Like Death and Taxes...

...effing Florida beat Georgia again this year. I just don't get it. I really don't. The Dawgs couldn't even take advantage of a Gators team that had lost 3 games in a row.

Since I am bitter, I will again chalk it up to two things:

1. Florida always gets a bye week before the big game
2. The game is always played in Jacksonville. Seriously, can we pick a town in Georgia to sometimes hos the game in? It is supposed to be a neutral site game, right? Urrggg

Stupid Florida.

Mets Have a New Boss With a Vision

I have intentionally avoided talking about the Mets GM search until someone signed their name on the dotted line clearly saying that they are ready to take on the Mets and NY. I wanted to wait because part of me is angry at baseball while another part of me doesn't have enough energy to get excited about GM Hot Stove. The rest - just sad at the situation of the Mets.

Well, today I can say with certainty that I am back in the baseball business, even if for just a week. The Mets have finished their GM search and have named 62-year old Sandy Alderson as their new GM. I will be honest - I don't know all that much about Alderson and most of my opinion below is coming from what I read on metsblog.com and my boy Matt Cerrone.

Alderson was a Harvard trained lawyer who was hired as General Counsel in 1981 by the Oakland A's. Two years later he was named GM, a post that he kept until 1997. During that time, he hired Tony LaRussa, drafted and 'developed' a number of great players - McGwire, Giambi, Tejada, Hudson, Chavez and led the team to 3 World Series. Since then he has been the CEO of the San Diego Padres and has worked in the Commissioner's office. Clearly he has a good resume.

Here's what I like: he is a man who has a vision of how things should be done. He is going to create a plan that he will expect to be followed at every level within the organization. He is going to create an identity for this team; things will be done the Mets-way. I also love the fact that he is a former Marine who served in Vietnam. The first thing we always have to worry about for any new Mets' hires is whether they can handle New York. I don't think Alderson will be intimidated by the New York media. That is not to say he won't be blind to the pressures. He has said that a 5-year rebuilding plan is unheard of in NY, especially not with the resources the Mets have. Sounds like his change will be one of philosophy and attitude.

Here's what I don't like: re-read the list of players who he drafted....yeah, thats right, the first three have tested positive for steroids. Now I don't know how much responsibility Alderson should bear for this, but it makes me feel a little uneasy inside. I don't know what it is, but yes he put together a winner, but he also put together a team of cheaters. Second, he hasn't been a GM since 1997 - baseball has clearly changed since then. I have to ask whether he can adapt to the new state of the league.


Now this is all great. We can all be optimistic. But if I remember correctly, there was a whole lot of optimism in 2004 when Omar Minaya took over. He had successfully run the dead-beat Montreal Expos for several years, developing talent with a minimal budget. Imagine what he could do with a huge budget, we all said. Well, we saw where that went. He failed this team and its fan base. It started with some bad personnel moves and ended with embarrassing off-the-field stuff. I don't know how Alderson will fix the former, but I have a pretty good feeling he will change the latter. I can only hope I won't be writing this post in another 6 years.

[like the GM search I will also wait to discuss the manager search as we have no idea who the final hire may be]

No Prediction on Sounders-Gals

The Sounders playoff game against the Gals is a mere two days away. I sit here on Friday, not really know how to feel. Part of me thinks that the Gals are prime for an upset. After starting the season on fire, they are 7-6-2 in their last 15. They are clearly not the same team that beat us 4-0 and 3-1 earlier in the season. Buddle looks tired from the WC. Beckham is back and messing with chemistry. They just aren't the same. On the other side, Seattle is clearly a team in form (not withstanding last weekend's lost to Houston), having gone 10-2-2 in their last 14. Even if we ignore the recent form of both team's, part of me says that the Sounders owe them one. This is not high school ball where one team might intimidate the other. These are professional soccer players. Losing 4-0 and 3-1 won't intimidate them - if anything it will light a fire under their ass. They didn't like getting embarrassed and I know Kasey Keller will remind the team of that at every opportunity.

So yeah, I feel pretty good about the game. But then I think about the game a little more and I wonder if we match up well against the Gals. Something clearly went wrong earlier in the year when the Sounders faced the Gals (I won't mention the score lines again) and I have to wonder if it simply was that they are better. I think for us, the strength will be down the wings. The 2002 US Men's National Team, err I mean the Gals, don't have the speed to match Zakuani and Nyassi. The key this time around will be to finish the chances we get. The last two meetings Omar Gonzalez dominated our forwards - any ball that was swung in was quickly eliminated. This time around we got Blaise Nkufo who will be a more physical presence. He will need to get Gonzalez off his game or it will be no different than before. On the defensive end, Ozzie Alonso will need to shut down Landon Donovan. While he doesn't play in the middle of the pitch, Landycakes is the puppetmaster of this offense - someone we need our best defender on. If Donovan can work his magic, then that opens up space for Edson Buddle, who even when off form should be a handful for Riley or Leo. I'm not smart enough to no the exact specifics of how they destroyed us last time, but I think stopping Donovan and Buddle is an obvious place to start.

The one final thing that is on my mind is the overall makeup of the teams. Seattle is young and have been playing an exciting brand of soccer. Their seems to be more of a freedom to try things, to be creative. LA on the other hand is an aging team. Jovan Kirovski, Chris Klein, gregg Berhalter and Eddie Lewis (not to mention Beckham) are all over 34, yet still play an important role with the team. While they can't match-up physically with the Sounders, they have veteran guile that can't be taught. They have seen everything and won't be thrown off by the Sounders pace. They can adjust, but I worry that the Sounders can't.

It's not often when I don't have a feeling as to how a game may go, but this is one time when I really could see either team getting the result. I won't be at the game or even watching the game, but my thoughts will never leave the team. Come on Sounders, Beat LA.

