One out of four is good in baseball!
Okay, so I was wrong - a lot. I took a stab at least.
Detroit, my overall winner, is still in the hunt. I'd love to say that the Stars will win. That's my hearts choice. My pick though, Wings in six.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
'tis the season
I don't know it all, but I thought it would be fun to try this, so here's my bracket.
(** edited 4/9 as the formatting didn't work & I messed up the seeding..)
2nd Round:
Detroit v. Colorado
Dallas v. San Jose
Montreal v. New Jersey
Pitt v. Washington **Best Series & Most Televised**
Conf Finals:
Detroit over San Jose
Pitt over Montreal
Detroit over Pitt in five.
What can I say, all four number one's made it to the final four, and no one can stop the Wings. Picking the stars for a series was more heart than head. I really think Washington is a surprise in the East, and Pitt has all the pieces together...... but, that's why they play the games.
(** edited 4/9 as the formatting didn't work & I messed up the seeding..)
2nd Round:
Detroit v. Colorado
Dallas v. San Jose
Montreal v. New Jersey
Pitt v. Washington **Best Series & Most Televised**
Conf Finals:
Detroit over San Jose
Pitt over Montreal
Detroit over Pitt in five.
What can I say, all four number one's made it to the final four, and no one can stop the Wings. Picking the stars for a series was more heart than head. I really think Washington is a surprise in the East, and Pitt has all the pieces together...... but, that's why they play the games.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fun Links
Just to hold these for me:
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8516099
http://www.playoffstatus.com/index.html
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_8516099
http://www.playoffstatus.com/index.html
Monday, February 25, 2008
Twas the night before the deadline
and litterally nothing had happened!
A bit crazy.
I think the Stars could piece together a deal for Richards or Ryder, no real harm if they don't. Today's activation of Boucher does seem to indicate that something is going on.
My real source of frustration tonight is the joke that the part time player can make of our league. I think the Ducks "retirement" parties were a sham, and now the Av's announce that they "signed Peter Forsberg to a one-year contract." No they didn't, a one year contract would make him their's until Feb 25, 2009. His contract is more like a four month deal. Many call trade day deals "renting" a player, but the Av's have actually dialed up Hertz for this one. Sad.
A bit crazy.
I think the Stars could piece together a deal for Richards or Ryder, no real harm if they don't. Today's activation of Boucher does seem to indicate that something is going on.
My real source of frustration tonight is the joke that the part time player can make of our league. I think the Ducks "retirement" parties were a sham, and now the Av's announce that they "signed Peter Forsberg to a one-year contract." No they didn't, a one year contract would make him their's until Feb 25, 2009. His contract is more like a four month deal. Many call trade day deals "renting" a player, but the Av's have actually dialed up Hertz for this one. Sad.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Who's at the helm, anyway?
Accomplishments a plenty this weekend. Wayne Gretzky logged win number 99. Anything ending in 99 is significant for the great one.
And Marty Turco put win number 200 under his belt. The problem with this one is that no one outside of Dallas and Anaheim was able to see the excellent, very spirited divisional affair.
Yes, I’m again complaining about the NHL Network. But on a broader level, I question, who does Gary Bettman answer to? Was anyone else watching his involvement with the all star game closely?
When interviewed and presented with anecdotal evidence that the league may benefit from giving every team appearing in each building once per year, he defensively quoted vague polling that the NHL office had done that said the current schedule built rivalries.
His argument holds little water to those of us who recall the 80’s, 90’s, & pre-strike 00’s, where rivalries existed. Instead, the NHL continues to hide the league’s new stars, with Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal (all of them), & Crosby are all kept in the eastern quarter of the US, save maybe one extended trip west. This potential star power is barely used off the ice and not used at all on the ice as an ambassador of our game.
Capping Bettman’s all star experience were the raining “boo’s” he received when he took the ice to give the final awards. Come on Gary – take the hint! You dropped the ball on the CBA. You chose to tie the league to an upstart network instead of giving it free to ESPN, which would have brought greater exposure, marketing, Sportscenter time, and more. You’ve chosen to use a new, league owned network to take more games away from fans. All of this seems very counter-productive.
