Man Advantage?
In hockey being on the power play can be referred to as having a “man advantage”. So far in the Predators playoff series with Detroit the Wings appear to be on the power play a lot! The bigger problem is that “man advantage” is the man wearing a striped shirt!
I am not one to complain about officiating. I believe teams win and lose games, players create opportunities and everyone, that’s EVERYONE makes mistakes. We may not like it but officials, like players are not perfect.
However, in this most critical time of the year every call gets amplified and when there’s the chance to get a call correct the crew in charge should take it.
Today in Game 2 Barry Trotz and company were unhappy with a number of calls, 2 in particular. First, the Preds first goal that was taken off the board when Radek Bonk was ruled to have been in the net and knocked the net off. Second, Tomas Holmstrom was not called for interferring with Dan Ellis on the Wings second goal. The replay confirms the Preds beef on the second, but it was close and I can see how they could make the mistake. Holmstrom has a reputation for being the best in the business at screening the goalie, so I can let that one slide.
However, why bother with replay if they won’t use it! As I understand it when they took the Preds first goal off the board they ruled that they had blown the whistle or at least were intending to blow the whistle so the play was not reviewable. That’s absurd. Replay clearly shows the puck go in the net before Bonk crashed into the back of it and knocked it free regardless of when the whistle blew or was “intended” to blow. Isn’t their first “intention” each game to get all of the calls right or at least as many as they can.
Maybe it’s the rules governing replay that need a second look. The Wings are too good and the stakes are too high to be beaten by technicalities or semantics. Detroit deserves to win on it’s skill, the Preds deserve a chance to at least compete on level ice and the fans deserve a game (and a call)that makes sense.
....OK, GIVE IT A BREAK......
…………..OK, we all love the Masters, right? Even if you don’t watch golf, don’t play golf, haven’t golfed in years, we still love to watch the Masters. It is the Super Bowl, World Series, you name it rolled into 4 days of pure golfing bliss that has basically stayed the same for 70 plus years.
But. And there is always a but,
Mike Tirico, who is hosting the coverage for ESPN on Thursday and Friday, STOP IT! Just STOP IT right now! Stop reading from Emily Dickinson’s poems to describe the Masters. Stop reading Robert Frost when describing the Masters. So breathy, the dramatic pauses, the eloquent phrases, the majestic shots of the course which are ok as long as he shuts up. I guess he googled every ‘beautiful poem’ ever written and puts those in the prompter. I just got ill listening to it.
So I put on my Skid Row CD, turned it up and watched the Masters like that. Much, Much better.
……….Timeless and Ageless….
….Timeless and Ageless….Nope, not talking about some football, basketball, baseball, or hockey player. This is something else, that just defies time and is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. In fact, it has NOTHING to do with sports.
I am talking about Sesame Street. But Joe this is a sports blog! So, this is what is on my mind right now. Sesame Street is priceless. Cookie Monster, Oscar, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, etc, all icons of pop culture and just like great athletes, great things in pop culture stay with us a long, long time. When you hum Elmo’s World theme all day, you know they got ya.
Just had to say that because when I am watching it with my son and I am yelling at the show more than he is, I would say that is pretty good.
Oh, by the way, as much as I love the Preds, all of this talk about how the Red Wings are going to choke is firing them up. Red Wings in 5, although I want to say Preds in 7 but hopefully I am wrong. Again.
Players, Coach or Kansas?
I’m still trying to figure out just how Memphis didn’t win the National Championship last night! They pulled page 1 from the Chicago Cubs playbook and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. There is certainly plenty of blame and credit to pass around, but if you have to narrow it down to just one aspect which one is the most overwhelming?
First, it wouldn’t have killed Memphis to actually make one more free throw down the stretch. It was painful to watch, as the Tigers toed the line you could “feel” the impending failure. Before the Tournament everyone pointed to their struggles at the line, turns out “they” were right.
Second, this was not John Calipari’s shining moment. His team clearly lost focus and discipline down the stretch, as well as the belief that they would win the game. He said they were trying to foul in the final seconds, clearly that message was not driven home. He also failed to call a timeout late. They had several chances, one with 10 seconds to play, the other with 2 seconds left to set up a final bucket.
Third, was it just a great comeback by Kansas? Say what you want to about the Tigers, the Jayhawks played great “D” down the stretch and really attacked the basket and if Chalmers doesn’t hit the “3″ I’m writing a different post.
I am torn, this is no easy call, but for me players win and lose games. Make a free throw, hoist the trophy, Memphis celebrates, to me it really is that simple.
……PREDS AND WINGS, TIMES AND DATES…..