Nets Not Going Winless in 2010-11!

The Nets picked up a nice win tonight as they overcame a 9 point second quarter deficit to beat the Pistons 101-87 . Last year, as everyone knows, they won only 12 games. To me, the most critical game of the season was opening night when they blew a 15-point lead to the T-wolves, who ended up as the second worst team in the league. The loss really set the tone for the season as they did not get their first win until December 4. Think about it for a second. They did not win for the entire month of November. That is amazing.

Anyways, I won't allow myself to get too excited as it was simply a win against the Pistons, who might possibly be the worst team in the East. If you look at the stats, you notice that the Pistons shot 16-30 (53.3%) from the foul line. While the Nets outshot Detroit (48.8% vs 44.6%), the Pistons ineptness at the line really was the difference.

As for individual performances, Devin Harris walked away with 22 points and 9 assists, while Brook Lopez had 25 points and 9 boards. T-will had a solid game with 10-6-4 in 32 minutes of the bench. It wasn't as good a night for new starter Travis Outlaw who went 1-7 from the field with 5 fouls in 21 minutes. The teams other new starter, Anthony Morrow added 13 while Jordan Farmer had 10. And finally, 3rd overall draft pick Derrick Favors had 8 points and 10 boards in his NBA debut. Overall, not a bad night but with room for improvement.

The biggest issue was that they started Joe Smith at PF, which really is terrible. I'm not sure I want Favors starting quite yet, but couldn't we either go small and start T-Will or go with a natural PF in Kris Humphries? No knock on Joe Smith because he is an accomplished veteran, but he should not be starting. I'm not sure when Troy Murphy will return, but we will miss him until then.

UPDATE: It says here that they were down 7 with 1:39 left. They outscored Detroit by 6 over the next minute and Anthony Morrow hit a wide open 3-pointer to put them ahead with 30 seconds left. Knowing this, it is even a better win.

Wednesday Night Sports Night

With both my girls feeling better, a clean house and no soccer game, last night was a rare TV night for me. Three events were on the docket: Devils-Sharks, Portland-Clips, NBA GameTime. As always, I have some thoughts about each

--I was very excited to see that the Devils were on NHL TV. Unfortunately they gave up three first period goals. Up to now, I have tried not to jump off the bridge. I have tried not to get on the "Fire MacLean" bandwagon. After watching the Devs for the first time this season, I can officially say that I am worried that this team won't be able to bounce back. I thought having some youngsters on the team would be a good thing (and still might be in the future), but as I see it now, these guys are not ready and it is clearly hurting the teams. I'm not sure what is going on, but the guys played with no passion and they were sloppy. I have to ask where is Zach Parise this season?

--My interest in the NBA has steadily grown over the past three years, mostly thanks to up tempo teams like Phoenix, Golden St, Dallas and Portland. One of the best things about living on the West Coast is the ability to watch the late games while skipping the boring Orlando-Boston match-ups. This year, it looks like there will be two new teams whose games I will watch - the OK City Thunder and believe it or not, the LA Clippers. I am really enjoyed that Portland-Clippers game.

Some specific comments on the Blazers game:

• Brandon Roy is just the man. I love that he went to UW. I love that he continues to give back to the community. I love his game. He ended both quarters with big time three's - makes me wonder where he ranks on the list of Players Who You Want Taking the Last Shot.
• How is Greg Oden still injured?
• Blake Griffin is the real deal. A lot of people assumed that the Clippers curse would derail his career before it even got started. Last night not only did he make his debut, but he was magnificent with 20 points, 14 boards and 4 assists. My favorite thing about him is his energy - not sure he can keep it up over the course of 82 games, but luckily for him he has the talent to go along with the hustle.
  
• The key to the clips will be Baron Davis this year. If he can stay motivated and interested, the Clippers will make the playoffs.
• Do we go with Family Guy or Harry Potter as a source of nickname for Griffin?
• Chris Kaman is an ugly ugly guy. How is it that even after he cut his long hair he still looks like a yeti?
• That being said, I think Kaman and Griffin are very complementary of each other. They are going to put up some quality numbers.
  

--Finally, I want to say that this new technical foul call is a joke. In the second quarter of last nights game, Andre Miller was given a T for throwing his hands in the air in complaint of no foul being given. Miller missed the shot and the Clips had already grabbed the rebound and were in transition when the ref blew his whistle to stop play. I have two issues with this. First, basketball is a physical and emotional game. Of all the major sports, it's the sport where trash talking has the deepest roots. Players talk. Emotions run high. I had no problem with Stern trying to clean up the league's image by giving heavy fines for fighting or by instituting a dress code, but by calling T's for any little demonstration, the league is going to turn its players into robots. Second, as shown by the above example, it is totally ruining the flow of the game. I hate the end of games - you know, when fouls make 30 seconds of game time turn into 7 minutes of actual time. I want to see up and down bball with no stops in the action. This is going to lengthen games and make them brutal to watch.

Celtics Cool Off Heat

Opening night of the 2010-11 NBA season saw the newly revamped Miami Heat travel to Boston to take on an aging Celtics squad. It's no secret- the Heat are going to be virutally unstoppable. Vegas has set the Over/Under line on wins at 65 1/2. Jeff Van Gundy says they are going to win 74. Most people are handing them the title.

The beautiful thing about sports, however, is that things aren't always what they seem. Now I'm not going to sit here and proclaim that the Heat won't win 60 games after one miserable night, but last night's game should raise a few eyebrows. Boston held the Heat to 9 1st quarter points, 21 2nd 2nd quarter points and 80 points overall. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh combined to shoot 7-27. Lebron, while quietly getting 31 points turned the ball over 8 times.