Let’s give some thought to the health of the league as a whole and not just a few east coast pocket books. Tack on $10 – 20 for the Center Ice programming and give the NHL Network as part of that purchase. Adjust the schedule so every player is in every city once per year. Recent ads are great, but not widely used, let’s spend some marketing money. Too many of my co-workers who watch ESPN daily do not know who Crosby or Ovechkin are.
If the league office thinks it has evidence this won’t work, show it to us. The commissioner no longer has the credibility with the fans (or at lease a few I talk to) to make statements regarding the leagues research and be believed.
Stars & Wings nationally in just about an hour. Wings have lost 5 straight but have had a lot of success against Marty Turco. Dallas needs to keep pace in a tight divisional race, and comes in winning 8 of the last 9. Hopefully the teams will provide a hard fought Western Conference game, putting our best face forward. Enjoy all!
And Marty Turco put win number 200 under his belt. The problem with this one is that no one outside of Dallas and Anaheim was able to see the excellent, very spirited divisional affair.
Yes, I’m again complaining about the NHL Network. But on a broader level, I question, who does Gary Bettman answer to? Was anyone else watching his involvement with the all star game closely?
When interviewed and presented with anecdotal evidence that the league may benefit from giving every team appearing in each building once per year, he defensively quoted vague polling that the NHL office had done that said the current schedule built rivalries.
His argument holds little water to those of us who recall the 80’s, 90’s, & pre-strike 00’s, where rivalries existed. Instead, the NHL continues to hide the league’s new stars, with Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal (all of them), & Crosby are all kept in the eastern quarter of the US, save maybe one extended trip west. This potential star power is barely used off the ice and not used at all on the ice as an ambassador of our game.
Capping Bettman’s all star experience were the raining “boo’s” he received when he took the ice to give the final awards. Come on Gary – take the hint! You dropped the ball on the CBA. You chose to tie the league to an upstart network instead of giving it free to ESPN, which would have brought greater exposure, marketing, Sportscenter time, and more. You’ve chosen to use a new, league owned network to take more games away from fans. All of this seems very counter-productive.
Let’s give some thought to the health of the league as a whole and not just a few east coast pocket books. Tack on $10 – 20 for the Center Ice programming and give the NHL Network as part of that purchase. Adjust the schedule so every player is in every city once per year. Recent ads are great, but not widely used, let’s spend some marketing money. Too many of my co-workers who watch ESPN daily do not know who Crosby or Ovechkin are.
If the league office thinks it has evidence this won’t work, show it to us. The commissioner no longer has the credibility with the fans (or at lease a few I talk to) to make statements regarding the leagues research and be believed.
Stars & Wings nationally in just about an hour. Wings have lost 5 straight but have had a lot of success against Marty Turco. Dallas needs to keep pace in a tight divisional race, and comes in winning 8 of the last 9. Hopefully the teams will provide a hard fought Western Conference game, putting our best face forward. Enjoy all!
Monday, February 11, 2008
First Big Trade
Cory Stillman and defenceman Mike Commodore move from the Hurricanes to the Senators. The Sen's give up defenceman Joe Corvo and right-winger Patrick Eaves. Seems clearly like an immediate win for Ottawa, though Corvo & Eaves were contributers and I expect they will contribute in Carolina as well. My take: Even Deal.
Everyone's talking about it
Nothing really that I can add beyond what's already been said and written many places. Andrew's has a great list of links. The latest I can find is that there was an hour's surgery and 5 units of blood lost, but Zednik is up and on his feet. He's a hockey player, I'll not be one bit surprised if he plays again this season, though doctors put "normal" activity at 8 weeks away.
