Didn't see one pitch. Yeah, I know, I've been slacking to this point as I've probably missed more games than I've seen. I wouldn't be shocked if you never came back. But look at your calendar. It's April 17th, which is the first working day after after April 15th. Now is a good time to remind yourself that I work in the tax department of an accounting firm, which means today is kind of a big day. If you can't remember that, well, I hope you don't get a letter from the IRS. Anyway, I work in sales tax, which means for me, today isn't a huge day, but at the same time, the tax department throws a big party with lots and lots of free food, and most importantly, free beer.
So anyway, knowing Jeff Weaver was on the mound, I decided to drink free beer rather than watch the Angels lose, which frankly, was pretty obviously going to happen. It's a combination of crappy pitcher being backed up by an offense that has a history of making guys like Daniel Cabrera, a pitcher who refuses to live up to his potential, look like Cy Young candidates. Tonight was no exception.
Anyway, tonight is a night to celebrate the end of tax season, and a night to watch the greatest left wing in the history of the NHL play the final game of his career. Here's to you, Luc. Soon you'll have your number up on the rafters of Staples Center, and in a few years, you'll be in the hall of fame. I didn't make it to Toronto when Peter Stastny, the greatest European in the history of the NHL, made it to the hall of fame, but a few years out, I plan on making the trip for Luc's induction ceremony. Congratulations on a wonderful career Luc. I'm gonna miss your presence in the lineup.
:(
Monday, April 17, 2006
Angels 9; Orioles 3
Well, the good guys salvaged one from the series, and for once, they're on the right end of a blow-out. Vlad obviously had a huge game, and from what little I saw, they did a good job executing the little things. It didn't hurt that they benefitted from some mistakes on the other side.
I only saw the hilights from this one. I recorded it to the DVR and headed off to the Sox game for about three innings before that one got rained out, then headed to a friend's house for Easter dinner. But from the looks of things, Lackey is on track a few weeks early, and I have every reason to believe he is going to be a top five Cy Young guy this year.
There's gonna be some concern about Frankie, and well there should be, especially considering that Shields hasn't been particularly sharp so far. According to the Times, it's not expected to sideline Frankie for very long, if at all. Almost makes you wonder if he was getting drilled because he was hurt or if he....I won't go there.
Angels try to complete the split today. With Weaver on the mound and the ball flying out of that ballpark, let's just say I'm not optimistic.
I only saw the hilights from this one. I recorded it to the DVR and headed off to the Sox game for about three innings before that one got rained out, then headed to a friend's house for Easter dinner. But from the looks of things, Lackey is on track a few weeks early, and I have every reason to believe he is going to be a top five Cy Young guy this year.
There's gonna be some concern about Frankie, and well there should be, especially considering that Shields hasn't been particularly sharp so far. According to the Times, it's not expected to sideline Frankie for very long, if at all. Almost makes you wonder if he was getting drilled because he was hurt or if he....I won't go there.
Angels try to complete the split today. With Weaver on the mound and the ball flying out of that ballpark, let's just say I'm not optimistic.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Angels 2; Orioles 3
Didn't see this one. I'm sure it was available on the computer, but I have a qualifying round for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur Championship in a little over a week, and I needed to get out and practice. The good news is that in my first real round of the year, I fired a 74, and that's with a double bogey on the last hole when I inexplicably decided to play conservative. I did string together a stretch of three holes where I was four under par (birdie, eagle, birdie), so that's a good sign.
As for the game, it's my understanding that the Angels still refuse to play defense. When you don't score a lot of runs, it's imperative to keep the other team from scoring some of their own, and refusing to play defense is somewhat incompatible with that. The ace is on the mound tomorrow, and if I could choose one guy to help us salvage a game, it would be Lackey. Let's hope he starts like he finished his last game.
As for the game, it's my understanding that the Angels still refuse to play defense. When you don't score a lot of runs, it's imperative to keep the other team from scoring some of their own, and refusing to play defense is somewhat incompatible with that. The ace is on the mound tomorrow, and if I could choose one guy to help us salvage a game, it would be Lackey. Let's hope he starts like he finished his last game.
Angels 5; Orioles 6
Second 6-5 loss of the season. Santana looked a little ragged actually. Not many walks, but he had trouble finding the zone at times, and got tagged for three homers. The bullpen, which has been hit and miss so far, was miss tonight, with Shields blowing the save in the 8th, then giving up the walk off homer in the ninth.
On the bright side, the Angels took advantage of the wind to unleash their power bats, with Anderson, Rivera, Kennedy and Mathis getting in on the action. Mathis' came with two out in the ninth to extend the game an extra half frame, so that's a positive sign that he can perform under pressure.
As for today, it's another day with a lot of hockey, so it appears I won't be getting this one on TV, which means it's computer or nothing.
On the bright side, the Angels took advantage of the wind to unleash their power bats, with Anderson, Rivera, Kennedy and Mathis getting in on the action. Mathis' came with two out in the ninth to extend the game an extra half frame, so that's a positive sign that he can perform under pressure.
As for today, it's another day with a lot of hockey, so it appears I won't be getting this one on TV, which means it's computer or nothing.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Kings officially done
Just for the three people out there who held out hope, the Kings were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs tonight. The death blow came before they decided to not try to beat Phoenix, so the fact that they got their assess kicked by the pathetic, yet demonstrably superior Coyotes was more or less meaningless. So instead of doing a long post mortem, I'm going to bed.
But please don't let that stop you from enjoying this wonderful excerpt from an episode of Gimmie Gimmie Octopus.
"Kure Kure Takora" everyone!
But please don't let that stop you from enjoying this wonderful excerpt from an episode of Gimmie Gimmie Octopus.
"Kure Kure Takora" everyone!
Sean Avery - done with the Kings
According to this article in the Times, Sean Avery will no longer play for the LA Kings, this season or next. This ends a tenure in which he was twice the most penalized player in the league.
Avery has always been the type of player of whom people said "I hate his guts, but I'd love to have him on my team." And frankly, that was the feeling of most Kings fans this season, as was evidenced by the quick selling "What would Avery do?" T-shirts. But as the team's fortunes went south, so did a lot of the patience with Avery, no doubt accentuated by the fact that he took a lot of penalties on a team that simply refuses to try to kill them.
Avery set career highs this season with 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points. He's only 26, and if he can rein in his emotions, I think he could be a hell of an NHL player. Hell, even if he can't, I think he has the skating ability and talent to be a 30 goal scorer at some point in his career, maybe better. But his act wore thin on management and apparently some of the guys in the locker room as well. He was dismissed from practice for refusing to perform a drill, then getting into an argument with Mark Hardy. Not to defend Avery, but maybe if more people stopped listening to Hardy, they'd be able to kill a power play every now and then.
One thing's for sure. This is going to look like a much different team next year. Unfortunately, they're probably not going to look much better. As for Avery, there will be takers, and I fear he'll turn into a productive offensive player as he matures. I'm right on the fence on this one, but I'm leaning more toward "sad to see him go" than "good riddance".
Avery has always been the type of player of whom people said "I hate his guts, but I'd love to have him on my team." And frankly, that was the feeling of most Kings fans this season, as was evidenced by the quick selling "What would Avery do?" T-shirts. But as the team's fortunes went south, so did a lot of the patience with Avery, no doubt accentuated by the fact that he took a lot of penalties on a team that simply refuses to try to kill them.
Avery set career highs this season with 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points. He's only 26, and if he can rein in his emotions, I think he could be a hell of an NHL player. Hell, even if he can't, I think he has the skating ability and talent to be a 30 goal scorer at some point in his career, maybe better. But his act wore thin on management and apparently some of the guys in the locker room as well. He was dismissed from practice for refusing to perform a drill, then getting into an argument with Mark Hardy. Not to defend Avery, but maybe if more people stopped listening to Hardy, they'd be able to kill a power play every now and then.
One thing's for sure. This is going to look like a much different team next year. Unfortunately, they're probably not going to look much better. As for Avery, there will be takers, and I fear he'll turn into a productive offensive player as he matures. I'm right on the fence on this one, but I'm leaning more toward "sad to see him go" than "good riddance".
Blown out. Rangers - A lot; Angels - not so much
Pretty much over by the fourth inning or so. Cabrera's boot at second led to a bunch of runs. The Angels had a chance to get back into this one when they loaded the bases with no one out, but Robb Quinlan swung at a 3-1 pitch that was probably a little high and popped it to right, driving in the only run the Angels would get back. By the time they scored again, the pitching staff had given up 11 runs, and the fans had given up hope.
The Angles have now allowed 12 more runs than they've scored, and they're a game over .500. That's the early season for you. Off day today as the team heads to Baltimore for three, followed by Minnesota and Oakland.
The Angles have now allowed 12 more runs than they've scored, and they're a game over .500. That's the early season for you. Off day today as the team heads to Baltimore for three, followed by Minnesota and Oakland.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Rangers 4; Angels 5
While last night's game showed us what to expect from the 2006 Angels, tonight's game was an homage to the 2002 Angels. Kept in the game by an adequate performance from Jeff Weaver and solid work by the bullpen, the Angels offense pushed across just enough runs to win their second straight over the Rangers without the benefit of a home run.
This game wasn't on Extra Innings, as there were a plethora of NHL games to be shown, none of which featured the Kings, which is a good thing when you're recovering from an illness. Anyway, it's tough to follow those games, so I can't really speak intelligently to how Weaver looked. He obviously looked great to Hank Blalock, who tagged him twice.
After getting down by three runs, tonight's rally twins, Darin Erstand and Casey Kotchman, got the Angels back into the game with back to back doubles. Both would eventually score. The two struck again in the ninth, with the ever patient Erstad drawing a lead off walk, followed by Kotchman's single. Although Jeff Mathis failed to get the bunt down, Adam Kennedy came through with a game winning double as the Angels handed Frankie Cordova another last inning loss.
I'm not sure the Angels have the offense to do this on a consistent basis. In fact, I'm sure that they don't, so it may be a long year for the rally monkey, but he's off to a great start. Weaver did what the Angels signed him to do, and that's give the team a chance to win. With the A's losing, the Angels draw even with the A's at 5-3.
Your fun stat for the day: It's early, but all four AL West teams have allowed more runs than they've given up. In the Mariners and Rangers case, it's due to them not being very good. In the A's and Ange;s case, it's due to each of them getting slaughtered once by the Yankees, who are 3-4 despite outscoring their opponents by an average of two runs per game.
This game wasn't on Extra Innings, as there were a plethora of NHL games to be shown, none of which featured the Kings, which is a good thing when you're recovering from an illness. Anyway, it's tough to follow those games, so I can't really speak intelligently to how Weaver looked. He obviously looked great to Hank Blalock, who tagged him twice.
After getting down by three runs, tonight's rally twins, Darin Erstand and Casey Kotchman, got the Angels back into the game with back to back doubles. Both would eventually score. The two struck again in the ninth, with the ever patient Erstad drawing a lead off walk, followed by Kotchman's single. Although Jeff Mathis failed to get the bunt down, Adam Kennedy came through with a game winning double as the Angels handed Frankie Cordova another last inning loss.
I'm not sure the Angels have the offense to do this on a consistent basis. In fact, I'm sure that they don't, so it may be a long year for the rally monkey, but he's off to a great start. Weaver did what the Angels signed him to do, and that's give the team a chance to win. With the A's losing, the Angels draw even with the A's at 5-3.
Your fun stat for the day: It's early, but all four AL West teams have allowed more runs than they've given up. In the Mariners and Rangers case, it's due to them not being very good. In the A's and Ange;s case, it's due to each of them getting slaughtered once by the Yankees, who are 3-4 despite outscoring their opponents by an average of two runs per game.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Rangers 2; Angels 5
This is pretty much the way they draw them up for this Angels team. Timely hitting, excellent pitching, good defense, and win by a couple of runs. All seven runs were scored with two outs, and the Angels did an excellent job of answering the Rangers two first inning runs with one of their own in the bottom of the first, followed by three in the second. The unsung play of the game was Adam Kennedy's hustle in the bottom of the second to beat out a double play. It extended the inning and was followed by Chone Figgins' RBI triple, Orlando Cabrera's RBI single, and Vlad Guerrero's RBI single (which extended his hitting streak to 37 straight against the Rangers).
Those four runs were all John Lackey would need (though they added a fifth). He fantastic following a first inning hiccup which saw him Walk Mark Teixeira with two out, which Phil Nevin followed with a homer. From there he settled down, allowing only those two runs on four hits and walk, while striking out eight. Almost as important, of the 12 batters who made outs by putting the ball in play, nine of them did it on the ground. These are the kind of starts that Angels fans and fantasy owners expect Lackey to put together on a more consistent basis this season. He did it against a heck of an offensive lineup, and one that has had his number in the past.
As for the defense, it was excellent as well. Cabrera, Kennedy, and Kotchman combined for a double play ground out by Michael Young. Kotchman himself turned in the defensive play of the night when he stabbed a hot shot by Hank Blalock with one out in the seventh. They completed the game without commiting an error, which is an encouraging sign after committing nine in their first six games.
Jeff Weaver goes tomorrow against Rick Bauer, who didn't start in his only appearance this season. It doesn't look as if it will be on Extra Innings, so it will probably be a computer night. A lot of people picked the Rangers ahead of the Angels this season, so it would be nice to open up a little teensy bit of daylight with a series sweep.
Those four runs were all John Lackey would need (though they added a fifth). He fantastic following a first inning hiccup which saw him Walk Mark Teixeira with two out, which Phil Nevin followed with a homer. From there he settled down, allowing only those two runs on four hits and walk, while striking out eight. Almost as important, of the 12 batters who made outs by putting the ball in play, nine of them did it on the ground. These are the kind of starts that Angels fans and fantasy owners expect Lackey to put together on a more consistent basis this season. He did it against a heck of an offensive lineup, and one that has had his number in the past.
As for the defense, it was excellent as well. Cabrera, Kennedy, and Kotchman combined for a double play ground out by Michael Young. Kotchman himself turned in the defensive play of the night when he stabbed a hot shot by Hank Blalock with one out in the seventh. They completed the game without commiting an error, which is an encouraging sign after committing nine in their first six games.
Jeff Weaver goes tomorrow against Rick Bauer, who didn't start in his only appearance this season. It doesn't look as if it will be on Extra Innings, so it will probably be a computer night. A lot of people picked the Rangers ahead of the Angels this season, so it would be nice to open up a little teensy bit of daylight with a series sweep.