PREDATORS TO OPEN 2008 PLAYOFFS ON THURSDAY IN DETROIT
-Nashville will host Games 3 and 4 next Monday and Wednesday, times to be determined-
Nashville, Tenn. (April 6, 2008) – The Nashville Predators will begin their 2008 Stanley Cup Western Conference Quarterfinal series vs. the Detroit Red Wings this Thursday, April 10 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit at 6 p.m. CT. Game Two is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 at 1 p.m. CT in Detroit, and will be nationally televised on NBC. The series then turns to Nashville, where the Predators will host the Wings for Game Three on Monday, April 14 at the Sommet Center, then again for Game Four on Wednesday, April 16. Times for Nashville’s home games will be released at a later date.
If additional games are necessary to complete the best-of-seven series, it will turn back to Detroit for a Game Five on Friday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m., come to Nashville for Game Six, another NBC contest, on Sunday, April 20, then return to Detroit for Game Seven on Tuesday, April 22. VERSUS, the exclusive cable home of the NHL, will televised Games One, Three, Four and Five.
SERIES E TIME (CT) #1 Detroit vs. #8 Nashville Network
Thursday, April 10, 2008 6 p.m. Nashville at Detroit VERSUS
Saturday, April 12, 2008 1 p.m. Nashville at Detroit NBC
Monday, April 14, 2008 TBD Detroit at Nashville VERSUS
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 TBD Detroit at Nashville VERSUS (JIP)
Friday, April 18, 2008 6:30 p.m. Nashville at Detroit VERSUS
Sunday, April 20, 2008 TBD Detroit at Nashville NBC
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 TBD Nashville at Detroit
Individual tickets still remain for the first two Nashville Predators home games of the series and can be purchased at the Sommet Center box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, via the internet at www.nashvillepredators.com or by calling 615-770-PUCK.
The only way to guarantee access to 2008 playoff tickets is with a $250 deposit towards 2008-09 Nashville Predators season tickets. For complete information on this process, call 615-770-PUCK or visit www.nashvillepredators.com.
Ticket prices start at $25.00 per ticket in the Upper Goal Zone. Other section prices include: Goal Zone ($35.00), Sideline Balcony ($43.00), Lower Sideline Balcony ($49.00), Shoot Twice Mezzanine ($59.00), Lower Shoot Twice Mezzanine ($65.00), Shoot Once Club Seats ($72.00), Lower Bowl Endzone ($80.00), Lower Bowl Center ($91.00), Premium Lower Bowl ($102.00), Premium 2x Lower Bowl ($110.00), Club Level ($115.00) and the All-Inclusive Zone ($115.00).
Individual tickets for any additional first-round games will go on sale at a later date, and tickets for all future rounds of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs will go on sale upon the completion of each round.
# # # #
….PREDATOR PLAYOFF TICKETS
PREDATORS PLAYOFF TICKETS
ON SALE APRIL 5
-Nashville clinches fourth consecutive trip to NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs -
Nashville, Tenn. (April 4, 2008) – Individual tickets for the first two Nashville Predators home games of their 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinal Playoff series will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, April 5 at 10:00 a.m. at the Sommet Center box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, via the internet at www.nashvillepredators.com or by calling 615-770-PUCK. Nashville clinched a spot in the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of last night’s 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, coupled with a Vancouver Canucks loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
The only way to guarantee access to 2008 playoff tickets is with a $250 deposit towards 2008-09 Nashville Predators season tickets. For complete information on this process, call 615-770-PUCK or visit www.nashvillepredators.com.
Game dates and times and the Predators’ first-round opponent will be determined between now and the conclusion of the NHL regular season on Sunday, April 6. All Stanley Cup Playoff series are best of seven and played on a 2-2-1-1-1 format, and the first round of the 2008 NHL post-season will open on April 9.
The three division winners in each conference will be seeded first through third, in order of points, for the playoffs and the next five best teams, in order of points, will be seeded fourth through eighth. The team seeded No. 1 will play No. 8, No. 2 takes on No. 7, No. 3 meets No. 6 and No. 4 battles No. 5 in the Conference Quarterfinals. As the No. 7 or 8 seed, the Predators will open on the road and will play Games 3 and 4, and if necessary, Game 6, at the Sommet Center.
Ticket prices start at $25.00 per ticket in the Upper Goal Zone. Other section prices include: Goal Zone ($35.00), Sideline Balcony ($43.00), Lower Sideline Balcony ($49.00), Shoot Twice Mezzanine ($59.00), Lower Shoot Twice Mezzanine ($65.00), Shoot Once Club Seats ($72.00), Lower Bowl Endzone ($80.00), Lower Bowl Center ($91.00), Premium Lower Bowl ($102.00), Premium 2x Lower Bowl ($110.00), Club Level ($115.00) and the All-Inclusive Zone ($115.00).