Part of me wants to buy into the excuses -you know, how Dwayne Wade played 3 minutes with Bosh and Lebron in the offseason or how the team is not fully jelled yet. Those seem very plausible. But what if they are just excuses? What if Boston outplayed them? What if Chris Bosh is really overrated? What if they have no one to guard Rondo (who had 17 assists)? What if they are not as good as everyone thinks?

One game isn't enough to decide the fate of this team. I think of the questions raised above, the answers lie somewhere in the middle. The Heat aren't that bad. In fact, they are really good (but not 70 win good). A problem they will see in the early season is that basketball really is a game of chemistry. Alpha-dogs are not supposed to play on the same side, so things will be a bit off even if they are perfectly comfortable deferring to teammates. Until Wade gets his feet under him and the offense is running without any hiccups, the Heat's defense will need to carry them. Unfortunately on opening night, they went against a better defensive team. And they went against a team with a chip on it's shoulder. Garnett, Allen and Pierce are pissed because critics are writing them off as being too old. Rondo is pissed because some critics think Rose is better. And Shaq, who I think looked great last night, is in shape and pissed because he is no longer the center of attention. The Celtics fans were pissed because, well, they were playing the Heat. Add these ingredients together and last night was the perfect storm.

Whether the Celtics can remain healthy will go a long way in determining whether they are championship contenders. I have no doubt that the Heat will rebound to win 60 games - talent always rises to the top - but on any given day, I think they will be susceptible to what Boston can throw at them. The problem may be that to beat the Heat, you need more than just one good day.

I am very excited to see where this all goes.

Random MLS Musings

My daughter had a surprise for me when I woke her up this morning. It came in the form of stink breath, crusty matted hair and last nights dinner on the bed. It was gross. This obviously has nothing to do with MLS and I have no natural segue. Just a story I thought I would share.

Ok, so let's talk MLS. Their are a few things in particular that caught my eye the past few weeks.

Playoffs: As I said before, the 2010 playoffs are going to be the best the league has ever seen. The two match-ups in the "East" are both quality and feature teams that play some exciting, up-tempo soccer. It will be interesting to see how recent form plays out in the Columbus-Colorado series as Columbus limps into the playoffs with only 1 win and 3 ties in their last 7 league games while Colorado will be trying to forget how they blew a 2-0 lead in the 90th minute against RSL last weekend. In the other series, San Jose will be looking for their first playoff win since the old franchise moved to Houston. I am never impressed when I look at their roster on paper, but the Quakes play really well together and have break out star Chris ("Wait, this guy scored 18 goals??") Wondoloski leading the charge. At the end of the day, we will find out if the quartet of Wondoloski-Convey-Geovanni-Opara can take down the vastly superior quartet of Henry-Angel-Marquez-Lindpere. I think this should be an exciting series.

While the series in the East are intriguing the two West series are loaded. In RSL-Dallas, you have the reigning MLS champs against a young, hungry team making their return to the playoffs. Both teams made it through the season with only 4 league losses, a truly rare feat (the only other time in league history where a team had 4 or less losses was SJ in 2005). I truly think that both teams should be considered the favorites to win the Cup. But then I think about the other series, LA-Seattle, and truly think they should be considered to win the Cup as well. LA has the star power - Donovan, Beckham, Buddle - and finished with the most points in the league this year. Seattle has gone 10-2-2 in their last 14 league games. It's hard for me to make a prediction in this one. On one hand, we owe LA. They thumped us 4-0 and 3-1 in our team meetings. We are too good of a team to let that happen again. but on the other hand, maybe we match up poorly against them. Maybe losing 4-0 and 3-1 is a sign that they are simply better than us. I don't really know.

Retirements: What has been apparent for most of the league continues to be true - the league is changing. The most recent evidence is the growing list of MLS veterans who are hanging up their shoes after the season. From what I can tell, the list is 6 people deep, each who has played a vital role in the league's history. Here's a few words about each:

• Brian McBride - An all-time US great, he was the 1st ever MLS draft pick out of St Louis University. He scored 62 goals in 161 games for Columbus before moving to Europe for 8 years. Upon his return he scored an additional 19 goals in 58 games for Chicago.
• CJ Brown - He was an original member of the 1998 expansion Chicago Fire who has played all 13 years with the club, appearing in league 286 games. Never flashy, but always solid and gritty, he will greatly be missed by the Fire.
• Eddie Lewis - Another all-time US great, Lewis spent 4 years in San Jose before moving to Europe for 8 years. After playing 115 games for the Quakes, he has now logged 48 games for the Galaxy in 3 years.
• Chris Klein - I still consider Klein to be the most underrated player of his generation (apparently the nicest, too). In 13 years, Klein has played 333 games for three different teams, scoring 49 goals. While never flashy, you would never find a more solid player in the league.
• Mike Petke - He was the heart and soul of those early MetroStars teams (a team I once supported). He has 307 league appearances in 13 years and remains to this day the most popular player in team history.
• Jaime Moreno - Thanks to his goal this past weekend, Moreno retires tied as the league all-time leading goal scorer, with 133 goals in 340 league games. I have no idea how he has done it over the years as I thought he was washed up in 2003 when he went bottoms up in 11 games for the MetroStars (since then he has 62 goals for DC United). A true pioneer, he has played a game in all 15 years of the leagues history and will be sorely missed.