The Weekend
So obviously there have been no recaps of the games this weekend, Saturday because my out of town guest and I watched most of it at a bar, and Sunday because I didn't see much of the game due to playing in a golf tournament with said out of town guest. A breakdown of my weekend:
Saturday:
As for our team, well, it was a total team effort. You win scrambles one of two ways: 1) Everyone on the team is playing well, or 2) everyone is playing OK, but someone always steps up to hit a clutch shot when you need it. We won the second way. Whenever we needed someone to put us in the fairway, or knock one tight on the green, or to make a big putt, someone always came through. It's very satisfying to win a tournament like that when everyone on the team makes major contributions. Two years ago we shot -6 in decent conditions and finished in the top half of 36 teams. Last year we played in brutally cold weather, shot -6, and finished somewhere in the top ten. Yesterday, conditions were terrific. Sunny all day, in the mid 50s most of the day. Under those conditions, I'm a little surprised that -12 held up, but as it turns out, we won by two shots. The $100 gift certificate will come in handy, seeing as how I spent $150 on new pants and new windshirt after throwing up on myself.
Anyway, enough about this for now. There will be plenty of golf talk as the amateur events start to roll around (I try and qualify for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur in two weeks). Back to Angels blogging beginning tonight.
Saturday:
- Early morning - drive to airport to pick up out of town guest.
- Late morning - watch TV
- Early afternoon - get lunch, head to Golfsmith to kill some time
- Late afternoon - go back to Golfsmith so that out of town guest can buy a new driver
- Night - head to bar to get dinner and beer
- Early early morning: Wake up about 10 times during the night due to mystery illness
- Early morning: throw up about three times with what appears to be food poisoning
- Late early morning: throw up in my car as we arrive at the golf course, painfully hit golf balls on the driving range in a brave effort to soldier on despite illness
- Late morning: Despite illness, lack of glycogen, and severe lack of sleep, drill a three wood about 240 yards to about 15 feet on the 6th hole of the day to set up a birdie, getting us to -5 through 6 holes (it was scramble format*).
- Noon or so: We birdie our eigth hole of the day, getting us to -7 through 8.
- Couple hours later: Birdie our 15th, 17th, and 18th holes to finish -12 on the day.
- Hour or so later: Celebrate our first victory in three years of playing in this tournament, try to eat solid food. Go home, fall asleep watching Masters.
As for our team, well, it was a total team effort. You win scrambles one of two ways: 1) Everyone on the team is playing well, or 2) everyone is playing OK, but someone always steps up to hit a clutch shot when you need it. We won the second way. Whenever we needed someone to put us in the fairway, or knock one tight on the green, or to make a big putt, someone always came through. It's very satisfying to win a tournament like that when everyone on the team makes major contributions. Two years ago we shot -6 in decent conditions and finished in the top half of 36 teams. Last year we played in brutally cold weather, shot -6, and finished somewhere in the top ten. Yesterday, conditions were terrific. Sunny all day, in the mid 50s most of the day. Under those conditions, I'm a little surprised that -12 held up, but as it turns out, we won by two shots. The $100 gift certificate will come in handy, seeing as how I spent $150 on new pants and new windshirt after throwing up on myself.
Anyway, enough about this for now. There will be plenty of golf talk as the amateur events start to roll around (I try and qualify for the Illinois State Mid-Amateur in two weeks). Back to Angels blogging beginning tonight.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Yankees 1; Angels 4
I mentioned the other day that I thought the Angels had an advantage in this one based on the premise that while the Yankees were throwing their number 4 starter, the Angels had arguably their best pitcher going. That being the case, the result didn't surprise.
The Angels jumped on top in the first inning with Orlando Cabrera hitting his second homer in as many games, this one following a Chone Figgins double. They added on in the fourth after Darin Erstad singled home Garret Anderson. And when the Yankees got on the board with a Johnny Damon double, the Halos answered right back on a bases loaded infield single by Juan Rivera, aided by some nice hustle by GA.
Some scary moments in the seventh when JC Romero couldn't find the plate, creating a situation much like the one he wriggled out of on opening day by walking two batters. Scot Shields added to the trouble by walking the bases loaded before inducing a double play grounder to end the threat. After an easy eighth from Shields, Frankie put it away in the ninth, a little scare on a deep fly ball to center by Posada notwithstanding.
So the Angels improve to 2-2 on the season, and they continue to hold the upper hand against the Yankees. Terrific start by Kelvim, who didn't walk a batter, and fanned his 1000th batter, and it was Jason Giambi, certainly no slouch.
Two disappointments: 1) Joe West makes me wonder how you can hold a major league umpiring position for as long as he has, yet not see the first baseman's foot on the bag for a good second after he caught the ball. Simply a pathetic mistake, which fortunately didn't figure in the outcome. 2) No Kingfish in the lineup. Would have been nice to see him come to the plate in this one, and because of the chundermuffins at Extra Innings, I didn't get to see any pre-game introductions of the team, assuming they did one.
The kid takes the mound tomorrow against Big Ugly, who looked pretty sharp in his opening day start, but who hasn't looked great against the Angels recently if memory serves, and there's a good chance it doesn't. I would imagine we'll see Timmay in the lineup at the DH slot and hopefully Juan Rivera in left as GA sits against the lefty, but I don't write out the scorecard.
As things get back to normal, it feels good to be writing one of these up right after a game again. Of course, I've got an out of town guest tomorrow and a golf tournament on Sunday, so it's another ragged weekend.
The Angels jumped on top in the first inning with Orlando Cabrera hitting his second homer in as many games, this one following a Chone Figgins double. They added on in the fourth after Darin Erstad singled home Garret Anderson. And when the Yankees got on the board with a Johnny Damon double, the Halos answered right back on a bases loaded infield single by Juan Rivera, aided by some nice hustle by GA.
Some scary moments in the seventh when JC Romero couldn't find the plate, creating a situation much like the one he wriggled out of on opening day by walking two batters. Scot Shields added to the trouble by walking the bases loaded before inducing a double play grounder to end the threat. After an easy eighth from Shields, Frankie put it away in the ninth, a little scare on a deep fly ball to center by Posada notwithstanding.
So the Angels improve to 2-2 on the season, and they continue to hold the upper hand against the Yankees. Terrific start by Kelvim, who didn't walk a batter, and fanned his 1000th batter, and it was Jason Giambi, certainly no slouch.
Two disappointments: 1) Joe West makes me wonder how you can hold a major league umpiring position for as long as he has, yet not see the first baseman's foot on the bag for a good second after he caught the ball. Simply a pathetic mistake, which fortunately didn't figure in the outcome. 2) No Kingfish in the lineup. Would have been nice to see him come to the plate in this one, and because of the chundermuffins at Extra Innings, I didn't get to see any pre-game introductions of the team, assuming they did one.
The kid takes the mound tomorrow against Big Ugly, who looked pretty sharp in his opening day start, but who hasn't looked great against the Angels recently if memory serves, and there's a good chance it doesn't. I would imagine we'll see Timmay in the lineup at the DH slot and hopefully Juan Rivera in left as GA sits against the lefty, but I don't write out the scorecard.
As things get back to normal, it feels good to be writing one of these up right after a game again. Of course, I've got an out of town guest tomorrow and a golf tournament on Sunday, so it's another ragged weekend.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Angels 5; Mariners 6
In three games so far this season, the Angels bullpen has been very good, very bad, and very mediocre. Unsurprisingly, the latter two efforts led to losses despite solid offensive performances, and the Angels find themselve 1-2 going into the weekend series against the Yankees.
It's almost impossible to write about game outcomes at this point with a view towards the rest of the season. There's simply no way to tell what three games against one opponent mean in the greater scheme of things. It's like when I used to play hockey and we'd have seasons that were nine games long. You never knew until about 4 or 5 games in just how you matched up. So while the outings from Yan and Donnelly were no doubt disturbing, it's impossible to know whether we can expect more of the same. Can we really expect Salmon to hit like this all season? God, I sure hope so.
For the second straight night (hey, it's night where I live), the Angels got behind early, let the game get away from them in the middle innings, staged a comeback that brought the tying run to the plate, but couldn't get that man across, and fell to their Northestern rivals. I missed the first few innings due to work, so three games in, I still haven't seen a full game. What have I seen? Well, I liked the swing that Mathis put on the ball in the ninth, but the way he pulls off tells me that he's not going to be hitting many out to right field. I like the fact that they've been patient at the plate in the late innings. I like that they haven't given up when they've gotten behind. But I don't like the fact that they keep getting behind.
Tomorrow is an off day as they prepare for the home opener. The Angels have the advantage in that they have what many consider to be their likely ace on the mound against the Yankees #4 starter. But it would be nice to see them get out and get some early runs, hold a lead, and win a game from the outset. I'm as pessimistic after a loss as the next guy, but damn, it's only game three. Long way to go.
It's almost impossible to write about game outcomes at this point with a view towards the rest of the season. There's simply no way to tell what three games against one opponent mean in the greater scheme of things. It's like when I used to play hockey and we'd have seasons that were nine games long. You never knew until about 4 or 5 games in just how you matched up. So while the outings from Yan and Donnelly were no doubt disturbing, it's impossible to know whether we can expect more of the same. Can we really expect Salmon to hit like this all season? God, I sure hope so.
For the second straight night (hey, it's night where I live), the Angels got behind early, let the game get away from them in the middle innings, staged a comeback that brought the tying run to the plate, but couldn't get that man across, and fell to their Northestern rivals. I missed the first few innings due to work, so three games in, I still haven't seen a full game. What have I seen? Well, I liked the swing that Mathis put on the ball in the ninth, but the way he pulls off tells me that he's not going to be hitting many out to right field. I like the fact that they've been patient at the plate in the late innings. I like that they haven't given up when they've gotten behind. But I don't like the fact that they keep getting behind.
Tomorrow is an off day as they prepare for the home opener. The Angels have the advantage in that they have what many consider to be their likely ace on the mound against the Yankees #4 starter. But it would be nice to see them get out and get some early runs, hold a lead, and win a game from the outset. I'm as pessimistic after a loss as the next guy, but damn, it's only game three. Long way to go.
Crappy night
Angels - nice bullpen.
Kings - what more is there to say? Way to nut up on special teams. Losers.
Kings - what more is there to say? Way to nut up on special teams. Losers.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Angels - Probably gonna lose
This game is not on extra innings, and though I can watch it on the computer, I don't think I want to. Lackey apparently doesn't have it, and Figgins is just butchering third base. Plus, the Kings are on, and they're actually winning.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Angels and Kings both win; distract me from UCLA loss
Kings 1; Vancouver 0
Because of the basketball game and various family issues, I only say the third period of this one. Great to have Pavol back in the lineup, and Garon has looked terrific the last two games. Unfortunately, they've put themselves in a position where they pretty much have to win every game, just based on who they're playing. The Kings are tied for 9th with San Jose, but the Sharks have two games in hand. They can still catch Edmonton, who leads by three points in the same number of games, and Vancouver, who leads by two with one more game played, but they need to hold the Sharks off while doing it. Two of their final six are against San Jose, so it's pretty much win those two It's an uphill battle, but stranger things have happened, and they finally have everyone in the lineup at the same time for the first time in forever.
Tonight, they face the Sucks with their season on the line yet again. Lose this one, and they're go from life support to a feeding tube.
Angels 5; Mariners 4
The Angels start the season where they left off, in first place. Missed most of this one, but I did catch the last couple of innings. Terrific at bats by Kotchman and Figgins to draw the free passes, and then clutch Cabrera came through with the game winning single. Didn't see what I can only assume was tremendous work by JC Romero to get out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the sixth. Shields was solid as expected, and other than a hanger by Frankie to Petagine, he looked sharp. Didn't throw the changeup he's been working on, but often a pitcher likes to save something like that until he needs, lest he show it too soon. Anyway, great way to start the season.
Because of the basketball game and various family issues, I only say the third period of this one. Great to have Pavol back in the lineup, and Garon has looked terrific the last two games. Unfortunately, they've put themselves in a position where they pretty much have to win every game, just based on who they're playing. The Kings are tied for 9th with San Jose, but the Sharks have two games in hand. They can still catch Edmonton, who leads by three points in the same number of games, and Vancouver, who leads by two with one more game played, but they need to hold the Sharks off while doing it. Two of their final six are against San Jose, so it's pretty much win those two It's an uphill battle, but stranger things have happened, and they finally have everyone in the lineup at the same time for the first time in forever.
Tonight, they face the Sucks with their season on the line yet again. Lose this one, and they're go from life support to a feeding tube.
Angels 5; Mariners 4
The Angels start the season where they left off, in first place. Missed most of this one, but I did catch the last couple of innings. Terrific at bats by Kotchman and Figgins to draw the free passes, and then clutch Cabrera came through with the game winning single. Didn't see what I can only assume was tremendous work by JC Romero to get out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the sixth. Shields was solid as expected, and other than a hanger by Frankie to Petagine, he looked sharp. Didn't throw the changeup he's been working on, but often a pitcher likes to save something like that until he needs, lest he show it too soon. Anyway, great way to start the season.
Florida 73; UCLA 57
Well, maybe it *was* the worst final four ever. No close games. No games really in doubt at any time in the second half. It was just tough to realize that if you had a rooting interest in any of the teams that got this far.
Florida pretty much took control with about 11 minutes to go in the first half, and never looked back. They played better defense than the Bruins, and they forced Ben Howland to do things that he didn't want to do, like go to a full court press, which Florida pretty much ate for breakfast. The turning point, in my opinion, came with about the 9 minutes mark. Florida had missed two straight shots, and after lay-up by Ced Bozeman, the Bruins had cut the lead to four. After another miss, Darren Collison raced up the court, and despite having opportunities to pass, tried to finish the play himself. The shot was disrupted, Florida went the other way, and Corey Brewer finished with an easy layup. It was a four point swing, taking what should have been a two point lead back to six. It killed any momentum the Bruins had created, and they never got closer the rest of the way.
Other than that, there's really not much else to say. The Gators played better in pretty much every facet of the game, and it showed on the final scoreboard. They've got some tremendous athletes, and Brewer on Afflalo was really a matchup problem for the Bruins on the offensive end. Afflalo just could not get loose all night. Their determination to keep going at Florida's shot blockers made a star out of Joakim Noah. And Florida's shot blocking affected shots even when they didn't try to block them. Witness Lo Mata's missed layup on a shot that he could have easily dunked. But he was tentative, worried about the contact, and couldn't finish the easy lay-in. It was that kind of night.
As disappointing as this loss was, it's important to keep it in perspective. I had this team pegged for a sweet sixteen, maybe an elite eight if everything broke right, before the season started. They exceeded my expectations, and probably everyone else's, too. Next year I expect this team to be better. That's not to say they'll win the championship. I think last year's Illinois team was better by a fair margin than every team in this tournament, and they ran into a better team. Anything can happen. But I think that the freshmen are going to show big improvements, especially Aboya, Wright, and LRMAM. Get them in those pick-up games with the NBA guys and we'll see where they are next year. While losing Ced Bozeman and Ryan Hollins will be tough, I expect them to actually improve at the three. Josh Shipp comes back and provides the scoring and rebounding that they didn't get from Ced this year, while a full year of Mata and improvement from Ryan Wright should adequately replace Hollins.