Individual tickets for any additional first-round games will go on sale at a later date, and tickets for all future rounds of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs will go on sale upon the completion of each round.
A Magical Night…
In college, I knew a guy who was from Cleveland and he would always talk about growing up there and going to Browns games and Indian games and how his whole family would go and even though they didn’t have the greatest teams, he said it was still a blast going to all of the games and watching the whole city get behind the teams.
For a long time Nashville didn’t have that. Then the Titans came to town, then the Preds. We all remember that Titans Super Bowl run back in 99 and what it meant to the city. Well Thursday night at the Sommet Center, it wasn’t exactly the Super Bowl run Part 2, but it was pretty close.
The Preds, playing before a very loud and raucous and sold out crowd, beat St. Louis 3 to 2 to advance to the playoffs. It was a magical night to see all of the fans there, standing and cheering and being SO LOUD it was surreal. It was a great sight to see 17,000 people in unison over something. Especially in the third period, where the fans stood on their feet for about 5 minutes, waving their towels and shirts and whatever else they had, it was truly a sight to see.
These days we are split down political lines that can sometimes be traumatizing to say the least. But for that one moment Thursday night, we were all united. Black, White, Republican, Democrat, whatever, it was a magical night for the city and for the team.
Whether you like hockey or not, it is still Nashville’s team and to sell out the last 6 games, I think, shows that people care about their team. They are in the playoffs and we all know, anything can happen in the playoffs, you just gotta get in, and they did. Word!
….VICTORY, VICTORY, VICTORY!!!
When I got Comcast digital, you get about a thousand channels, but you really only end up watching about 10 of them. It’s like your IPOD, you get all of these songs, but you really only listen to about 10 or 12 of them.
So one of the channels you get is a movie channel, actually about 15 of them, which sometimes is kinda cool. Watch Da Vinci Code, not bad, Dawn of the Dead, new version, totally awesome and then I caught what I think is the greatest sports movie of all time.
This is so up for discussion it isn’t funny because there are about 15 of them that are so good. Rocky is my fave but to me, it is more of a love story, possibly the best love story in the movies in the last 30 years or so. That means Rocky, to me, is bumped from the list.
My favorite? Victory. Never heard of it, then go rent it, buy it, go amazon and get it, but it is most excellent.
Here is a brief plotline: In World War II, a group of Nazi officers come up with a propaganda event in which an all star Nazi team will play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a Soccer (Football) game. The Prisoners agree, planning on using the game as a means of escape from the camp.
Let me tell you, it is awesome. Sly Stallone is in it, Pele and others but it is more than just a soccer movie. Halfway thru there is just an awesome message to be had and the whole movies spins into another direction. It is funny, it is uplifting and it is definitely worth two thumbs up.
If you are bored one weekend, try to find it or when it comes again, watch it, TiVo it, DVR, whatever, just watch it.
With that said, that is my fave but there are so many good ones out there it is hard to choose. Word!
Predators and Cereal, Feeling Young Again….
Gotta say watching the Preds roar back from 3 goals down was quite amazing. Then to win it in overtime, season on the line, with a guy whose name sounds like he should be singing backup for Barry Manilow, Rich Peverly (rhymes with Beverly, as in Beverly Hills 90210, one of the greatest tv shows in history.)
So they win and then Vancouver loses late Tuesday night and the Preds are back in the playoff hunt. After what this team went thru in the offseason, most people thought the only cup they would win would be the Predators Cup. (That is the name of the championship trophy given to High Schools who compete in high school hockey.)
A win Thursday night in front of a packed out Sommet would be incredible but the last couple of times they have played in front of large crowds at home, not so good. Here is hoping that Thursday night they win, Vancouver loses and the Preds are in the playoffs. Word!
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I have written about this before but I had to do write it again. Want to feel young again? Just go to the grocery store, find the cereal aisle and walk down it. Man the memories of cereal you ate when you were a kid just come flooding back. Lucky Charms, Alpha Bits, and my personal fave Franken Berry. Ahh, Franken Berry, my best friend, my comfort food throughout my childhood. How I miss you!!!
So if you have kids, take them on a tour of the cereal aisle and let them pick their cereal and you pick yours and when they go to bed, eat their’s. Well, not all of it, but most of it.
What does this, you might ask, have to do with sports? Absolutely nothing and isn’t it great!!!!
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