Portland: I am not a fan of the Timbers and I suspect most of my readers are not either. That being said, it is important for Sounders fans to be aware of what is going on down in Portland. Last week, the club announced it's first four signings - Bright Dike, Ryan Pore, Steve Cronin, Eddie Johnson - and say to have two more on the way. Dike and Pore combined for 25 goals of the team's 29 goals in the USL last season. Pore is no stranger to MLS, having played parts of 4 seasons with KC, while Dike was a 2010 first round draft pick who was released by Columbus before the season even began. Both are interesting building blocks, but the jury is still out on whether they can contribute at the higher level. Johnson has previous experience in some of the lower leagues in England and recently played for the Austin Aztex. I don't know much about him, but a lot of pundits are saying his signing was a real coup, as he should be able to step in and contribute immediately. For Sounders fans though, the most important signing was Steve Cronin, as it may help the team decide to leave Kasey Keller unprotected in the expansion draft. If Cronin is truly the man in Portland, then Portland will have no use for Keller (besides to stick it to us) and seeing how Vancouver is all about developing young players, there is a great chance he would not get selected if left unprotected. This might be a good gamble to take as it would allow us to protect one of our younger players.

2011 Season Tickets: Apparently season ticket prices have been raised and no one is happy about it. I want to take some time to digest the situation as I don't have all the facts (and don't even know how much my tickets went up), so I won't be speaking publicly on the issue. One thing I want to say though, is that our situation is different from Toronto - we have a team that in two years has made the playoffs twice, won the US open Cup twice and played against Chelsea and Barcelona. No matter how much our tickets have gone up, we cannot be as angry as Toronto FC fans. It is one thing to pay more money to help a successful franchise continue to grow; it is an entirely different thing to pay more money to watch a floundering franchise continue to suck.


Ok, that's all I got -make sure to tune in to Sounders-Galaxy at 5pm on Sunday. Come on Sounders Score a Gooooooooal, Score a Goooooalll, Score a Gooooalllooooalll.

Things I Learned While on the East Coast

I just got back from Dirty Jersey and Lawn Gisland last night and wanted to quickly touch on a few things I learned. These are in no particular order and have no particular theme to them.

• Knicks fans are actually optimistic (well, the two that I talked to anyways). My boy Gorman seems to think that they have a lineup that can grab one of the final two playoff births in the East. I'm not sure if it was more of a "well, somebody has to be 7th and 8th" attitude or a general feeling of hope, but it is definitely there. I actually liked the Nets lineup a little better, but none of the bottom 7 teams in the East has a stud like Amare, so I tend to agree that they will make the playoffs.
• My uncle is not a huge fan of Kovalchuk's 15 year contract. Apparently, Coach John MacLean is not impressed either, as he benched Ilya 8 games into his 15 year contract!
• Speaking of the Devils, I got to watch them beat Montreal 3-0, and luckily didn't have to watch as they got outscored 9-2 in the next two
• It is extremely difficult and tiring flying with an inquisitive 16 month old, especially when no one on the plane appears to be into babies. Advice for next time we fly: suck it up and buy the extra seat for her
• At least one fellow Mets fan said he would be fine with a massive rebuilding process, as long as it was done so with a long-term plan. We need to hire the right GM - one who has a plan and intends to stick with it, regardless of what happens in the short term.
• Fist bumping is actually a lot of fun. I hadn't had much experience with it in the past (truth is I'm from farm county Jersey), but I think I picked it up pretty quickly.
• We spent $38 dollars on tolls. That includes two $8 fares across the GWB, two $5.50 fares across the Whitestone and two $5.50 fares across the Throgs Neck. I know a $2.50 toll on 520 will suck, but I don't want to hear ANYONE in Seattle complain about it.
  
• Long Island accents are the best.
  
• No one cares about the Nets. My cousins boyfriend met some of the players (Harris, Humphries, Murphy, Outlaw, Farmer) at an open gym on Thursday (long story short: someone on Twitter told him about it, he worked two blocks from the location so took a long lunch..ok, the story was short to being with). Apparently there was a Nets representative standing outside the building, trying to get passers-by to stop in, but no one cared. That is just amazing to me.
  
• Also, I learned that the Nets won't be having "New Jersey" on their road uni's anymore. Instead it will say Nets. I guess it is official- the Devils really are New Jersey's Team

I think that is all for now. I will update this post as I think of more.

Perfect Ending

This entry is not meant to be boastful. I do not intend to make fun of the Phillies and Yankees. I simply want to say that for a Mets fan, another Phils-Yanks World Series would have been BRUTAL. I would have settled for one of the two to lose. But both? I didn't think it was possible. Yet somehow, the Texas Rangers (wait, what??) and the San Francisco Giants pulled off the unlikely upsets and are headed to the World Series. I didn't watch any games and I didn't read any reviews, so I have no analysis to give. All I know is that it was a perfect ending for Mets fans (well, perfect after you forget that we had another losing record, a $200 billion payroll and minimal hope for the future).

Hypocritical NFL

The recent crackdown by the NFL on dangerous tackles is a good thing, there is no doubt about it. Football is a dangerous game by nature. You hit, you tackle. It's the foundation of the game. Unfortunately it is also the basis for many long-term injuries. For a long time, it was just assumed that it took a toll on your body, but recent reports have finally showed what many of us always assumed - concussions are bad to the brain.

The NFL was quick to be concerned with this. Without players, there would be no NFL. Not only do injuries cause long-term problems after retirement, but they are starting to shorten careers as well. By banning certain hits, like those on defenseless receivers as well as any of the head-to-head nature, the NFL is investing in their product. That is both a smart public relations decision and a smart business decision.

The problem is that at the same time, the league wants to expand the regular season to 18 games. They want to ban dangerous hits, but then turn around and want to give more opportunity for these hits to occur. Let's face it - football is a fast and often violent game. While dangerous hits are being banned, their is always the possibility that someone takes an errant knee to the head. Or that their knee gets torn in two after it gets caught in the turf. No matter how safe the league is trying to make the hits, expanding the season by two games (simply to make more money) is hypocritical. You can't have your cake and eat it to.

Let's all step back from the ledge...

Yes, the Devils are 1-4-1 right now. Yes, this is garbage and exactly the kind of play that forces me to call them the "Damn Weiner Devils." Yes, they have a high payroll and higher expectations. Yes, they have a $100 million player who is on pace for 27 goals.