There's no reason to expect less than a great season from the Bruins next season, and while the loss hurts, there's a lot of reasons for optimism. Congratulations, UCLA, on a terrific 2005-2006. Congrats to coach Howland on his first final four. And best wished to Coach Wooden as he recovers from whatever it was that put him in the hospital yesterday.
Florida pretty much took control with about 11 minutes to go in the first half, and never looked back. They played better defense than the Bruins, and they forced Ben Howland to do things that he didn't want to do, like go to a full court press, which Florida pretty much ate for breakfast. The turning point, in my opinion, came with about the 9 minutes mark. Florida had missed two straight shots, and after lay-up by Ced Bozeman, the Bruins had cut the lead to four. After another miss, Darren Collison raced up the court, and despite having opportunities to pass, tried to finish the play himself. The shot was disrupted, Florida went the other way, and Corey Brewer finished with an easy layup. It was a four point swing, taking what should have been a two point lead back to six. It killed any momentum the Bruins had created, and they never got closer the rest of the way.
Other than that, there's really not much else to say. The Gators played better in pretty much every facet of the game, and it showed on the final scoreboard. They've got some tremendous athletes, and Brewer on Afflalo was really a matchup problem for the Bruins on the offensive end. Afflalo just could not get loose all night. Their determination to keep going at Florida's shot blockers made a star out of Joakim Noah. And Florida's shot blocking affected shots even when they didn't try to block them. Witness Lo Mata's missed layup on a shot that he could have easily dunked. But he was tentative, worried about the contact, and couldn't finish the easy lay-in. It was that kind of night.
As disappointing as this loss was, it's important to keep it in perspective. I had this team pegged for a sweet sixteen, maybe an elite eight if everything broke right, before the season started. They exceeded my expectations, and probably everyone else's, too. Next year I expect this team to be better. That's not to say they'll win the championship. I think last year's Illinois team was better by a fair margin than every team in this tournament, and they ran into a better team. Anything can happen. But I think that the freshmen are going to show big improvements, especially Aboya, Wright, and LRMAM. Get them in those pick-up games with the NBA guys and we'll see where they are next year. While losing Ced Bozeman and Ryan Hollins will be tough, I expect them to actually improve at the three. Josh Shipp comes back and provides the scoring and rebounding that they didn't get from Ced this year, while a full year of Mata and improvement from Ryan Wright should adequately replace Hollins.
There's no reason to expect less than a great season from the Bruins next season, and while the loss hurts, there's a lot of reasons for optimism. Congratulations, UCLA, on a terrific 2005-2006. Congrats to coach Howland on his first final four. And best wished to Coach Wooden as he recovers from whatever it was that put him in the hospital yesterday.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Opening Day
And I won't be around to blog it. Sorry. Mom's in town, and my sister drove over from Ohio, so I can't really get of it. Fortunately I'll be home in time for the basketball game, but the baseball blogging I've been looking forward to will have to wait one more day.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder: UCLA 59; LSU 45
Ugly. That's what they all called them. Said UCLA played an ugly style. Well, tonight, they executed on both ends, and showed that the idiots who criticized the Bruins based on one game against Memphis (while ignoring their other game against Memphis) are a bunch of morons.
Thanks to a second half slow down by the Bruins who held a huge lead with 15 minutes to go, the score of this one actually ended up close to what was predicted by most of the press. But the final score doesn't tell the story of how much the Bruins dominated this game. They led by 15 points at half time, and they seemed to build up a pretty proportional lead all the way through the first 25 minutes or so. Against Memphis, the Bruins had four field goals in the second half of the game. Tonight, they had four field goals in the first five minutes, inlcuding two three pointers.
The second half opened much the same way. The Bruins canned four shots in the first four minutes. And when your first four baskets of the half consist of three dunks, including an alley-oop against the zone, and a three pointer from 25 feet with the shot clock about to run out, you're doing pretty good.
Once again, the story of the game was the Bruins defense. That's been the case for the last month. It's easier to play that sort of defense when everyone you have on the floor is rester. Starter played 53 minutes in the first half for the Bruins, while the subs played 47. That, folks, is depth.
Player of the game for UCLA was clearly LRMAM, who really got the job done on both sides of the floor. Seventeen points and nine rebounds, while playing excellent defense on Glen Davis, and really owning him athletically on the offensive end. Unsung player of the game was Lorenzo Mata. The box score I'm looking at right now has him credited with seven boards, but I could have sworn it was more, and that might change. But not only did he pull down rebounds, he pulled them down at huge times. When you have a double digit lead, you run down 30 seconds off the shot clock, miss the shot, and you're able to grab the rebound, that puts your opponents on defense for another 30 seconds. That's difficult to play through both physically AND mentally, and ultimately, that was the difference. LSU has been a better rebounding team all year, but UCLA owned them on the boards tonight.
About that defense, Big Baby and Tyrus Thomas combined for only 19 points on 7-21 shooting and 12 rebounds. LRMAM almost out counted them on his own. LSU didn't hit one three pointer in this one. Over the last two games, UCLA opponents have looked lost from beyong the arc.
Monday brings Florida, who have played extremely well during this tournament (obviously). They bring the size and athleticism of LSU, but unlike the Tigers, they hit their threes, and that will be a challenge for the Bruins. The other thing Florida has in its favor is the timing. Give Ben Howland a week to prepare, and he showed tonight that he's gonna find a way to exploit your weaknesses. He's only got two days for the Gators, and only time will tell what will happen.
Two young teams, two teams that will probably be picked for this game next season depending on the NBA draft (along with Carolina, Ohio State, and probably this LSU team), meet for the chamnpionship a year ahead of schedule. Let's hope it's one to remember. Of course, a Bruins blowout would be just fine, too.
Thanks to a second half slow down by the Bruins who held a huge lead with 15 minutes to go, the score of this one actually ended up close to what was predicted by most of the press. But the final score doesn't tell the story of how much the Bruins dominated this game. They led by 15 points at half time, and they seemed to build up a pretty proportional lead all the way through the first 25 minutes or so. Against Memphis, the Bruins had four field goals in the second half of the game. Tonight, they had four field goals in the first five minutes, inlcuding two three pointers.
The second half opened much the same way. The Bruins canned four shots in the first four minutes. And when your first four baskets of the half consist of three dunks, including an alley-oop against the zone, and a three pointer from 25 feet with the shot clock about to run out, you're doing pretty good.
Once again, the story of the game was the Bruins defense. That's been the case for the last month. It's easier to play that sort of defense when everyone you have on the floor is rester. Starter played 53 minutes in the first half for the Bruins, while the subs played 47. That, folks, is depth.
Player of the game for UCLA was clearly LRMAM, who really got the job done on both sides of the floor. Seventeen points and nine rebounds, while playing excellent defense on Glen Davis, and really owning him athletically on the offensive end. Unsung player of the game was Lorenzo Mata. The box score I'm looking at right now has him credited with seven boards, but I could have sworn it was more, and that might change. But not only did he pull down rebounds, he pulled them down at huge times. When you have a double digit lead, you run down 30 seconds off the shot clock, miss the shot, and you're able to grab the rebound, that puts your opponents on defense for another 30 seconds. That's difficult to play through both physically AND mentally, and ultimately, that was the difference. LSU has been a better rebounding team all year, but UCLA owned them on the boards tonight.
About that defense, Big Baby and Tyrus Thomas combined for only 19 points on 7-21 shooting and 12 rebounds. LRMAM almost out counted them on his own. LSU didn't hit one three pointer in this one. Over the last two games, UCLA opponents have looked lost from beyong the arc.
Monday brings Florida, who have played extremely well during this tournament (obviously). They bring the size and athleticism of LSU, but unlike the Tigers, they hit their threes, and that will be a challenge for the Bruins. The other thing Florida has in its favor is the timing. Give Ben Howland a week to prepare, and he showed tonight that he's gonna find a way to exploit your weaknesses. He's only got two days for the Gators, and only time will tell what will happen.
Two young teams, two teams that will probably be picked for this game next season depending on the NBA draft (along with Carolina, Ohio State, and probably this LSU team), meet for the chamnpionship a year ahead of schedule. Let's hope it's one to remember. Of course, a Bruins blowout would be just fine, too.
LSU vs. UCLA - Pre-game thoughts
LSU vs. UCLA:
It's gonna be dominated by defense. There's just no two ways about. On the offensive end, it's essentially going to come down to how well UCLA shoots the ball. I'm not sure they're going to be able to get a lot done inside against Davis and Thomas, so it's going to be up to Farmar, Afflalo, and Ced to get some scoring done on the outside. I'd love to see some plays set up for Michael Roll as well to extend that defense.
On the other end, I'm not sure how the Bruins are going to stop both Thomas and Davis. Fortunately, LSU doesn't shoot the ball particularly well from the perimeter, so UCLA is less likely to get burned on double teams in the post. However, if they double down on Davis, Thomas might just kill the Bruins on the offensive glass. Davis might be better off chucking the ball at the hoop as opposed to throwing it out to the perimeter. I would imagine they'd try to stick LRMAM on Thomas, and hopefully's with Luc's excellent nose for rebounding, he can keep Thomas at bay.
I like the Bruins to win this one because I think they're more complete and they're deeper, but there are still injury question marks with Hollins and Mata. I expect it to be ugly.
It's gonna be dominated by defense. There's just no two ways about. On the offensive end, it's essentially going to come down to how well UCLA shoots the ball. I'm not sure they're going to be able to get a lot done inside against Davis and Thomas, so it's going to be up to Farmar, Afflalo, and Ced to get some scoring done on the outside. I'd love to see some plays set up for Michael Roll as well to extend that defense.
On the other end, I'm not sure how the Bruins are going to stop both Thomas and Davis. Fortunately, LSU doesn't shoot the ball particularly well from the perimeter, so UCLA is less likely to get burned on double teams in the post. However, if they double down on Davis, Thomas might just kill the Bruins on the offensive glass. Davis might be better off chucking the ball at the hoop as opposed to throwing it out to the perimeter. I would imagine they'd try to stick LRMAM on Thomas, and hopefully's with Luc's excellent nose for rebounding, he can keep Thomas at bay.
I like the Bruins to win this one because I think they're more complete and they're deeper, but there are still injury question marks with Hollins and Mata. I expect it to be ugly.
Crazy Weekend
There's really a couple of things I ought to be doing on this site this weekend. Chief among them would be a final four preview and some sort of season preview for the Angels. Fact of the matter is, I'm swamped. It's Saturday, and I'm typing this from the office. On top of that, my mother is flying in tomorrow, so between the action tonight, I need to kind of clean my apartment. Anyway, I'll take an abbreviated shot at some point.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Memories
Posting has been infrequent lately, but rather than come up with something stupid that is just going to bore everyone, In honor of the final four this weekend, please watch two of the greatest comebacks in college history. You'll thank me.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Liveblogging my fantasy draft
That's right. Imagine the excitement of reading about all of the exciting......things going on my fantasy draft. I can tell you're as excited about this as I am.
Actually, truth be told, this is one of the leagues I most likely won't give a shit about. I'm in four, I think, and there's only one that truly matters. I drafted what I think is a very strong team in that draft. It's with a group of people I've never met, save for one guy who was my Political Science T.A. my first year in college, and with whom I've kept in touch over the years. I took over a team four seasons ago, five seasons ago, and in that time I've improved every season, going from a .415 winning percentage my first year (it's head to head) to a .620 winning percentage and a first place finish in the division last year before losing in the championship round. Also, I think I had a pretty decent draft in the Halosphere fantasy league draft as well, so I'll probably pay attention to that one.
Anyway, this particular league is a NL only league, head to head for the first time this season. It's all guys that I went to law school with, and we've kept the league together for seven or eight seasons now. I don't really follow the NL, so I'll probably get worked. I have won this league once in the past, however. I have the fourth pick, and we're about 10 minutes away. You're going nuts with excitement, aren't you? It's all so.....exciting!!
First round: In typical ESPN cobaggery, the software is failing. We're finally underway, with Pujols, Lee, and Wright going 1-2-3, followed my selection of Chase Utley with the #4 pick. Gotta pick a Bruin. Damn, talk about exciting!! Now we wait for the guys who didn't show up to be forced to Autopilot, which should speed up the process.
Nothing pisses me off more than dudes who take the whole time to make their picks, especially their first round pick. I mean seriously, you have a goddamn week to map it out. It's not that hard. Total ratfuckery.
Second round: I take Adam Dunn. I have him on another team. My draft philosophy is that I like to take guys I have on another team, so that I have to follow fewer guys during the season. Usually by April 15th I can't remember who's on which team anyway.
Third round: Brad Lidge. I get shut out of closers every year, so I figured I'd start the run this year.
Fourth round: Right now we have four of ten guys on auto, so the draft is moving quickly. Which is good, because these get to be really boring after a few minutes. Wait, did I say boring? I mean EXCITING!! Anyway, Larry Wayne Jones is officially a Cobag.
Fifth round: Former Angel Derek Turnbow. That's two closers, and that should hold me over in the save department, unless he gets busted for roids.
Sixth round: Zach Duke. Needed a starter.
Seventh round: Brett Myers. Another good but not great starter, although he's in a hitters' park. Oh well.
Eighth round: Things are moving fairly quickly. That's eight rounds in roughly a half hour. Still, I'm probably going to miss the last purple line. Willy Taverez is the newest Cobag. Needed the steals.
Ninth round: Austin Kearns. Got him on more than one team.
Tenth Round: Mike Jacobs. Marlins. Never heard of him.
Alright, this boring. For all of us. I'm sorry, this was an idea destined to fail. Anyway, here's how the rest of it went. Bill Hall, Tony Clark, Tom Glavine, Paul LoDuca, Chris Burke, Aaron Heilman, JJ Hardy, Johnny Estrada, Ryan Klesko, man the NL really sucks, Stephen Drew (it's a keeper league), Yhency Brazoban, Orlando Hernandez, Tony Armas Jr., and finally, Ryan Langerhans.
That's it. Time to start losing.
Actually, truth be told, this is one of the leagues I most likely won't give a shit about. I'm in four, I think, and there's only one that truly matters. I drafted what I think is a very strong team in that draft. It's with a group of people I've never met, save for one guy who was my Political Science T.A. my first year in college, and with whom I've kept in touch over the years. I took over a team four seasons ago, five seasons ago, and in that time I've improved every season, going from a .415 winning percentage my first year (it's head to head) to a .620 winning percentage and a first place finish in the division last year before losing in the championship round. Also, I think I had a pretty decent draft in the Halosphere fantasy league draft as well, so I'll probably pay attention to that one.
