidstrom? It would be tough. He just never seems to be out of position defensively and he's so smart with the puck. Lidstrom may be the best all around defenseman of his generation. Christine Simpson. Yumm!
2nd Period
20:00 - Canes start with 1:30 [ish] of power play. Big shot block by Hal Gill. Once Gill got past taking bad penalties [for being out of position] he has become a great shut down guy. Rob Scuderi, too. Neither will get a sniff for MVP honors, but both have been fantastic all through the playoffs.
15:51 - Yeah, big obvious high stick there Seidenberg. Go sit in the box and feel shame! Eric Staal and Rod Brind'Amour just killed 20 seconds of OUR power pay and had a couple good whacks short handed. Come on guys! Wake up! Nice deflection by Jordan Staal. Kris Letang is going to be good for a long time. He's got a wicked wrister that finds the top corner. Power play over Canes rush, 5 Pens in front of their own net against 3 Canes, no shot!
12:00 - Another shot off the blocker of [Canes goalie Cam] Ward. He's not playing playing well, not making good clean saves. It looks like he's lunging at the puck. Of course a few years back the knock on Fleury was he can't catch, cover, play the puck, kick rebounds into the corners, cover the five hole or skate. But other than that he's a good goalie. Ward has a Conn Smythe and a Cup ring all ready.
10:17 - What's Bill Cowher doing at the game? Wish I could hear what he has to say. Dumb trip Seidenberg, go sit again. What is this short handed break on our power play again? Gonchar pushed his shoulder at the last second. Why is Bill Geurin in the box?
9:02 - Mark Eaton on a 4 on 4 rush. This guy hasn't scored 4 goals in 2 seasons, but he comes out of nowhere to wire 4 this playoff. Nice. Must be a contract year.
7:50 -Crosby to afresh from the box Guerin, flip to the far post and score! Pitkanen HAS to stop that pass. Bill Guerin with playoff beard looks a lot like Jonathan Frakes from Star Trek: Next Generation.
6:20 - E Staal on the wrap around and stuff try again. He's playing very well tonight. Too Bad the Carolina D isn't. Or most of this series. Where's Frank Kaberle and Joe Corvo? I see Corvo's 77 flashing around once in a while here. [Kaberle was scratched for Anton Babchuck who only played 10:41 of the game, Carolina going with a 5 D rotation?]
1:48 - Well Carolina just played 2 minutes of keep away in our zone. But nothing to show for it. I see Tim Gleason for Carolina. And Nick Wallin.
3rd Period
17:00 - Seems the plan this period is to get the Carolina D active shooting and try to have someone about 10 - 20 feet out tipping shots. Couple of good chances all ready. Matt Cullen on the shake 'n' bake, Craig Adams [former Cane] lifting the stick and hooking and he still gets a shot off! Crosby tries a short handed split the defense rush - he need Mario to show him how to lower that shoulder and plow through. The Pens have killed 11 of 12 power plays this series.
12:00 - great poke check and pick the pocket by Malkin, great pass to Talbot for the one time. Eric Cole got a knee to the head behinds the play. He's a hockey player, he'll be back.
10:00 - the Jordan Staal line again cycling off to the goalie's left. Boy that line has been great tonight.
9:00 - Carolina just win the faceoff to their goalie. Saturday night was the first time I've ever seen a team in an offensive zone faceoff right into their own empty net.
5:45 - Eric Staal on the toe drag short handed breakout, 3 white sweaters converge. Pens in a 1 - 1 - 3 to clog up the blue line. Ron Francis is on the Carolina bench [coaching now], they need him to go lace 'em up!
4:15 - Look at Crosby forecheck. Wow! Canes outnumbered 4 - 3 below the dots in our end.
2:23 - Fleury flip flopping like the Fleury of old. He's been good, not great.
1:10 - Crosby to Adams into the empty net. That does it. Assist to Talbot. It's always great when grinder get points.
Handshakes. Oh, the "Don't Touch It Trophy" presentation. The superstition is you don't touch the Prince of Wales [Eastern Conference championship] trophy or the Clarence Campbell [Western Conference championship] bowl because you only want to touch the Stanley Cup. And it's weird superstition - Jordan Staal did not touch the Cup when Eric brought it home after the 2006 win because you only want to touch the Cup when you win it. [I will not win win it, so I touched it at the Hockey Hall of Fame.] The only person I saw make a deal out of it was Scott Stevens with the '03 Devils. He skated it and had a team photo with it. OH! Crosby touched it! And took a picture with his alternate captains Malkin and Gonchar! And he's taking it to the locker room!
Note: I heard on Sportscenter last night and read today that Crosby touched it this year because he didn't last year and the Pens lost - so he's trying a new superstition.
LET'S GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!