This team has been far from settled since it was put together over the summer. Salary cap and roster issues (including injuries) have kept the team from getting comfortable with each other. There is a rookie coach who is trying to figure things out and facilitate the evolution that this team needsto undergo, all while towing the company line (falling back on defense and marty is... status quo). There are probably too many rookies making rookie mistakes right now. The whole situation is primed for disaster.

So, no, I am not surprised at how they have been playing. But it is what it is.

Wait, I've just been handed this news brief: this is the same as every year! The Devils have a new coach almost every year. They always live and die by streaks. They will probably lose the next 2 games and then win 8 in a row and 10 of 13 before losing 5 straight. This is as much of a tradition as me using the words 'fucking' and 'retards' repeatedly while going through my fantasy football team on Sunday afternoons. It is what it is.

So let's just take a deep breath and close our eyes and let our imaginations fly away to April when the Devils 96-101 points and are vying for 1st in the atlantic. Because, like clockwork, that's what happens.

Briefly...
I'm really glad that Urbom is hanging out with Tedenby in Albany right now. He needs the seasoning, although I have no idea who the mega frenchie sounding guy they called up is (olivier magnan-grenier). All I know is that he's a defenseman and goddamn is his name all types of french. I think I will refer to him as crepes or sacre bleu or something. At least until 10 minutes from now when I forget and just go back to calling him frenchie.

I'm liking Taormina a lot. Incidentally, on the yahoo fantasy hockey rankings, he is ranked slightly higher than johnny oduya, whom the devils included in the trade for ilya kovalchuk. When criticizing the kovalchuk deal everyone brings up the players traded as part of the cost of keeping him, but it would appear that oduya has been replaced. I just find it interesting that the Devils were able to easily replace this loss (result of kovalchuk trade) with yet another undrafted potential stud puck moving defenseman. So does that mean we should cross him off from the loss column?

The lines will get figured out in time. I'm not worried.

I still think Zajac should be on more people's radars. Conversely, I'm glad he's not.

And since I haven't said it here before, fuck the rangers.

Tuesday Morning Brain Dump

I can't say that there is much on my mind these days when it comes to sports. You see, tomorrow I am getting on a plane and flying back to Jersey. While it should be a great few days back in the Old Dirty, most of my brain capacity is focused on how to entertain my 1-year old on a 5 hour flight. We have some ideas,but unfortunately none of them center around watching sports in the plane like normal. With that being said, here are a few small thoughts circling in my brain.

• The Devils stink. I expected their to be some growing pains and have not gone into full blown panic mode yet, but they need to come together and get some results. I'm not saying that they need to win 10 of 11, but they do need to play more consistently and get some points. I'm not sure whether MacLean's line juggling is a good thing or a sign of a first-year coach who is already under water.
• I never provided a report from the Sounders game on Friday night. So here it is: We played like a confident and loose bunch in the first 60 minutes. The two goals were things of beauty and really emphasize how much Zakuani and Montero have grown over the past year. The last 30 minutes were boring and hopefully not a sign of things to come. It is up to Sigi to get the guys back up and excited for the Houston game on Saturday because they need to keep the intensity and momentum rolling for the playoffs. They cannot let up now.
• I still hate baseball and will not talk about it until one of the following happens: the Mets pick a new GM, both the Yanks and Phils lose or the start of the 2011 season.
• We just had a fantasy basketball draft and I am wayyyy over my head. It might be that our league has 6 teams and like 15 players on a roster, but I just can't seem to figure out who is good and who needs to be jettisoned.
• Six Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United. I expected Ronaldo to leave Old Trafford a few years back, but this is plain shocking to me. Some have speculated that his off the field problems are the cause while others have reported that he and Ferguson had a falling out. Whatever the reason, Rooney leaving is going to cause ripple effects throughout the world of soccer. The first question is where does he go and the second is whether United can get anything comparable in return. This will be an interesting drama.
• Along with the Sounders, I did not provide a UW review either. The reason for that is simple. I only saw two plays: the pass interference on UW in OT and the dropped pass on 4th and goal in 2OT. Needless to say, this is a big win for the Dawgs who could have rolled over after losing to ASU last week. They could have rolled over knowing that Jacquizz Rodgers would run all over them. They could have rolled over after blowing a 21-0 lead. It would have been easy. But if we are learning one thing, it's that this team doesn't like easy. They are now 3-3 (2-1 conf) and have the three Pac-10 leaders staring them in the face. I actually think they will pull out a win in one of the three, setting them up nicely for a run at a bowl game. Big ups to Jake Locker for his 5td game.
• Finally, I am excited to watch the Sounders reserves wear the electricity kits for the last time this year as they take on Saprissa tonight in the final CCL game of the year. I've said it before - once an afterthought I now really enjoy watching the reserve team get quality minutes. Fucito/Seamon/Estrada/Boss provide a lot of youthful energy and Levesque/Scott/Graham work their asses off and provide a bridge to the past. Never a dull moment with these guys anymore.

I doubt that I will have time to blog when I'm back east, but who knows, I may get some free time. If their is anything worthy to discuss in relation to the Devils, The Crappy One will be here to provide some rants.

College Football is Crazy

For the second straight week, the nation's #1 team lost, thus further clouding the national title picture. Last week, a team that I thought had no chance at losing lost to South Carolina. I still think that Alabama is the best team in the country, but they have a blemish on their resume, a loss to a team that went out and got beat by Kentucky this weekend. This weekend, it was Ohio St who got knocked from the top by Wisconsin.

The ramifications of these results are obvious - the more powerhouse teams that lose, the more likely it is that we will see either Boise St or TCU in the national title game. For all those Bronco haters out there, the solution was easy: have two undefeated teams in powerhouse conferences and be assured that Boise could not make the title game. It was that simple.