Anyway, this particular league is a NL only league, head to head for the first time this season. It's all guys that I went to law school with, and we've kept the league together for seven or eight seasons now. I don't really follow the NL, so I'll probably get worked. I have won this league once in the past, however. I have the fourth pick, and we're about 10 minutes away. You're going nuts with excitement, aren't you? It's all so.....exciting!!
First round: In typical ESPN cobaggery, the software is failing. We're finally underway, with Pujols, Lee, and Wright going 1-2-3, followed my selection of Chase Utley with the #4 pick. Gotta pick a Bruin. Damn, talk about exciting!! Now we wait for the guys who didn't show up to be forced to Autopilot, which should speed up the process.
Nothing pisses me off more than dudes who take the whole time to make their picks, especially their first round pick. I mean seriously, you have a goddamn week to map it out. It's not that hard. Total ratfuckery.
Second round: I take Adam Dunn. I have him on another team. My draft philosophy is that I like to take guys I have on another team, so that I have to follow fewer guys during the season. Usually by April 15th I can't remember who's on which team anyway.
Third round: Brad Lidge. I get shut out of closers every year, so I figured I'd start the run this year.
Fourth round: Right now we have four of ten guys on auto, so the draft is moving quickly. Which is good, because these get to be really boring after a few minutes. Wait, did I say boring? I mean EXCITING!! Anyway, Larry Wayne Jones is officially a Cobag.
Fifth round: Former Angel Derek Turnbow. That's two closers, and that should hold me over in the save department, unless he gets busted for roids.
Sixth round: Zach Duke. Needed a starter.
Seventh round: Brett Myers. Another good but not great starter, although he's in a hitters' park. Oh well.
Eighth round: Things are moving fairly quickly. That's eight rounds in roughly a half hour. Still, I'm probably going to miss the last purple line. Willy Taverez is the newest Cobag. Needed the steals.
Ninth round: Austin Kearns. Got him on more than one team.
Tenth Round: Mike Jacobs. Marlins. Never heard of him.
Alright, this boring. For all of us. I'm sorry, this was an idea destined to fail. Anyway, here's how the rest of it went. Bill Hall, Tony Clark, Tom Glavine, Paul LoDuca, Chris Burke, Aaron Heilman, JJ Hardy, Johnny Estrada, Ryan Klesko, man the NL really sucks, Stephen Drew (it's a keeper league), Yhency Brazoban, Orlando Hernandez, Tony Armas Jr., and finally, Ryan Langerhans.
That's it. Time to start losing.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Cool!
I don't do political stuff here very often, but this is the closest I've ever come to being linked to by a widely read lefty blog. I'm like, only a couple degrees of separation from Atrios!
Anyway, John Cole, who I like 80% of the time, went off his nut about this post by Jane Hamsher (who is a big Spiritualized fan, btw). In it, he accused the "Jane Hamshers of the left" of all sorts of nasty things. Problem is, the things he listed were never actually done by Jane Hamsher, after which John claimed that "the Jane Hamshers of the left" does not include the actual Jane Hamsher. He also implied that Jane had attributed comments to a person who had never actually said them (it's about Washington Post blogger/serial plagiarizer Ben Domenech). Only, Jane never said he said them.
Long story short, Jane got pissed, John refused to admit that he was wrong, and we all had a whale of a time in the comment thread. Jane's post on the dustup included a link to my comment where I called John intellectually dishonest. My comments include links to this blog. The Atrios linked to Jane's post. So like it goes Atrios --> Firedoglake --> My comment on John Cole's site --> Here! That's only four degrees of separation (or is it three, I can't tell?)
So that's my excitement for the day.
**UPDATE**
I try to provide my own take on the situation here, here, here, here, here, here and here. I get some nice ego strokes here, here, here, and here. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to the gang at Three Bulls for the term "cobaggery" and to Demogenes Aristophanes for the term ratfuckery.
Anyway, John Cole, who I like 80% of the time, went off his nut about this post by Jane Hamsher (who is a big Spiritualized fan, btw). In it, he accused the "Jane Hamshers of the left" of all sorts of nasty things. Problem is, the things he listed were never actually done by Jane Hamsher, after which John claimed that "the Jane Hamshers of the left" does not include the actual Jane Hamsher. He also implied that Jane had attributed comments to a person who had never actually said them (it's about Washington Post blogger/serial plagiarizer Ben Domenech). Only, Jane never said he said them.
Long story short, Jane got pissed, John refused to admit that he was wrong, and we all had a whale of a time in the comment thread. Jane's post on the dustup included a link to my comment where I called John intellectually dishonest. My comments include links to this blog. The Atrios linked to Jane's post. So like it goes Atrios --> Firedoglake --> My comment on John Cole's site --> Here! That's only four degrees of separation (or is it three, I can't tell?)
So that's my excitement for the day.
**UPDATE**
I try to provide my own take on the situation here, here, here, here, here, here and here. I get some nice ego strokes here, here, here, and here. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to the gang at Three Bulls for the term "cobaggery" and to Demogenes Aristophanes for the term ratfuckery.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Final Four!
Wow. Ugly game. But they give the trophies to the teams with more points.
Four down, two to go.
Four down, two to go.
Friday, March 24, 2006
UCLA 73; Gonzaga 71
Almost one year ago today (just 3 days short), I gave up on a basketball game that I never should have given up on. Thank the Lord that the Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, Roger Powell, and Jack Ingram didn't give up. They came back from a 15 point deficit with 4:00 minutes to play and completed one of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history.
Tonight, the UCLA Bruins came as close as they possibly could to equaling that stunning feat. Unable to find the basket all night, and with their stifling defense failing them for much of the game, the Bruins found another gear, and found a way to pull out a win against a team that had dominated them all night, scoring the last 11 points of the game to once again survive and advance. There's so much to talk about in this game that I can't possibly cover it all. But one of the major themes of this game for the Bruins was senior leadership. This team has had its minutes dominated by freshmen and sophomores all season long, but tonight, the seniors simply refused to let their careers end. Hollins threw in 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while going 6 for 6 from the line, none more important than the last two coming with 19 seconds left, cutting the lead to one point. Ced contributed 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, but played lock down defense on Adam Morrison after Aaron Afflalo picked up his fourth foul. You could just sense in him a desire to continue playing, which is rare, because Ced doesn't show much emotion out there.
Not to be outdone, the freshmen made their presence felt. Darren Collison didn't contribute much to the scoreboard, but provided excellent defense at the point, and suffered the worst call maybe in the history of college basketball. It wouldn't be a Bruin game without LRMAM leading the way on the boards, and tonight was no exception. He grabbed 10, tossed in 14 points, and for my money, he made the play of the game. Not the game winning shot, although he showed tremendous poise and hands while hauling in the pass from Jordan Farmar and laying it in the hoop. But in a very unfreshmanlike play, he proceeded to run down the court and steal the ball from Derek Raivio, giving the Bruins posession, and ending the game for all intents and purposes.
Farmar and Afflalo? They struggled. They were a combined 10-26, 5-15 from three, and Aaron missed some big free throws. But when the game was on the line, they stepped up. Farmar hit an amazing runner in from just outside the lane in the waning moments to bring the Bruins to within three points with under a minute to play. He grabbed the loose ball and made a great pass to LRMAM under the basket for the winning score.
Congratulations to the Bulldogs on another great season. I'll admit, I hated Adam Morrison during this game. I think he fouls pretty much every time he has the ball. But he's got great touch. He looks like he has a great feel for the game. He was pretty gracious during the post-game interview, and I wish him well at the next level. JP Batista, on the other hand, whined about a foul that simply didn't exist, and anyone who saw the game knows that. Tough way for them to lose, and if Mark Few head to Indiana, their window may be shut.
Congrats to Coach Howland. Once again, he's worked the third season magic. For the first time, he's heading to the Elite 8. Fitting, because he's truly an elite coach, and he's rebuilding an elite program.
The Bruins played arguably their worst offensive game of the season. They were outshot. They were outrebounded. Yet they still found a way to get the job done. They found the will to win and showed the heart of a champion. They may not advance on Saturday, but they've anounced their presence. The program is back on the national stage, and let's not forget, this is a learning year. Next year was supposed to be the year that UCLA anounced that they were back. Looks like the precocious kids didn't want to wait that long.
Tonight, the UCLA Bruins came as close as they possibly could to equaling that stunning feat. Unable to find the basket all night, and with their stifling defense failing them for much of the game, the Bruins found another gear, and found a way to pull out a win against a team that had dominated them all night, scoring the last 11 points of the game to once again survive and advance. There's so much to talk about in this game that I can't possibly cover it all. But one of the major themes of this game for the Bruins was senior leadership. This team has had its minutes dominated by freshmen and sophomores all season long, but tonight, the seniors simply refused to let their careers end. Hollins threw in 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while going 6 for 6 from the line, none more important than the last two coming with 19 seconds left, cutting the lead to one point. Ced contributed 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, but played lock down defense on Adam Morrison after Aaron Afflalo picked up his fourth foul. You could just sense in him a desire to continue playing, which is rare, because Ced doesn't show much emotion out there.
Not to be outdone, the freshmen made their presence felt. Darren Collison didn't contribute much to the scoreboard, but provided excellent defense at the point, and suffered the worst call maybe in the history of college basketball. It wouldn't be a Bruin game without LRMAM leading the way on the boards, and tonight was no exception. He grabbed 10, tossed in 14 points, and for my money, he made the play of the game. Not the game winning shot, although he showed tremendous poise and hands while hauling in the pass from Jordan Farmar and laying it in the hoop. But in a very unfreshmanlike play, he proceeded to run down the court and steal the ball from Derek Raivio, giving the Bruins posession, and ending the game for all intents and purposes.
Farmar and Afflalo? They struggled. They were a combined 10-26, 5-15 from three, and Aaron missed some big free throws. But when the game was on the line, they stepped up. Farmar hit an amazing runner in from just outside the lane in the waning moments to bring the Bruins to within three points with under a minute to play. He grabbed the loose ball and made a great pass to LRMAM under the basket for the winning score.
Congratulations to the Bulldogs on another great season. I'll admit, I hated Adam Morrison during this game. I think he fouls pretty much every time he has the ball. But he's got great touch. He looks like he has a great feel for the game. He was pretty gracious during the post-game interview, and I wish him well at the next level. JP Batista, on the other hand, whined about a foul that simply didn't exist, and anyone who saw the game knows that. Tough way for them to lose, and if Mark Few head to Indiana, their window may be shut.
Congrats to Coach Howland. Once again, he's worked the third season magic. For the first time, he's heading to the Elite 8. Fitting, because he's truly an elite coach, and he's rebuilding an elite program.
The Bruins played arguably their worst offensive game of the season. They were outshot. They were outrebounded. Yet they still found a way to get the job done. They found the will to win and showed the heart of a champion. They may not advance on Saturday, but they've anounced their presence. The program is back on the national stage, and let's not forget, this is a learning year. Next year was supposed to be the year that UCLA anounced that they were back. Looks like the precocious kids didn't want to wait that long.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Wow!
I mean, just......wow! That's two years in a row for me, folks. I'll have more later. I need to watch the end 2 or 3 or 27 more times, but man, what a finish.
Initial thoughts, though:
Initial thoughts, though:
- If I had a vote for player of the year, after what I saw tonight, it would go to......JJ Redick. I'm a slow white guy. If I were a 6'8" slow white guy AND ALLOWED TO FOUL ON EVERY SINGLE OFFENSIVE POSESSION, I'm pretty sure I could get 30 points a night, too.
- The "on the floor" call on the foul on Darren Collison in the final minutes may be the worst call in the history of organized basketball.
- Ced Bozeman, you could tell, simply decided that his career was not going to end tonight. hey need more of that on Saturday.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
A new direction for the Kings
This is the post I was hoping I wouldn't have to write. The Kings fired the winningest coach in team history after almost six seasons, despite being nine games over .500. And quite honestly, Dave Taylor pretty much had to do it. There's an old adage that says you can't fire all the players, and in this case, although they deserved it more than Murray, he took the fall. The team simply stopped competing. They've looked awful in their last five games, and other than a five game winning streak that straddled the Olympic break, they've been awful for months. Some of that is due to injuries, of course. Two players were unable to play in the Olympics because of injuries, and two returned from the Games unable to continue playing. Frolov will probably be back on Saturday, and Demitra is still a question mark.
Murray's career, which started with a playoff sweep in 2000, and included a promising dash to the post-season in 2001 culminating in a first round upset of the Red Wings. In the 2001-2002 season, the Kings were very good most of the year, though they lost to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche in seven games in the first round. That loss was due in part to a charlie horse suffered by Jason Allison, and it started a trend that eventually cost Murray his job. Beset by injuries for the next few seasons, the Kings have failed to reach the playoffs since. The nadir was in the 2003-2004 season, missed entirely by Adam Deadmarsh and Jason Allison, and half missed by Ziggy Palffy. The Kings set an unofficial record for man games lost to injury that season. And it's not a lack of depth that was exposed. We're talking about the entire top line going down. No team recovers from that. For the last three seasons, its invariably the stars who have been missing time due to injury for an assortment of unfortunate incidents.
But after a terrific start to this season, things went dead south. The low point was a 10-1 loss to Buffalo, and things never really got better. They've been outworked, outhustled, and outplayed. Their specialty teams have been atrocious most of the season (a positive aspect of the firing is that John Van Boxmeer was caught in the crossfire), and their goaltending has been inconsistent. They've failed to play with passion in desperate situations, save for one terrific third period against Dallas last month. How much of that can be blamed on the coach it's impossible to know for sure. But the Kings are in the midst of a 4 day rest before their final push for a playoff spot, and if they were going to make a move to jumpstart the team, now was the time to do it. John Torchetti, who is turning into a Mr. Fixit type of interim coach takes over for the balance of the season, and will be evaluated at the end.
The elephant in the room is the status of Dave Taylor. There's almost no one more respected by long time Kings fans in the organization, with the exception of Bob Miller. But facts are facts, and since Dave Taylor took over the GM position, the Kings have won exactly one playoff series. At some point, you have to ask whether that's good enough. On the positive side, he has overseen a rebuilding of the farm system. Lubo Visnovsky, Alexander Frolov, Joe Corvo, Dustin Brown, and Michael Cammalleri have all begun to blossom under his watch. He made the deal that brought Matty Norstrom over. He acquired Tim Gleason, who is quickly becoming a fan favorite. The Rob Blake deal looked like a winner after a half season until injuries derailed Deadmarsh and weakened Aaron Miller. The signings of Conroy and Demitra appeared astute before Demitra's freak injuries. There's a fair amount of talent in Manchester right now, and the team, with better luck on the health front, is really only a few moves away from competing for the top of the division. But you can't ignore the fact that he turned the goaltending over to two untested netminders, and the results have been mixed. He traded for Jeremy Roenick, who has been invisible in all aspects other than his drain on the payroll. And who can forget deadline disasters like the trades for Cliff Ronning and Anson Carter. He gave up Kimo Timonen pretty much for nothing other than an agreement not to draft one of their goalies, neither of whom were particularly franchise players. Taylor won't be fired. He'd be moved upstairs, but the buzzards are definitely circling.