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzU5z8byUkI&feature=related
or
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3240134&categoryId=2378529
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzU5z8byUkI&feature=related
or
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3240134&categoryId=2378529
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I'm famous!!
well, not really, but some day I can just refer to my buddy Mike and not say Mike Heika, right??!!
http://stars.beloblog.com/archives/2008/02/open_forum_question.html
http://stars.beloblog.com/archives/2008/02/open_forum_question.html
Hockey Day in Canada (and a weekend recap)
No, despite my threats, I didn't watch all 12 hours on Saturday. I do love the the NHL programming allows for CBC to run all day through, and I did watch a fair amount.
For Stars programming though - Saturday was GREAT. Regardless of illness, or anything else, it's great to beat a team that we struggled with so much last year. Tonight, Minnesota needed a lengthly shoot out to beat those same Blues. Legacy earned the point himself with an amazing save with 13 seconds remaining. If you see it, keep in mind the context of playing back to back with the flu.
We will still need a scorer to keep pace. The Ducks have added the under-handed way with two returning players. Sharks have added brawn with Jody Shelly. I'm sure there will be more deals done.
Personally, I just want the standings to catch up to us in terms of games played. Hard to tell where we stand. The Sharks keep pace, but will have a harder road to go between now and then.
For Stars programming though - Saturday was GREAT. Regardless of illness, or anything else, it's great to beat a team that we struggled with so much last year. Tonight, Minnesota needed a lengthly shoot out to beat those same Blues. Legacy earned the point himself with an amazing save with 13 seconds remaining. If you see it, keep in mind the context of playing back to back with the flu.
We will still need a scorer to keep pace. The Ducks have added the under-handed way with two returning players. Sharks have added brawn with Jody Shelly. I'm sure there will be more deals done.
Personally, I just want the standings to catch up to us in terms of games played. Hard to tell where we stand. The Sharks keep pace, but will have a harder road to go between now and then.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
17 days and counting
February 26th, 3:00 EST, 2:00 Central
It's the NHL trade deadline, the rosters are locked in for the playoff run, and the real debates and scoreboard watching can begin.
Personally, I would have liked for the Stars to have already done something. I think the deadline is too late in the year for the NHL, and it's never too early to start building chemestry as a team. There are numerous examples from Stanley Cup winners to prove me wrong through, so onward we go.
St. Louis, Hossa, & Jokinen are among the big names expecting a move. Blake could become an interesting story. Will Sundin be traded - will he then return over the summer? Foresberg's return, contract, and impact will all be fun discussions.
From a Stars' point of view, I think they must make at least one move for a scorer. They have the depth, goaltending, character, etc. A trade for a stand up D man would make some sense too, although Norstrom has looked better the last week than most of the year. I compliment them for looking into Foresberg, but keeping the organization out of any January bidding wars. The market will begin to set prices soon. (as Heika wrote recently, player rentals seem to be getting more expensive)
To keep up with things, NHL.com usually sets up a good hub. They've had the workings of it up for a couple weeks now. The last 5-10 days are usually when all the impact is there. We'll see what happens, as fans, we're just along for the ride anyway!
It's the NHL trade deadline, the rosters are locked in for the playoff run, and the real debates and scoreboard watching can begin.
Personally, I would have liked for the Stars to have already done something. I think the deadline is too late in the year for the NHL, and it's never too early to start building chemestry as a team. There are numerous examples from Stanley Cup winners to prove me wrong through, so onward we go.
St. Louis, Hossa, & Jokinen are among the big names expecting a move. Blake could become an interesting story. Will Sundin be traded - will he then return over the summer? Foresberg's return, contract, and impact will all be fun discussions.
From a Stars' point of view, I think they must make at least one move for a scorer. They have the depth, goaltending, character, etc. A trade for a stand up D man would make some sense too, although Norstrom has looked better the last week than most of the year. I compliment them for looking into Foresberg, but keeping the organization out of any January bidding wars. The market will begin to set prices soon. (as Heika wrote recently, player rentals seem to be getting more expensive)
To keep up with things, NHL.com usually sets up a good hub. They've had the workings of it up for a couple weeks now. The last 5-10 days are usually when all the impact is there. We'll see what happens, as fans, we're just along for the ride anyway!
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