But in the world of college football, nothing is ever simple. The problem that we find ourselves in is that we have two dominant teams - Boise St and TCU - that play in weak conferences. Any time a team can run the table, they can't be overlooked. But how would they fare in some of the better conferences in the country? I'm talking the SEC (specifically the West), where you have undefeated teams in Auburn and LSU, a vastly underrated Arkansas and of course the defending champs, Alabama. Since they all play each other, the likelihood that one of them trips up is great. This weekend LSU and Auburn play each other. In 3 weeks LSU plays Alabama. Then in the final regular season game of the year, Alabama and Auburn meet in the Iron Bowl. No one is going to come out of those games with a perfect record in tack. It's just not going to happen.

So then the question is: is a 1-loss Alabama team better than an undefeated Boise St team? I think so, but then for how much I dislike Nick Saban, I think they are by far the best team in America. No one compares. The question in my mind is how good the other teams are. Right now I think undefeated teams like Oregon, Oklahoma and even Michigan St and Missouri have compelling arguments to be in the title game. But what if they all lose? To me, it's all subjective. My idea of who is a good team is simply that - my idea, but obviously others have their own opinion. Folks down in SEC country will die before they say that Boise St is better than even a 2-loss SEC team.

So here is my point: college football is crazy. Without a playoff system in place, we are relying on computers and rankings to determine who is the best team. This happens in no other sport. And that is why college football is the most dramatic sport their is. Never has their been a topic so greatly discussed across the entire sports nation. In the NFL, the best team is the team that wins the Super Bowl. It may be the top seeds, it may not. Same goes for the NBA, NHL and even MLB. We always know who is the best - their is never any argument. If you ask me, that is boring. Give me college football any day. I want the unpredictability. I want the controversy.

some thoughts after the first few devils' games...

travis zajac is awesome. he plays smart in both ends. he wins faceoffs. he's pretty big (6'3, 200 lbs). true, he benefits from playing with parise (and kovalchuk this year), but he has earned a spot on that line. in fact, he was drafted so that he could play with parise. it's not like where any winger playing with joe thornton immediately scores 35-50 goals (see: murray, glen; cheechoo, jonathon; guerin, bill). and he keeps up with both of them. I'm not sure that he's going to be a 30 goal scorer more than a few times, but I really like the way he's developed. plus, he's still a year or two from really hitting his prime. I worry that he'll be too expensive to keep in a few years if parise gets resigned for the 6-7 million he'll probably get.

I know I would have preferred kovy to start the season on a line with arnott and elias, but I really think the hidden logic behind playing him with parise and zajac is that arnott/elias probably can't really keep up with him. at least not by game 20 at any rate.

at one point during the pens game I saw urbom and fraser on this ice together and it scared the crap out of me. surprisingly, a goal was not scored at that moment. I think that urbom will be good, but he needs some real seasoning. I think he needs to be a 9 games in the nhl and then down to albany kind of guy (to push off his eventual free agency in favor of some experience), but I just don't think it will happen because of the sudden flood of injuries and the fact that he's better than fraser (now injured), corrente (now recalled) and colin white (by february, anyway).

I think that corrente is more of a lost cause at this point and should probably be playing as that 5th dman over urbom. that might seem a little counter-intuitive, but hear me out: everyone projected corrente, a first round pick, to be a solid 2-3 defenseman, possibly following in the scott stevens line of big hitters who can actually put up some points (everyone forgets that stevens had 900+ points in his career). it just hasn't happened and it doesn't really look like it will. his ceiling has probably dropped to that of a 3-4 defenseman on a crappy team. he's had several chances to make the team and stay on the team and he just hasn't been able to do that. so we let him play, possibly showcase him as trade bait, use him as a utility 4th line winger but most importantly, let urbom develop in the ahl for a year. keep in mind, he's only 19 and spent last year in juniors. I don't think it's a matter of getting used to the north american ice, so much as it takes a lot to be a really good defenseman. he still needs to grow into his, possibly still growing, body. have larry robinson make some trips out to albany and mentor him somewhat, then bring him up next year as a 20 year old. that's what I would do, but again, circumstances might not allow for that to happen.

I think taormina is ready to be here as far as his development, but man I've seen him make some poor decisions. I don't want to just harp on negatives; he's also made some smart ones, too. he's definitely had some good passing, good breakouts and is seeing time on the powerplay. I just don't think the best place for him to figure this stuff out is in albany at this point. he'll get time with robinson and stevens, hopefully watch some games from the press box with them in his ear, and that will help him the most. he's definitely got potential but right now he's a liability a little often. he'll get there, though, and we'll have andy greene 2.0 in another year or so. the important thing for him now is that he's been given the opportunity. maclean saw him play last year in lowell and wants him around for a reason, which is good because he'll get a better chance than greene his first few years when he was either dealing with an injury (I want to say he broke his hand after a nice start to his career) or a butthole deserter of a coach (sutter) who liked to scratch him. because he's a butthole.

congrats to adam mair for finally getting signed. he deserves it for sticking around without a contract and, frankly, he'll be a good utility guy for the team (3rd or 4th liner who can play center or wing). he's got some solid veteran experience with several good sabres teams. but seriously, now that you're getting paid again, work on the teeth, dude.

after watching the pens game and reading the pre-game interview with paul martin, I'll probably have another rant about him in the future. I know it probably seems like there might be some kind of unhealthy obsession there. I'm neither confirming nor denying that. that is all.

zubrus and clarkson should not be on the same line. they serve the same purpose in crashing the net and boards, digging pucks out of the corners, screening the goalie, etc. useful, sure. but when put together you just have 400 lbs of people running into each other. comical, yes. graceful, no.

also, I just want to pimp this espn hockey preview from dj gallo at espn. it's far better than anything scott burnside would ever write.

speaking of burnside, I'd also like to apologize for something briefly. as a devils fan who spent the last 4+ years living in atlanta, I failed in my mission to find scott burnside and punch him in the face. the paper he wrote for was only a few blocks from my school and I would always keep my eyes peeled for him, but alas, it wasn't to be. I feel like I let everyone down just a little. my bad.