And blame certainly goes to AEG as well. They've said for years that they were preparing financially for this season and this collective bargaining agreement. Well, it's here, and the results don't speak well for their long term planning. All things considered, the franchise is much better off than when they took over, but the fact is they're real estate developers. Their sports franchises are a means to that end. That's not to say the Kings can't be successful under their ownership, but we aren't talking about an ownership that's 100% committed to winning. What the Kings truly need is their own Arte Moreno. I'm not holding my breath.
What will the future hold? Fuck if I know. There's 12 games left. They'll likely be out of a playoff spot by Saturday, and they'll have to re-earn it. But now is as good a time as any to show that they still have some life.
Thank you, Andy. Thanks for the hard work over the years. Thanks for the dedication. Thanks for that tremendous series in 2001. Not many people dislike Andy Murray the individual. I'll definitely miss him.
Murray's career, which started with a playoff sweep in 2000, and included a promising dash to the post-season in 2001 culminating in a first round upset of the Red Wings. In the 2001-2002 season, the Kings were very good most of the year, though they lost to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche in seven games in the first round. That loss was due in part to a charlie horse suffered by Jason Allison, and it started a trend that eventually cost Murray his job. Beset by injuries for the next few seasons, the Kings have failed to reach the playoffs since. The nadir was in the 2003-2004 season, missed entirely by Adam Deadmarsh and Jason Allison, and half missed by Ziggy Palffy. The Kings set an unofficial record for man games lost to injury that season. And it's not a lack of depth that was exposed. We're talking about the entire top line going down. No team recovers from that. For the last three seasons, its invariably the stars who have been missing time due to injury for an assortment of unfortunate incidents.
But after a terrific start to this season, things went dead south. The low point was a 10-1 loss to Buffalo, and things never really got better. They've been outworked, outhustled, and outplayed. Their specialty teams have been atrocious most of the season (a positive aspect of the firing is that John Van Boxmeer was caught in the crossfire), and their goaltending has been inconsistent. They've failed to play with passion in desperate situations, save for one terrific third period against Dallas last month. How much of that can be blamed on the coach it's impossible to know for sure. But the Kings are in the midst of a 4 day rest before their final push for a playoff spot, and if they were going to make a move to jumpstart the team, now was the time to do it. John Torchetti, who is turning into a Mr. Fixit type of interim coach takes over for the balance of the season, and will be evaluated at the end.
The elephant in the room is the status of Dave Taylor. There's almost no one more respected by long time Kings fans in the organization, with the exception of Bob Miller. But facts are facts, and since Dave Taylor took over the GM position, the Kings have won exactly one playoff series. At some point, you have to ask whether that's good enough. On the positive side, he has overseen a rebuilding of the farm system. Lubo Visnovsky, Alexander Frolov, Joe Corvo, Dustin Brown, and Michael Cammalleri have all begun to blossom under his watch. He made the deal that brought Matty Norstrom over. He acquired Tim Gleason, who is quickly becoming a fan favorite. The Rob Blake deal looked like a winner after a half season until injuries derailed Deadmarsh and weakened Aaron Miller. The signings of Conroy and Demitra appeared astute before Demitra's freak injuries. There's a fair amount of talent in Manchester right now, and the team, with better luck on the health front, is really only a few moves away from competing for the top of the division. But you can't ignore the fact that he turned the goaltending over to two untested netminders, and the results have been mixed. He traded for Jeremy Roenick, who has been invisible in all aspects other than his drain on the payroll. And who can forget deadline disasters like the trades for Cliff Ronning and Anson Carter. He gave up Kimo Timonen pretty much for nothing other than an agreement not to draft one of their goalies, neither of whom were particularly franchise players. Taylor won't be fired. He'd be moved upstairs, but the buzzards are definitely circling.
And blame certainly goes to AEG as well. They've said for years that they were preparing financially for this season and this collective bargaining agreement. Well, it's here, and the results don't speak well for their long term planning. All things considered, the franchise is much better off than when they took over, but the fact is they're real estate developers. Their sports franchises are a means to that end. That's not to say the Kings can't be successful under their ownership, but we aren't talking about an ownership that's 100% committed to winning. What the Kings truly need is their own Arte Moreno. I'm not holding my breath.
What will the future hold? Fuck if I know. There's 12 games left. They'll likely be out of a playoff spot by Saturday, and they'll have to re-earn it. But now is as good a time as any to show that they still have some life.
Thank you, Andy. Thanks for the hard work over the years. Thanks for the dedication. Thanks for that tremendous series in 2001. Not many people dislike Andy Murray the individual. I'll definitely miss him.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
The Kings. They still suck.
Way to ruin Adam Deadmarsh night. I wore my Deadmarsh jersey and everything. Another year without playoffs.
Technorati
So there's this search engine out there that basically only searches blogs. It's called Technorati. You may have seen the little Technorati button on other peoples' blogs which will take you to a page that shows you what is linking to that particular blog. Here's the Technorati search for this place. It's fun to do once or twice, but it's essentially a useless tool in my opinion. Generally, if you've had a blog for a while, you have a pretty good idea of who's linking to you by just checking your site meter (assuming you have that, of course, but it's free, so I don't know why you wouldn't). Sitemeter will tell you where your traffic is coming from, so if you get here by clicking a link on another page, it tells me where you came from.
Not long after firing this blog up again after a few earlier attempts, I posted an item asking (or blegging, if you will) about a number of hits I'd get every few days or so. Some quirk of the Blogger system would make this blog (and presumably other blogs at other times) next "in line" so to speak, and clicking the little button at the top right of the page that takes you to the next blog in line would take you here. In that post, I mentioned a number of the blogs from whom traffic had been directed here. Mind you, I didn't, and don't read any of those blogs. I have no idea who updates them, or what they write about. But I did provide handy links so that you, the 12 or so people other than me that read this site, could see for yourselves.
Turns out the proprietor of a blog called Wordonthestreetis was doing a Technorati check, found the link from this site, and came over to check it out. Problem is that in a lame attempt to be funny, I said her blog sucked. Now, granted, I hadn't actually read her blog, I have no idea who she is, and honestly, it was a one off comment using the title of her blog in what I thought was a slightly humurous fashion. Here's the paragraph in question:
Anyway, that comment stung. Seriously. And so I'd just like to say I'm sorry.
Of course, I should also apologize to most of you who actually spend valuble time reading the endless nothingness that I post, but hey, you get what you pay for.
*UPDATE*
Meridith responds. Unfortunately, she may have taken me a little too seriously (or she's being funny and I'm a moron). Honestly, this was all meant as one big joke. I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad. Although, I probably should have tried to parlay this into some big Brian Jonestown Massacre vs. Dandy Warhols thing, which itself was just a poor attempt at imitating Blur and Oasis.
Not long after firing this blog up again after a few earlier attempts, I posted an item asking (or blegging, if you will) about a number of hits I'd get every few days or so. Some quirk of the Blogger system would make this blog (and presumably other blogs at other times) next "in line" so to speak, and clicking the little button at the top right of the page that takes you to the next blog in line would take you here. In that post, I mentioned a number of the blogs from whom traffic had been directed here. Mind you, I didn't, and don't read any of those blogs. I have no idea who updates them, or what they write about. But I did provide handy links so that you, the 12 or so people other than me that read this site, could see for yourselves.
Turns out the proprietor of a blog called Wordonthestreetis was doing a Technorati check, found the link from this site, and came over to check it out. Problem is that in a lame attempt to be funny, I said her blog sucked. Now, granted, I hadn't actually read her blog, I have no idea who she is, and honestly, it was a one off comment using the title of her blog in what I thought was a slightly humurous fashion. Here's the paragraph in question:
In the past hour, I've supposedly received hits from USAMediablog, Fallbrookinstsyle, Vishu8, depression1resources (I know I just turned 32, but I'm not that depressed. yet.), compteachis10, maristarrynight, dermatiteatopica (I thought no one knew about that rash), wordonthestreetis (word on the street is your blog sucks - j/k), omdatikvanmeou (I don't even know what language that is), and lordofthedamned (this one could actually be a real referral). Thanks to each and every one of you. However, I'm guessing these aren't actual people, but rather some random glitch in blogger software that occurs every few days.Yesterday, the writer of the aforementioned blog visited that post and left a nasty little note in the comments:
thanks. your blog sucks, too.I certainly can't deny that, but really, that was uncalled for. Most people spend a little time here before deciding that this blog sucks. And besides, I didn't really think her blog sucked. In fact, I even wrote j/k, as in "just kidding" next to my little joke, which I hadn't realized I'd done the first time. Boy, now that I see that qualifier, I'm not really sure why I'm apologizing, as I was clearly kidding, and not just impliedly, but expressly. But anyway, Meridith, you have my deepest apologies. I didn't get into blogging to make enemies. I have plenty of those already just from being a typical everday asshole. Just ask anyone who has ever played hockey with me. Or co-ed basketball (that one's for you, Po). Or gone drinking.
Anyway, that comment stung. Seriously. And so I'd just like to say I'm sorry.
Of course, I should also apologize to most of you who actually spend valuble time reading the endless nothingness that I post, but hey, you get what you pay for.
*UPDATE*
Meridith responds. Unfortunately, she may have taken me a little too seriously (or she's being funny and I'm a moron). Honestly, this was all meant as one big joke. I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad. Although, I probably should have tried to parlay this into some big Brian Jonestown Massacre vs. Dandy Warhols thing, which itself was just a poor attempt at imitating Blur and Oasis.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Weekend Post-Mortem
First off, I don't think there's really much else to say about the Illinois debacle. The game was taken from them. It's really that simple.
As for the Bruins, well, survive and advance, I guess. They didn't really impress on either end of the floor. They allowed their opponent to shoot almost 50%, although they turned up the pressure in the second half. And although the Bruins shot over 50% themselves, they still look like they've never ever seen a zone defense before in their entire lives. Something has to be done about that. They're going to face a team that will go to a zone at some point, and the game will be low scoring, and they'll let the opponent hang around (hitting a free throw every now and then would be nice), but this time, that late three pointer isn't going to fall for them, and it is going to fall for their opponent. They've got the shooters to shoot their way out of a zone, but they don't run any plays to free them up. They stand there and pass the ball around. Fer chrissakes, set a damn screen for someone.
The Bruins were getting it done on the inside. Hollins and LRMAM combined to go 9 for 9 from the field, but that's when Alabama went to the zone that thwarted the men in middle for a while. I just think it's nuts that in a game where the opponent is in a zone for much of the game, Michael Roll only takes two shots.
On now to Oakland to face Gonzaga. This game scares me because of what I saw in the box score from their last game. Indiana shot five free throws, Gonzaga shot 42. Granted, the Hoosiers were jacking up all kinds of threes, but good lord, 42 free throws for Gonzaga? That's nuts, and if the game is called that tight again, it's going to be a long night and a short trip for the Bruins. LRMAM probably matches up the best with Adam Morrison, but expect to see Afflalo and Bozeman get their share of time guarding him as well. Hollins has a height advantage over Batista that Marco Killingsworth lacked, and the Bruins have the bodies to run out there in case of foul trouble. But foul trouble means a lot of free throws. Even if they call this one both ways, a tightly officiated game plays into Gonzaga's hands, as the Bruins do not shoot free throws well. Once again, I think the Bruins are a better team overall, but this one is impossible to call without knowing how it's going to be officiated.
As for the rest of the weekend....
What went right (original loser in parantheses):
As for the Bruins, well, survive and advance, I guess. They didn't really impress on either end of the floor. They allowed their opponent to shoot almost 50%, although they turned up the pressure in the second half. And although the Bruins shot over 50% themselves, they still look like they've never ever seen a zone defense before in their entire lives. Something has to be done about that. They're going to face a team that will go to a zone at some point, and the game will be low scoring, and they'll let the opponent hang around (hitting a free throw every now and then would be nice), but this time, that late three pointer isn't going to fall for them, and it is going to fall for their opponent. They've got the shooters to shoot their way out of a zone, but they don't run any plays to free them up. They stand there and pass the ball around. Fer chrissakes, set a damn screen for someone.
The Bruins were getting it done on the inside. Hollins and LRMAM combined to go 9 for 9 from the field, but that's when Alabama went to the zone that thwarted the men in middle for a while. I just think it's nuts that in a game where the opponent is in a zone for much of the game, Michael Roll only takes two shots.
On now to Oakland to face Gonzaga. This game scares me because of what I saw in the box score from their last game. Indiana shot five free throws, Gonzaga shot 42. Granted, the Hoosiers were jacking up all kinds of threes, but good lord, 42 free throws for Gonzaga? That's nuts, and if the game is called that tight again, it's going to be a long night and a short trip for the Bruins. LRMAM probably matches up the best with Adam Morrison, but expect to see Afflalo and Bozeman get their share of time guarding him as well. Hollins has a height advantage over Batista that Marco Killingsworth lacked, and the Bruins have the bodies to run out there in case of foul trouble. But foul trouble means a lot of free throws. Even if they call this one both ways, a tightly officiated game plays into Gonzaga's hands, as the Bruins do not shoot free throws well. Once again, I think the Bruins are a better team overall, but this one is impossible to call without knowing how it's going to be officiated.
As for the rest of the weekend....
What went right (original loser in parantheses):
- Duke over George Washington
- LSU over Texas A&M (Syracuse)
- Memphis over Bucknell
- UCLA over Alabama (Marquette)
- Gonzaga over Indiana (SDSU)
- UConn over Kentucky (UAB)
- Villanova over Arizona
- Florida over Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Oklahoma)
- Georgetown over Ohio State: Honestly, this was probably the only real upset I called correctly. Ouch.
- Iowa over WVU: Oops.
- Cal over Texas: Double oops.
- Pitt over Bradley (Kansas): I'm not weeping over this, although it pretty much means a walk to the elite 8 for Memphis.
- Illinois over Washington
- MSU over UNC: I had the "over UNC" part right. I just had the MSU part wrong.
- Tennessee over Wichita State: You don't know how close I came to actually getting this one right.
- Nevada over Boston College
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Quick Reminder
Earlier today:
Washington - 39 Free throw attempts - 11 converted by Brandon Roy
Illinois - 11 free throw attempts. That's right. They shot as many as Brandon Roy made. Apparently a hand check is a foul if you do it to a guy wearing a purple jersey, but it's not a foul when a guy in purple jersey does it to you. Also, when a ref starts a five count on an inbound play, you actually have about 7-8 seconds to get the ball in. You can take a few seconds, put the ball down for someone else to pick up, then he can take a few seconds, then a few seconds later you can call a timeout. Honestly, if I'd known that they were going to determine the officials based on a pregame raffle, I would have made the trip to San Diego.
On tap today, the Illini meet Washington in what should be the day's most anticipated matchups. Said it before, but I'll say it again. It's all going to come down to officiating. Let them play, and the Illini advance. Call it tight and Washington wins it at the line, while Brian Randle spends a lot of time in his warmups.Yesterday:
I've already opined on this before, but I think this game is going to come down to officiating. Not only do the differences in style of play push me in that direction, but the differences in the ability to make free throws scare the hell of me. I think the Illini are a better team, but I just can't pick this one without knowing how tight it's going to be called.Last Wednesday:
Illinois over Washington: This game will be determined almost completely by officials. Let them play and Illinois rolls. Call it tight and Washington wins a free throw shooting contest, with Brandon Roy putting up big numbers against whoever is forced to replace Brian Randle.Final numbers:
Washington - 39 Free throw attempts - 11 converted by Brandon Roy
Illinois - 11 free throw attempts. That's right. They shot as many as Brandon Roy made. Apparently a hand check is a foul if you do it to a guy wearing a purple jersey, but it's not a foul when a guy in purple jersey does it to you. Also, when a ref starts a five count on an inbound play, you actually have about 7-8 seconds to get the ball in. You can take a few seconds, put the ball down for someone else to pick up, then he can take a few seconds, then a few seconds later you can call a timeout. Honestly, if I'd known that they were going to determine the officials based on a pregame raffle, I would have made the trip to San Diego.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
NCAA Tournament - Day 2 Post Mortem
I usually start off the tournament with a great first day, followed by a crappy second day. This year I started it with a mediocre first day, followed by an absolutely pathetic second day. But the night did end on a happy note. Let's get to it.
What went right:
Not much, really, but....
What went right:
Not much, really, but....
- WVU over Southern Illinois
- Texas over Penn
- Memphis over Oral Roberts
- Bucknell over Arkansas
- Pitt over Kent State
- UConn over Albany
- North Carolina over Murray State
- Villanova over Monmouth
- Arizona over Wisconsin
- Georgetown over Northern Iowa
- Ohio State over Davidson
- Northwestern State over Iowa: The bracket has officially been blown up. I gambled on Iowa, figuring that they had senior leadership, a talented core of players, and no one else would pick them for the final four. So if they got there, I would look pretty golden. But they choked. Hard. Brunner missess a free throw, they fail to sell out for a rebound, and they watch a final desperation heave fall through the twine. Game over. Career over. My bracket...over.
- NC State over Cal: Yep, had them in the sweet sixteen. Way to not show up, Bears. Way to be the only Pac 10 team to lose in the first round.
- Kentucky over UAB: Should have seen this one coming. It was too popular a pick.
- George Mason over Michigan State: Sparty has a knack for either going deep or going home. Last year I picked them to go deep and it paid off. This year, they screwed me.
- Bradley over Kansas: Let me just say that again, because it sounds so nice. Bradley over Kansas. Doesn't it just have a great ring to it? Try it one more time...Bradley over Kansas. So, how long until people start realizing that Bill Self can't coach in the tournament? He's had impressive collections of talent for the last five years, and all he has to show for it is an elite 8 loss to Arizona (in a game where the Illini really got fucked). Sure, he's got the one Tulsa run, but even a blind squirrel..... It's just...I can't describe how great it feels to see Kansas lose.
Friday, March 17, 2006
NCAA Tournament - Day One Post-Mortem
OK, so before I take a look back at Day 1, let me just say that you probably shouldn't pay attention to any of my other selections, as Iowa just made me look like a really big moron. Thanks, Iowa. Nice job, Brunner. Good to know that after four years at UFI, you can't hit a goddamn free throw, nor can the rest of your idiot teammates grab a rebound. Well done.
Anyway....
What went right:
This one started while I was on my way home from work, but I was going crazy on the train. Checking the score every few seconds. Calling my dad to get updates. I wasn't happy with the six point deficit. Then they caught fire, ended the half on a huge run, and showed the dominance that made them a #2 seed. Belmont just doesn't see teams that combine that sort of defensive intensit with so much athleticism. The fourteen turnovers is a little disconcerting, but the 11 steals is fantastic. Tournament jitters? Not for the freshmen. Collison had 10 points, while LRMAM added 17 and 8 rebounds. UCLA rolls and prepares for former UCLA assistant Mark Gottfried and Alabama.
Illinois over Air Force:
Thank the lord for Jamar Smith and Warren Carter. Lot of props for Brian Randle and his amazing flying second half, but it was Smith and Carter that kept the Illini out in front in the first half and early in the second when things started to tighten up. The Falcons stayed in their zone most of the game, and that gave the Illini problems at times until Jamar Smith singlehandedly busted the zone with his shooting. His six for nine from long range opened things up enough for him to add two points on a baseline drive in the second half, and created the lanes that Brian Randle exploited in scoring his 15 second half points. The skeptics will point out that Dee Brown only had eight points, and he did it on 1-7 shooting. But the point guard version of Dee dished out 10 assists, and amazingly grabbed 8 rebounds, more than anyone else on the floor for both teams.
Washington took care of business against Utah State, setting up a terrific second matchup between the Illini and the Huskies. I've already opined on this before, but I think this game is going to come down to officiating. Not only do the differences in style of play push me in that direction, but the differences in the ability to make free throws scare the hell of me. I think the Illini are a better team, but I just can't pick this one without knowing how tight it's going to be called.
More on how the Hawkeyes have destroyed my will to live when I do this same sort of thing tomorrow.
Anyway....
What went right:
- Duke over Southern
- GW over UNCW (barely)
- LSU over Iona
- Gonzaga over Xavier, even though Xavier totally blew a chance to win this one
- UCLA over Belmont
- Washington over Utah State
- Illinois over Air Force
- Wichita State over Seton Hall
- Tennessee over Winthrop on the luckiest shot of the day
- Boston College over Pacific - yet another wasted opportunity
- Florida over South Alabama
- Syracuse over Texas A&M. Never trust a hot team that bulldozes it's way into the tournament.
- San Diego State over Indiana. Another blown opportunity. I was close.
- Marquette over Alabama. Didn't see it, but I don't really like Marquette, so I'm not too disappointed.
- Nevada over Montana: 12 vs. 5. I should have known better.
- Oklahoma vs. Wisconsin Milwaukee. Should've known better here, too. Almost all the guys back from their sweet sixteen run. Of course, not a lot of buzz about this one, and those invariably become upsets, so again, I'm stupid.
This one started while I was on my way home from work, but I was going crazy on the train. Checking the score every few seconds. Calling my dad to get updates. I wasn't happy with the six point deficit. Then they caught fire, ended the half on a huge run, and showed the dominance that made them a #2 seed. Belmont just doesn't see teams that combine that sort of defensive intensit with so much athleticism. The fourteen turnovers is a little disconcerting, but the 11 steals is fantastic. Tournament jitters? Not for the freshmen. Collison had 10 points, while LRMAM added 17 and 8 rebounds. UCLA rolls and prepares for former UCLA assistant Mark Gottfried and Alabama.
Illinois over Air Force:
Thank the lord for Jamar Smith and Warren Carter. Lot of props for Brian Randle and his amazing flying second half, but it was Smith and Carter that kept the Illini out in front in the first half and early in the second when things started to tighten up. The Falcons stayed in their zone most of the game, and that gave the Illini problems at times until Jamar Smith singlehandedly busted the zone with his shooting. His six for nine from long range opened things up enough for him to add two points on a baseline drive in the second half, and created the lanes that Brian Randle exploited in scoring his 15 second half points. The skeptics will point out that Dee Brown only had eight points, and he did it on 1-7 shooting. But the point guard version of Dee dished out 10 assists, and amazingly grabbed 8 rebounds, more than anyone else on the floor for both teams.
Washington took care of business against Utah State, setting up a terrific second matchup between the Illini and the Huskies. I've already opined on this before, but I think this game is going to come down to officiating. Not only do the differences in style of play push me in that direction, but the differences in the ability to make free throws scare the hell of me. I think the Illini are a better team, but I just can't pick this one without knowing how tight it's going to be called.
More on how the Hawkeyes have destroyed my will to live when I do this same sort of thing tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
From 64 to 1: My NCAA Tournament Projections
The first thing to keep in mind is that I'm in probably six or seven different pools, and I probably have different picks in every pool, and I'm not going to list them all. So this is the most recent set, and this is the one that I feel most confident about. Anyway, let's get to the picks:
Atlanta Region
First Round
First Round:
Second Round:
Sweet Sixteen:
Regional Final:
First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional Final
First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional Final
Final Four
Championship Game
Atlanta Region
First Round
- Duke over Southern: No 16 seed has ever beat a 1 seed. It won't happen this year either.
- George Washington over UNC Wilmington: GW will be pissed about their seed, and they'll have one game to show it before getting trounced by Duke.
- Syracuse over Texas A&M: One last hurrah for Gerry McNamara.
- LSU over Iona: One of those games where no one seems to be picking an upset, which means that Iona will probably play them really tough.
- West Virginia over Southern Illinois: Look out for senior laden teams in the tournament.
- Iowa over NWSU: Another senior laden line up, playing well right now.
- Cal over NC State: Lots of size in the front court, and Cal's guards are smart enough to keep feeding Leon Powe.
- Texas over Penn: I don't expect any of the 2 seeds to go out in the first round, at least now that Hampton is out of the tournament.
- Duke over George Washington: By all rights, GW probably shouldn't be in this game. And guess what? They won't be. Duke cruises.
- LSU over Syracuse: Cuse is way overseeded here, and they'll play down to the seed they should have received.
- Iowa over WVU: Battle of senior teams. WVU's reluctance to go inside will neutralize Hansen somewhat, but I think Iowa is more tested. Haluska is the X factor.
- Cal over Texas: If healthy, Leon Powe will be the best post player Texas has seen this year.
- Duke over LSU: Big Baby's tournament run comes to an end.
- Iowa over Cal: Powe will get his, but Hansen knocks enough away. Cal's backcourt defense isn't good, and Horner will exploit that.
- Iowa over Duke: This assumes competent officiating. If Coach K gets some lapdogs with whistles, Hansen and Brunner will spend a lot of time on the bench. If they're allowed to play, Iowa locks up on Redick and wins by six.
First Round:
- Memphis over Oral Roberts: 1 vs. 16 - nuff said.
- Bucknell over Arkansas: The SEC almost always disappoints, and Bucknell is good.
- Pitt over Kent State: The dreaded 12-5 game. Whatever, Pitt wins easily.
- Kansas over Bradley: Not sure if Bradley should be here. They're not as good as Bucknell from last year. Self will get another opportunity to show he can't coach in the tournament.
- San Diego State over Indiana: Aztecs play a lot of games at altitude. Killingsworth gets winded, and those jumpers travel just a little too far in the thin air. Mike Davis says goodbye.
- Gonzaga over Xavier: Musketeers play tough, but too much Morrison dooms them to an early exit.
- Marquette over Alabama: Tom Crean begins to re-raise his profile (more later).
- UCLA Bruins over Belmont Bruins: I could make a Bruins joke here, but I get the feeling that others will take care of that.
Second Round:
- Memphis over Bucknell: Young, athletic, and talented Memphis move on.
- Pitt over Kansas: I'm not sure if Jamie Dixon is a good tournament coach, but I know that Bill Self isn't. Latest reports indicate that he still doesn't think he should defend the perimeter against Notre Dame.
- Gonzaga over SDSU: Bulldogs no longer America's darlings, so they actually start playing to seed.
- UCLA over Marquette: With the Indiana job officially open, Tom Crean spends too much time focusing on the press conference he's called to deny interest in becoming the head Hoosier, and forgets to prepare for UCLA's defense. Ah, who am I kidding? You can't prepare for UCLA's defense.
Sweet Sixteen:
- Memphis over Pitt: Something about Pitt and the sweet sixteen. Nothing changes this year.
- UCLA over Gonzaga: Gonzaga still plays to seed. UCLA defense is too tough, and they completely take Batista andn Raivio out of the game. Ced Bozeman shows Adam Morrison how to play defense.
Regional Final:
- UCLA over Memphis. This isn't the same Bruins team that played Memphis back in Madison Square. Lack of tough competition over the last few months catches up with Memphis.
First Round
- UConn over Albany: 1, 16, nuff.
- UAB over Kentucky: I haven't seen much of either team this year. This is just a gut feel.
- Washington over Utah State: I think this will actually be a struggle for Washington, as the Huskies aren't great at defending the perimeter.
- Illinois over Air Force: Dee talks trash. Cadets proseletyze. Advantage Dee.
- Michigan State over George Mason: Seniors, and a great coach in March make this an easy one for MSU.
- North Carolina over Murray State: Young Tarheels are peaking at the right time, which makes it the wrong time for the Racers.
- Wichita State over Seton Hall: I've been to Wichita. I've gotten absolutely wasted in Wichita. Seton Hall, you're no Wichita!
- Tennessee over Winthrop: This one should be so easy for Tennessee that Satan's Spawn (Bruce Pearl) shouldn't break a sweat. Doesn't mean he won't, of course.
Second Round
- UConn over UAB: Tall and talented Huskies blaze by UAB.
- Illinois over Washington: This game will be determined almost completely by officials. Let them play and Illinois rolls. Call it tight and Washington wins a free throw shooting contest, with Brandon Roy putting up big numbers against whoever is forced to replace Brian Randle.
- MSU over UNC: In a game of tournament tested seniors over talented freshmen, I'll take the seniors every time, and I'll win most of the time.
- Tennessee over Wichita State: Bruce Pearl sweats through two suits. The spectacle distracts Wichita State long enough for Tennessee to put the game away.
Sweet Sixteen
- UConn over Illinois: Illini get pounded on the boards. Dee has a tremendous final college game, but the Huskies' size inside makes life miserable for James Augustine.
- MSU over Tennessee: Late in the first half, Chris Lofton slips on a puddle of Bruce Pearl sweat and sustains a concussion that ends his night. The Spartans never look back.
Regional Final
- UConn over MSU: Sparty meets the same fate as the Illini one round later. They use that to claim that they were better than Illinois despite their crappy record and home loss to the Illini.
First Round
- Villanova over Monmouth: enough already.
- Arizona over Wisconsin: Tough call here. I think Arizona's big white guy will outplay Wisconsin's big white guy. The question is, will Ivan Radenovic show up to play the second half? Ah, who am I kidding, of course he won't.
- Nevada over Montana: The multitude of Montana grads in my family won't be pleased, but Fazekas eats up mediocre teams.