Friday Morning Five-Pack

I'm unsure whether I will be able to post this weekend, so here is a Friday Morning Five-Pack of topics that quench your thirst.

• This isn't a topic worthy of an entire blog entry, but I wanted to talk about the most underrated player in the NFL: Kyle Orton. Every offseason his team wants to replace him and every year he wins games and keeps his job. As a rookie in 2005, he struggled throwing 13 int's against only 9 td's, but ultimately led the Bears to a 10-5 record. Lovie Smith then replaced him with Brian Griese and Rex Grossman over the next two years before he regained the starting job in 2008. That year he threw for 2972 yards and 18 td's before being traded to Denver for Jay Cutler. He ended up being more than just a throw-in as he threw for 3801 yards, 21 td's and led his new team to a surprising 8-7 record. This offseason, the Broncos traded for Brady Quinn and drafted Tim Tebow. Unfazed, Orton has simply been the best QB in the league through 5 games, having thrown for 1733 yards, 8 tds and only 3 int's. In 52 career starts, he has led his team to a 31-22 record. He may not have all the talent in the world. He may not be pretty, but he continues to get results.
• I just can't believe how dumb athletes are. It's simple - if you send a text or an email that you don't want anyone to see, there is a 100% chance it will get out. These are not private forums. Send a picture of your pee-pee to somehow and the public will find out about it.
  
• I can't believe how dumb athletes are, version 2. Gilbert Arenas, what are you thinking. I don't have the motivation to research all the stupid crap you have done over the years, because it would take a while. Bottom line: you have long worn out your welcome in Washington. You may think you are being a good teammate by faking an injury so a younger guy can getting more playing time, but your decision is short-sided and stupid. Lying to a coach is not how you become a good teammate. Going about your business, being a good lockerroom guy and being a leader by working your ass off everyday in practice makes you a good teammate. Let the coach determine who gets playing time. Don't undermind his authority and more importantly his trust.
• Looks like the Devils once again got lucky as they lost one of their players to long-term injury. How is this good? Well, if you remember, they were over the salary cap when they signed Ilya Kovalchuk. Instead of making a trade to get under, they put one player on the LTIR and then carried only 18 skaters. People were ready to kill Lou Lamiorello when they then had to play two of their games with only 16 skaters due to injuries. Well, it turns out that Brian Rolston had to get sports hernia surgery and Mark Fraser had a broken wrist, putting them under the cap and allowing them to call up 3 guys from Albany. This is not a long term strategy that we should be relying on, but for now, it seems to be working.
• When you have 5 minutes to spare, check out Joe Posnanski's list of 32 greatest sports calls of all-time. I specifically remember watching 10 of them. #22 remains one of my favorites while #16 is by far my worst and the motivation behind my Hate List.
  

That's all I got for right now. Enjoy another quality weekend of college football and the return of the EPL after a one-week international fixture date hiatus.

Real Sportsmanship

This happened over the weekend, so some of you may already know about it. For those who haven't, the world of high school sports is once again showing us the power of sports. We have seen similar moments like this in the past, but this one is special (take two minutes out of your busy workday to watch). Down 35-0, the Snohomish HS football coach called a timeout and puts Ike Ditzenberger, who has Downs Syndrome, into the game. The coach asked the Lake Stevens HS football team to let him get a 10-20 yard gain. The rest is just special. Kudos to those young men from Lake Stevens.

Seahawks = Not Popular

There is really no point to this post as it is solely meant to be a news alert. According to a recent Harris Poll, the Seattle Seahawks are the 31st most popular team in the NFL. This is a bit shocking to me for two reasons: a) their popularity within Seattle is currently unmatched and b) the closest team in proximity is either Denver or San Fran meaning that the other NW states (Oregon, Idaho, Montana) are within Seahawks territory.

The statistician in me says I should look closer and sure enough there is at least one flaw in the Harris poll: it was done online, meaning that only the most hardcore and technology savvy fans are going to participate. I question whether it is a truly representative sample of all fans.

A more appropriate study in my mind was conducted by the Nielsen Co. which developed a system for ranking the popularity of NFL teams based on each team's local and national TV rankings, how often they're mentioned on the Internet and how many visitors they attract to their official websites. The results are amazingly similar to that of the Harris Poll. The Seahawks rank 29th of 32 teams while the Cowboys finished 1st.

Again, there is no real point to my post, just some interesting information.

Instant (Over)Reaction: Chivas/Columbia

I caught only the first halves of both the USA and Sounders games last night, so I don't have a long list of comments on each. However, a few things did stick out:

• Michael Fucito is quickly becoming an important player for the Sounders. I doubt he will be getting any first team starts in the near future, but I think he definitely deserves to be one of Sigi's three subs off the bench. You can't say enough about his workrate and the kid just can't stop scoring. I know most of his goals were in fairly meaningless games, but you can't hold that against him. If he is not picked by Vancouver or Portland in the Expansion Draft I think he has a bright future with the team.
• I quietly am becoming a fan of the Sounders second team. When they trotted out the second team against Celtic FC I was less than pleased because the quality instantly went down. But now, after having many opportunities to play together in meaningful games, I think this second team is really fun to watch. I love the energy that Fucito, Estrada and Seamon bring to the team and I love seeing Terry Boss flying for every ball that comes near the frame. He may not be polished, but he is definitely a better athlete than Keller.
• I would love to have a look inside Fredy's head right now. He can't score and Sanna can't stop. I have questioned his mental toughness in the past and can only hope that he is still mentally sharp even though he has not put the ball in the net.
• I know it's only a friendly, but it felt nice to get the win over Chivas. I don't know what it is, but the whole organization just rubs me the wrong way.
  