- Boston College over Pacific: The UOP grads in my family might not like this, but that's OK, because we don't talk to that side of the family anymore.
- Oklahoma over Wisconsin Milwaukee: UWM has exorcised the Spawn of Satan, but the money they saved on sweat mops this season wasn't invested wisely enough.
- Florida over Southern Alabama: Why do the Gators hate the USA?
- Georgetown over Northern Iowa: Hey, I already picked one Iowa team to do well. I'm not dumb enough to pick another.
- Ohio State over Davidson: Davidson will not slay the Goliath that is Terrence Dials this year.
Second Round
- Villanova over Arizona: Arizona can't overcome turnover prone Mustafa Shakur against Villanova's quality backcourt.
- Nevada over Boston College: Too much Nick Fazekas.
- Florida over Oklahoma: The Gators and Sooners trade volleys for a while, but Joakim Noah slams a winner past Kelvin Sampson's club.
- Georgetown over Ohio State: I like the Buckeye's but I just have feeling about the Hoya's in this one.
Sweet Sixteen
- Villanova over Nevada: The great guards take over at this time of the tournament.
- Florida over Georgetown: In the battle of solid big men, Noah comes up aces again.
Regional Final
- Florida over Villanova: I'm running out of tennis metaphors. I'll take the big guy in this one.
Final Four
- UCLA over Iowa: Low scoring defensive battle. This goes against my 'trust the seniors' tendency, but at this point of the tournament, everyone has tourney experience. The Bruins' depth keeps their front line out of foul trouble, while Mbah A Moute and Afflalo lock down on Haluska and Horner, sending UCLA to the title game for the first time in 11 years.
- UConn over Florida: The Gators have a great big man. UConn has about four or five. Back to the title game for the Huskies.
Championship Game
- UConn over UCLA: The Bruins run into a juggernaut, and learn from the best program of the last decade just what it takes to win a national championship. It will be a valuable lesson for the group of kids who will be cutting down the nets in Atlanta in 2007.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
UCLA a #2, Illinois a #4
Before the season started, I predicted that the Bruins would play somewhat above their pre-season ranking, and the Illini would right about at theirs or below. Looks like I was right. I think the two seed for UCLA was a surprise. I expected a three. Likewise, the four seed for Illinois was surprise, as again I figured on a three.
UCLA could not ask for a better bracket in my opinion. They get a 15 seed in the first round (coincidentally also called the Bruins), followed by Marquette in the second round. Win that one and they're set to meet Gonzaga in the third round, who has played one tough team in the last couple of months (Stanford) who they beat at home (UCLA killed Stanford both at home and at Maples Pavillion this year), although they struggled in doing so. They also struggled in their conference tournament. They don't play anyone who defends like UCLA. A win over the Zags would set up a regional final against Memphis, who beat UCLA earlier in the season. But they play in an awful conference, and the Bruins are probably more tested at this point. I think they can get to the final four.
Illinois not only got dicked on their seed, but they also got shipped out west for the first round (they'll be playing alongside UCLA in San Diego), where they'll face Air Force, who shouldn't even be in the tournament, followed by Washington. That could be a very tough matchup for Illinois. On the plus side, the Illini have one of the best defensive stoppers in the country in Brian Randle, but Brandon Roy gets a lot of respect from officials, and Randle doesn't. If Randle spends a lot of time on the bench, the Illini are in trouble. Washington is not a good defensive team, and they're soft in the middle. The X factor in this one is Sean Pruitt. He could go off in that one.
I'll try to do a longer post on this tomorrow with all of my picks, but I thought I would crank this one out for now.
UCLA could not ask for a better bracket in my opinion. They get a 15 seed in the first round (coincidentally also called the Bruins), followed by Marquette in the second round. Win that one and they're set to meet Gonzaga in the third round, who has played one tough team in the last couple of months (Stanford) who they beat at home (UCLA killed Stanford both at home and at Maples Pavillion this year), although they struggled in doing so. They also struggled in their conference tournament. They don't play anyone who defends like UCLA. A win over the Zags would set up a regional final against Memphis, who beat UCLA earlier in the season. But they play in an awful conference, and the Bruins are probably more tested at this point. I think they can get to the final four.
Illinois not only got dicked on their seed, but they also got shipped out west for the first round (they'll be playing alongside UCLA in San Diego), where they'll face Air Force, who shouldn't even be in the tournament, followed by Washington. That could be a very tough matchup for Illinois. On the plus side, the Illini have one of the best defensive stoppers in the country in Brian Randle, but Brandon Roy gets a lot of respect from officials, and Randle doesn't. If Randle spends a lot of time on the bench, the Illini are in trouble. Washington is not a good defensive team, and they're soft in the middle. The X factor in this one is Sean Pruitt. He could go off in that one.
I'll try to do a longer post on this tomorrow with all of my picks, but I thought I would crank this one out for now.
Kings and Bruins win
Didn't really see any of the Kings game because the party moved down the street to a local bar. However, I was checking the score on my phone, saw that they were headed into a shootout, and ran back to my apartment (about 100 yards away) to catch the action. I think it's safe to say that I made it back to my apartment in less time than it took Luc to skate in and score the only goal of the shootout, but it was enough for the Kings to add another two points against a team that they really have to beat. I'm not really worried about giving up a point to St. Louis.
The Kings remain five points clear of the ninth place Sucks and 8 points clear of the 10th place Sharks, but each of those teams have three games in hand. They hold their destiny in their own hands.
Congratulations to the UCLA Bruins who blitzed their way to a Pac-10 championship, winning each game going away. After letting a big lead slip away at the end of the first half, the Bruins turned up the defense and got to the basket. They dominated the second half, and they didn't do it with a quick spurt, but rather with deliberate dominance. They won their three games in this tournament by an average of 21 points. They're going into the tournament playing their best basketball of the season.
What's so nice to see is that they're getting the contributions from everywhere. Darren Collison is practically outplaying Jordan Farmar. Afflalo is shooting the ball well, getting into the lane, and the play he made to draw defenders before feeding Hollins for the dunk was terrific. LRMAM and Aboya have continued to progress. Michael Roll is providing solid defense on the one end while extending the defense on the other. Ryan Hollins looked at a calendar and decided it was pretty much now or never, and has really started to turn himself into a force inside. Ced Bozeman has really elevated his game. His defense is fantastic, and he has been much more active on the offensive end, flying into the lane at times and drawing contact.
The three blowouts allowed Coach Howland to give extended minutes to Lorenzo Mata, who I believe will be called upon to provide very valuable minutes at some point in this tournament. They now have six guys on the front line that defend and give fouls (LRMAM, Aboya, Wright, Fey, Hollins, Mata), which is very valuable against teams who are thin up front. Those late '90s Stanford teams often did that against UCLA when they really only had Gadzuric up front. It seemed liked they would pull seven footers out of the stands. That's such a luxury at this time of year.
Before the season I thought a trip to the sweet sixteen was a reasonable expectation, and that a trip to the elite 8 was within reach. Bump those up a notch now. And anything short of sweet sixteen would be a failure. I've made the comparison a number of times, and going into this tournament, this team really reminds me of the 2003-2004 Illini. A lot expected of them, but ultimately, the window is next year. That means it will be easy to get over an earlier than expected exit from the tournament, because there is so much to look forward to.
The Kings remain five points clear of the ninth place Sucks and 8 points clear of the 10th place Sharks, but each of those teams have three games in hand. They hold their destiny in their own hands.
Congratulations to the UCLA Bruins who blitzed their way to a Pac-10 championship, winning each game going away. After letting a big lead slip away at the end of the first half, the Bruins turned up the defense and got to the basket. They dominated the second half, and they didn't do it with a quick spurt, but rather with deliberate dominance. They won their three games in this tournament by an average of 21 points. They're going into the tournament playing their best basketball of the season.
What's so nice to see is that they're getting the contributions from everywhere. Darren Collison is practically outplaying Jordan Farmar. Afflalo is shooting the ball well, getting into the lane, and the play he made to draw defenders before feeding Hollins for the dunk was terrific. LRMAM and Aboya have continued to progress. Michael Roll is providing solid defense on the one end while extending the defense on the other. Ryan Hollins looked at a calendar and decided it was pretty much now or never, and has really started to turn himself into a force inside. Ced Bozeman has really elevated his game. His defense is fantastic, and he has been much more active on the offensive end, flying into the lane at times and drawing contact.
The three blowouts allowed Coach Howland to give extended minutes to Lorenzo Mata, who I believe will be called upon to provide very valuable minutes at some point in this tournament. They now have six guys on the front line that defend and give fouls (LRMAM, Aboya, Wright, Fey, Hollins, Mata), which is very valuable against teams who are thin up front. Those late '90s Stanford teams often did that against UCLA when they really only had Gadzuric up front. It seemed liked they would pull seven footers out of the stands. That's such a luxury at this time of year.
Before the season I thought a trip to the sweet sixteen was a reasonable expectation, and that a trip to the elite 8 was within reach. Bump those up a notch now. And anything short of sweet sixteen would be a failure. I've made the comparison a number of times, and going into this tournament, this team really reminds me of the 2003-2004 Illini. A lot expected of them, but ultimately, the window is next year. That means it will be easy to get over an earlier than expected exit from the tournament, because there is so much to look forward to.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Last Night's Games
Not much to say, really. I didn't see very much of the UCLA game, because it started fairly early, but it sounds like Hollins played pretty well. Oregon State isn't very good to begin with, so when you take away three of their best players, they're probably going to get their asses kicked. The nice thing is that Coach Howland was able to give extended minutes to some of the bench guys, and was able to rest Farmar and Afflalo.
Great to see Lo Mata back in action. If he's able to provide some minutes and/or fouls come tournament time, that could be a nice boost. Not that I expect much, mind you, but every contribution helps.
The ankle injury to Ced Bozeman illustrates exactly why I think conference tournaments are stupid. You play extra games, you expose your best players to injury, and the teams derive virtually no benefit outside of the financial. For the power conferences, you're going to have a handful of teams that are already in, and winning the tourney really does nothing except perhaps move them up a seed. And if a team that otherwise wasn't in (say, U$C for instance) gets on a roll and wins, that knocks a more deserving team off the bubble. For small conferences, you could have a school that dominates its league all year, then someone gets lucky in the conference tournament and beats them, leaving them on the outside looking in. So basically a 15-18 game conference season of dominance can be erased by one three point shot.
As for the Kings, their five game winning streak came to a screeching halt last night in Detroit, as Aaron Miller probably played just about the worst game of his career. He was at least partially responsible for four Detroit goals. He got undressed by Robert Lang on the first goal, accidentally deflected the second goal in, passed the puck right to Henrik Zetterburg for the third goal, and failed to outmuscle Zetterburg for the fourth goal. The Kings hung in for a while. They were tied 2-2 halfway through the game, and even after the Wings took a 4-2 lead, Lubo scored a power play goal to pull them back to within one. But the Wings dominated the third period much like they dominated the first two periods, and that was pretty it, as they pulled a Deadmarsh (1996 World Cup version) by scoring a goal in the final minute AFTER they'd already scored an empty netter.
Two more hoops games tonight, which I'll probably watch, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to write about them. I'm leaving right after to go see Mazarin at Schuba's, then I'm having people over for St. Patty's day festivities tomorrow. I normally don't do parties at my apartment, but I'm the lone holdout that still lives in close proximity to all of the Lincoln Park bars, so it's kind of fallen to me by default.
And with that, I'll leave you with a Brian Jonestown Massacre video.
Great to see Lo Mata back in action. If he's able to provide some minutes and/or fouls come tournament time, that could be a nice boost. Not that I expect much, mind you, but every contribution helps.
The ankle injury to Ced Bozeman illustrates exactly why I think conference tournaments are stupid. You play extra games, you expose your best players to injury, and the teams derive virtually no benefit outside of the financial. For the power conferences, you're going to have a handful of teams that are already in, and winning the tourney really does nothing except perhaps move them up a seed. And if a team that otherwise wasn't in (say, U$C for instance) gets on a roll and wins, that knocks a more deserving team off the bubble. For small conferences, you could have a school that dominates its league all year, then someone gets lucky in the conference tournament and beats them, leaving them on the outside looking in. So basically a 15-18 game conference season of dominance can be erased by one three point shot.
As for the Kings, their five game winning streak came to a screeching halt last night in Detroit, as Aaron Miller probably played just about the worst game of his career. He was at least partially responsible for four Detroit goals. He got undressed by Robert Lang on the first goal, accidentally deflected the second goal in, passed the puck right to Henrik Zetterburg for the third goal, and failed to outmuscle Zetterburg for the fourth goal. The Kings hung in for a while. They were tied 2-2 halfway through the game, and even after the Wings took a 4-2 lead, Lubo scored a power play goal to pull them back to within one. But the Wings dominated the third period much like they dominated the first two periods, and that was pretty it, as they pulled a Deadmarsh (1996 World Cup version) by scoring a goal in the final minute AFTER they'd already scored an empty netter.
Two more hoops games tonight, which I'll probably watch, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to write about them. I'm leaving right after to go see Mazarin at Schuba's, then I'm having people over for St. Patty's day festivities tomorrow. I normally don't do parties at my apartment, but I'm the lone holdout that still lives in close proximity to all of the Lincoln Park bars, so it's kind of fallen to me by default.
And with that, I'll leave you with a Brian Jonestown Massacre video.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Kings add an American
Dave Taylor worked the phones yesterday and came up with a deal that should help the power play. The Kings added American international Mark Parrish and offensive (you pick the emphasis) defenseman Brent Sopel in exchange for former first round picks Dennis Grebeshkov and Jeff Tambellini. There's been a lot of concern among Kings fans over the progress of Grebeshkov, or lack thereof. A couple of years ago it was assumed that he'd be quarterbacking the power play by this season, but according to reports, he's actually regressed. His attitude hasn't helped much either. Tambellini seems like the real deal, though. He led Manchester in scoring before the deal, has great speed and a wicked writst shot. Tough to lose him, but with Kopitar, Tukonen, Pushkarev, and Boyle all making progress, they have the depth at forward to make a deal like this. It does make them a bit thinner on the blue line, with Richard Petiot being their only good prospect back there. If I were still an Islanders fan (I used to love Mike Bossy when I was a kid), I'd be pretty happy with this package.
I am still a fan of the Kings, though, and similarly, I'm pretty happy with this package. The Kings get better right away without taking anything from the big club. Parrish will improve the power play, although I'm a little concerned that he'll take some minutes away from Dustin Brown there. I liked what I saw out of Brown on the power play lately, and Parrish is a similar player in that he goes to the front of the net. He's more skilled than Brown right now, though, and he's one of the best in the NHL at deflecting the puck. Sopel, honestly, I don't know all that much about him. I've heard that he's a skilled defensman as far as his offense is concerned, and that if he's paired with someone like Matty (which will probably be the case) he can be a real asset. He should also help improve the power play. Don't know whether he'll be on the first or second unit. I still like seeing Lubo and Corvo out there on the first unit.
Parrish is an unrestricted free agent after the season, so the Kings will have to make the decision to bring him back if they have the cap space. Sopel is guaranteed another year after this, which puts Corvo's future with the Kings into doubt. Corvo's a UFA after this season, and he's played well enough to demand a good contract, and now with Sopel in the mix, the Kings might decide they don't need to pay a couple million to both of them. Personally, I'm a Corvo fan, so I want him back.
One thing this trade does for me is it shows me just how much the unbalanced schedule prevents me from knowing that much about Eastern Conference players. I liked the old days when everyone would play everyone at least twice. Oh well. I'll pretty much root for anyone that's American, so it's nice to see the Kings add another one. Let's hope the deal pays immediate dividends, starting tonight against the Wings.
I am still a fan of the Kings, though, and similarly, I'm pretty happy with this package. The Kings get better right away without taking anything from the big club. Parrish will improve the power play, although I'm a little concerned that he'll take some minutes away from Dustin Brown there. I liked what I saw out of Brown on the power play lately, and Parrish is a similar player in that he goes to the front of the net. He's more skilled than Brown right now, though, and he's one of the best in the NHL at deflecting the puck. Sopel, honestly, I don't know all that much about him. I've heard that he's a skilled defensman as far as his offense is concerned, and that if he's paired with someone like Matty (which will probably be the case) he can be a real asset. He should also help improve the power play. Don't know whether he'll be on the first or second unit. I still like seeing Lubo and Corvo out there on the first unit.
Parrish is an unrestricted free agent after the season, so the Kings will have to make the decision to bring him back if they have the cap space. Sopel is guaranteed another year after this, which puts Corvo's future with the Kings into doubt. Corvo's a UFA after this season, and he's played well enough to demand a good contract, and now with Sopel in the mix, the Kings might decide they don't need to pay a couple million to both of them. Personally, I'm a Corvo fan, so I want him back.
One thing this trade does for me is it shows me just how much the unbalanced schedule prevents me from knowing that much about Eastern Conference players. I liked the old days when everyone would play everyone at least twice. Oh well. I'll pretty much root for anyone that's American, so it's nice to see the Kings add another one. Let's hope the deal pays immediate dividends, starting tonight against the Wings.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Kings 3; Wild 2 (OT)
For the first time since 2002, the Kings have won five games in a row. With 18 games to play, they sit in sixth place, five points clear of the ninth place Sucks. If they take care of business against their rivals, they ought to make the playoffs this year, which would also happen for the first time since 2002. Three of those five wins have come without their two most talented forwards, Pavol Demitra and Alexander Frolov, and they've come while trade rumors have swirled around goaltender Matthieu Garon, who was excellent in last night's game.
Honestly, I saw this one via my DVR. We had a bye this week in my floor hockey league, so a couple of us got together to have a couple of drinks. When the Kings got down 2-0, I pretty much fast forwarded until the Kings got their second goal, and watched from there. Brilliant play by Derek Armstrong to set up Lubo for the game winner, but one of the nicest plays that may not have looked like it at first was the goal by Kostopolous. He had to reach behind him a bit to corrall the pass, and he quickly pulled it in and ripped the shot home. I praised him the other night, but he really has been playing well since the break.
Once again, they aren't showing major improvement in one or even two areas, but they're showing some improvement in ALL areas, and that's been enough to push them to three straight wins after the Olympic break. Always good to open a road trip with two points, and every point from here on out is absolutely crucial. If they could steal a point or two in Detroit, that would be huge.
Honestly, I saw this one via my DVR. We had a bye this week in my floor hockey league, so a couple of us got together to have a couple of drinks. When the Kings got down 2-0, I pretty much fast forwarded until the Kings got their second goal, and watched from there. Brilliant play by Derek Armstrong to set up Lubo for the game winner, but one of the nicest plays that may not have looked like it at first was the goal by Kostopolous. He had to reach behind him a bit to corrall the pass, and he quickly pulled it in and ripped the shot home. I praised him the other night, but he really has been playing well since the break.
Once again, they aren't showing major improvement in one or even two areas, but they're showing some improvement in ALL areas, and that's been enough to push them to three straight wins after the Olympic break. Always good to open a road trip with two points, and every point from here on out is absolutely crucial. If they could steal a point or two in Detroit, that would be huge.
Monday, March 06, 2006
A difference of opinion
In a comment to the last post, the Chronicler opines that the video for "Just" by Radiohead is overrated. I obviously disagree, but I'll leave up to you readers to decide. He points us to a video by Japanese duo Cibo Matto for the song "Sugar Water".
Now, I've watched this video, and I'll admit, it's pretty damn cool. It's really kind of hard to describe, so you just have to watch it. However, I have a hard time saying it's better than "Just" when, truth be told, it's not even the best Cibo Matto video. That title belongs to the video (available below) for the Cibo Matto classic "Know Your Chicken" (unfortunately, this one dies about 2/3 of the way through, but you get the gist of it).
Now, I've watched this video, and I'll admit, it's pretty damn cool. It's really kind of hard to describe, so you just have to watch it. However, I have a hard time saying it's better than "Just" when, truth be told, it's not even the best Cibo Matto video. That title belongs to the video (available below) for the Cibo Matto classic "Know Your Chicken" (unfortunately, this one dies about 2/3 of the way through, but you get the gist of it).
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Since I figured out this cool YouTube thing
I thought I'd do you all a favor and post the greatest music video ever created. You're welcome.
Catching up
Three games yesterday, so instead of giving each their own post, I'll lump them all into one. That's what happens when you're recovering from travel and recovering from particularly nasty stye.
Blue Jackets 2; Kings 3
The Kings were playing very poorly in just about all facets of the game before the Olympic break. They weren't scoring, they weren't playing defense, they weren't getting good goaltending, and their special teams were awful. It felt like they needed to make big strides in a couple of areas to start winning again. But they've gone in another direction. Instead of big improvements in a couple of areas, they've made small improvements in every area. They're getting timely goals, improved defense, very good goaltending, and they've now played two games without giving up a power play goal, while netting a couple themselves. The results are two straight post-break victories, giving them a four game winning streak.
Sean Avery was hero and almost-goat yesterday, as he recorded his first ever mult-goal game. The first came shorthanded on a two one one as he fired a wicked snapshot past Marc Denis' glove. The second came near the end of the second period when he tapped home a one timer off of a Tom Kostopolous pass. Kostopolous has been skating really well the past few games.
After allowing two goals in the opening five minutes of the third period to even the score, the Kings settled down, and got a late power play goal from Michael Cammalleri that provided the winning margin. I can't be the only Kings fan whose happy to see Dustin Brown getting power play time, and his presence in front of the Columbus net led directly to that goal.
Matthieu Garon, while not tremendous, was very good yet again, and he did come up with a couple of excellent saves. They need that sort of solid goaltending to reach the playoffs. And if the rumors are right, they might not be getting it from Garon much longer, as he has been mentioned as part of a deal that would bring Canadian National Team goalie Roberto Luongo to the Kings from Florida.
UCLA 75; Stanford 54
For the first time in nine years, the Bruins are the champions of the Pac-10 regular season, and they earned it by playing probably their finest game, start to finish, of the entire season. For the first time in four games, the Bruins actually showed up to play in the first half. In wins over Oregon, Oregon State, and UC Berkeley, the Bruins had failed to crack 30 points in the first half, and trailed every game at the midpoint. But after falling behind 5-0 to the Cardinal at Maples Pavilion, they woke up, went on a 14-2 run, and never looked back. They extended their lead to 14 by halftime. Stanford went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to nine points with just under 21 minutes to play, but the Bruins slammed the door with a 10-0 run of their own immediately after.
They did it with a balanced attack on offense, and their trademark stifling pressure on defense. Four starters finished in double figures, with Michael Roll chipping in nine off the bench. The numbers don't show it, but Darren Collison had one of his best games as a Bruin with six points, and at least one more assist than the official scorer appears to have given him credit for. On the glass LRMAM led the team again with nine rebounds, and Ryan Hollins grabbed eight of his own. Jordan Farmar added 13 points and seven assists with -- brace yourself for this -- NO TURNOVERS. In fact, as a team, the Bruins only turned the ball over 5 times, ten times fewer than their hosts. That was really the difference, and it shows what a team can do when it values the basketball.
On the Pac 10 tourney, where they can hopefully sew up nothing worse than a 3 seed, and maybe even a two if they're particularly impressive.
Illinois 75; Michigan State 68
Two more games against the Spartans, two more wins, and two more chances for me to hold bragging rights over my dad (MSU class of '60). Two solid halves of basketball by the Illini led them to this win, but the way in which they put those halves together differed a fair amount. In the first half, Dee Brown's inconstent shooting and James Augustine's injury after a collision with Goran Suton meant that the Illini would need scoring support from other areas. They got it from Warren Carter's six points, and Sean Pruitt's eight points (including four for four from the free throw line). They went into the break trailing by one after officials took away an apparent buzzer beater by Jamar Smith (it was the right call).
In the second half, Augie got healthy, and Dee caught fire, throwing in 16 of his 20 points, and all five of his three pointers (he finished five of ten from beyond the arc). The Illini took control at roughly the fourteen minute mark. After palying even for the previous few minutes, Illinois went on a 12-0 run which consisted of two three pointers from Brown, and two from Jamar Smith. This seems to be the Illini M.O. in a lot of their wins this year. Play the game close. Maybe take a little lead, then give it up, then play even, then BAM! Go on a run that wears the opponent out, and that's that.
Earlier in the second half, Rich McBride fired up an airball in attempt to beat the shot clock. The Izzone, as is mandated in the by-laws of just about every college basketball student section, subsequently reminded him of it every time he touched the ball. As a result, there was no sweeter hoop than the open three that McBride hit on the feed from Augustine with 6:33 to go, and which put the Illini back on top by double digits. McBride was one of five Illini to finish the game in double figures, and it looks like this team is finally figuring out a way to score that doesn't require running the shot clock down to nothing before having Dee launch a desperation three. They need to get back to their solid defense for a full forty minutes. But if they put those two elements together, there's no one they can't beat on any given night.
Blue Jackets 2; Kings 3
The Kings were playing very poorly in just about all facets of the game before the Olympic break. They weren't scoring, they weren't playing defense, they weren't getting good goaltending, and their special teams were awful. It felt like they needed to make big strides in a couple of areas to start winning again. But they've gone in another direction. Instead of big improvements in a couple of areas, they've made small improvements in every area. They're getting timely goals, improved defense, very good goaltending, and they've now played two games without giving up a power play goal, while netting a couple themselves. The results are two straight post-break victories, giving them a four game winning streak.
Sean Avery was hero and almost-goat yesterday, as he recorded his first ever mult-goal game. The first came shorthanded on a two one one as he fired a wicked snapshot past Marc Denis' glove. The second came near the end of the second period when he tapped home a one timer off of a Tom Kostopolous pass. Kostopolous has been skating really well the past few games.
After allowing two goals in the opening five minutes of the third period to even the score, the Kings settled down, and got a late power play goal from Michael Cammalleri that provided the winning margin. I can't be the only Kings fan whose happy to see Dustin Brown getting power play time, and his presence in front of the Columbus net led directly to that goal.
Matthieu Garon, while not tremendous, was very good yet again, and he did come up with a couple of excellent saves. They need that sort of solid goaltending to reach the playoffs. And if the rumors are right, they might not be getting it from Garon much longer, as he has been mentioned as part of a deal that would bring Canadian National Team goalie Roberto Luongo to the Kings from Florida.
UCLA 75; Stanford 54
For the first time in nine years, the Bruins are the champions of the Pac-10 regular season, and they earned it by playing probably their finest game, start to finish, of the entire season. For the first time in four games, the Bruins actually showed up to play in the first half. In wins over Oregon, Oregon State, and UC Berkeley, the Bruins had failed to crack 30 points in the first half, and trailed every game at the midpoint. But after falling behind 5-0 to the Cardinal at Maples Pavilion, they woke up, went on a 14-2 run, and never looked back. They extended their lead to 14 by halftime. Stanford went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to nine points with just under 21 minutes to play, but the Bruins slammed the door with a 10-0 run of their own immediately after.
They did it with a balanced attack on offense, and their trademark stifling pressure on defense. Four starters finished in double figures, with Michael Roll chipping in nine off the bench. The numbers don't show it, but Darren Collison had one of his best games as a Bruin with six points, and at least one more assist than the official scorer appears to have given him credit for. On the glass LRMAM led the team again with nine rebounds, and Ryan Hollins grabbed eight of his own. Jordan Farmar added 13 points and seven assists with -- brace yourself for this -- NO TURNOVERS. In fact, as a team, the Bruins only turned the ball over 5 times, ten times fewer than their hosts. That was really the difference, and it shows what a team can do when it values the basketball.
On the Pac 10 tourney, where they can hopefully sew up nothing worse than a 3 seed, and maybe even a two if they're particularly impressive.
Illinois 75; Michigan State 68
Two more games against the Spartans, two more wins, and two more chances for me to hold bragging rights over my dad (MSU class of '60). Two solid halves of basketball by the Illini led them to this win, but the way in which they put those halves together differed a fair amount. In the first half, Dee Brown's inconstent shooting and James Augustine's injury after a collision with Goran Suton meant that the Illini would need scoring support from other areas. They got it from Warren Carter's six points, and Sean Pruitt's eight points (including four for four from the free throw line). They went into the break trailing by one after officials took away an apparent buzzer beater by Jamar Smith (it was the right call).
In the second half, Augie got healthy, and Dee caught fire, throwing in 16 of his 20 points, and all five of his three pointers (he finished five of ten from beyond the arc). The Illini took control at roughly the fourteen minute mark. After palying even for the previous few minutes, Illinois went on a 12-0 run which consisted of two three pointers from Brown, and two from Jamar Smith. This seems to be the Illini M.O. in a lot of their wins this year. Play the game close. Maybe take a little lead, then give it up, then play even, then BAM! Go on a run that wears the opponent out, and that's that.
Earlier in the second half, Rich McBride fired up an airball in attempt to beat the shot clock. The Izzone, as is mandated in the by-laws of just about every college basketball student section, subsequently reminded him of it every time he touched the ball. As a result, there was no sweeter hoop than the open three that McBride hit on the feed from Augustine with 6:33 to go, and which put the Illini back on top by double digits. McBride was one of five Illini to finish the game in double figures, and it looks like this team is finally figuring out a way to score that doesn't require running the shot clock down to nothing before having Dee launch a desperation three. They need to get back to their solid defense for a full forty minutes. But if they put those two elements together, there's no one they can't beat on any given night.
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