• As for the Nats, I was very impressed by Jermaine Jones and Stuart Holden. The 2014 WC is a long ways away, but I feel very confident with the parts we have in the midfield. Bradley and Jones will be cementing the middle, with Donovan and I'm hoping Holden on the flanks. With Benny Feilhaber and Jose Torres coming off the bench, I think we are going to be deep for years to come.
• I know that the new guys (Omar Gonzalez, Tim Ream, Ike Opara, Gale Agbossoumonde) have not been called into camp yet, so I am still holding out hope that we can find a few new starters on the defensive side of the ball. We better pray we do because the current situation is very unsettling to say the least
• Last night I told J-Will that Altidore needs to pick up his game or risk becoming the next Adu. After sleeping on it, I realize that was an unfair label to give Jozy. He may not be seeing any time in La Liga for Villareal but I think he is becoming a more professional player in terms of his play. It doesn't help that we have no other options at forward (not counting Dempsey who is still and will continue to be the man), meaning all the pressure falls on his shoulders. Hopefully Charlie Davies can recover by 2014, as he would make a wonderful partner for Jozy.
  

The US is now off until November when they travel to Cape Town, South Africa for the Nelson Mandel Cup. The Sounders are back in action this Friday against Chivas LA.

Trophies Not Friendlies

The Sounders prepare to play Chivas de Guadalajara tonight in what many a loyal fans are calling a wasteful, meaningless game. For members of the Trophies Not Friendlies faction, this game represents an unnecessary burden to our team, who is already taxed from a grueling schedule of 14 games in 48 days.

Now I have written previously about my overall dislike for friendlies. Playing Barcelona and Chelsea, two of the top 5 teams in the world, in our inaugural season is one thing - they were great spectacles and at the end of the day, didn't hurt the team in terms of on-the-field performance. But once we qualified for the Champions League, the decision to host 3 more friendlies started to look silly. You can argue that the Sounders were not guaranteed a spot in the group stage of the CL and thus were not guaranteed an additional 6 games up front. I get that argument, but for a team that has set massive goals in terms of on-the-field success, it seems a little hollow to assume that a team from El Salvador would keep us out of the field.

This is meant as no knock against Celtic, Boca Juniors and Chivas, but we had three competitions to prepare for this year. Friendlies against the three were unneeded and poorly planned. I know, I know, this is a snobbish attitude from a Sounders fan. (I have asked my cousin to weigh in on this post after his May 4th rant, but have yet to hear back from him) Everyone hates us, I get it. But in terms of on-the-field performance, why schedule a match against Chivas right in the heat of the playoff race? It makes no sense.

Of course in life, most things actually do make sense. We all know why the Chivas match was scheduled - it has nothing to do with on-the-field success. Rather, it's solely about lining the pockets of the front office. Like all 4 previous friendlies, tonight's match is going to bring in a crap-ton of money. Having Chivas, the most popular Mexican club, to come to Qwest is going to be an amazing opportunity for the franchise because it allows them to make in-roads with the much sought after Mexican demographic (I hesitate to say Latino demographic because I'm not sold that Costa Ricans or Hondurans give a crap about Chivas). There are going to be a lot tickets sold and a lot of red and white in the stadium tonight.

This brings me to my intended topic. The ECS, believers in Trophies Not Friendlies, have developed a statement for tonight's game. In essence, they ask members not to go to the game as a protest against the priority given to friendlies and not trophies. They go a step further and ask that any unwanted tickets be donated to local Boys and Girls clubs and ask that if members are to sell tickets to make sure they are only sold to Sounders supporters.

I have been thinking about this for a few days now and feel a little uneasy about the whole situation. I am not a member of ECS. I am unable to go to away matches. I don't go to team meetings. That being said, I would be hard pressed to find another fan who cares more. I spend a lot of time and money supporting the team. As a season ticket holder, I buy seats for 18 home games. It is more than likely that at least one of these dates won't fit my schedule. It sucks not being able to go to games, but I know that my tickets will go to another fan, who will be able to take my place and join the community of Sounders fans in supporting the team. I can't emphasize the word 'community' enough. We really are a community. So when the ECS plans a boycott of the game, I am left not knowing who is going to be a part of the community.

I am grateful for everything the ECS does for the Sounders community. The franchise is publicly setting lofty goals and by making a statement about the importance of competitive matches, the ECS is in their own way making them stick to those goals. I applaud them for taking a stance. And I applaud the idea of donating tickets to the Boys and Girls Club. That is beautifully done. But at the end of the day, I question whether a massive boycott is the right thing to do. I fully understand that as a supporters group, they have the right to do whatever they feel is necessary. They are not run by the franchise and don't have to go to every game. But they are the backbone of the Sounders supporters. I may not be going to the game tonight, but I feel that they have more responsibility to the Sounders community to be there. My individual ticket can be replaced. Anyone in the community can tell you that they cannot be replaced, especially against a team whose own supporters can likely fill up Qwest.

Again, I support Trophies not Friendlies. I understand where both the franchise and the ECS are coming from and I hope that tonight's game will help increase the communicaton between the front office and the supporters as to what we want to see. Growing the Sounders globally is about more than just the players or the coaches or the fans or the front office. It is about all of these pieces put together. We all need to be on the same page. Hopefully after tonight we will be.

Weekend in Review

Ok, we are officially into the busiest sports month of the year. We have the baseball playoffs, beginning of the NBA and NHL and of course midseason college and pro football. Throw in a whole lot of soccer and my weekends are jam-packed. As a supporter of many teams, weekends like these can either be glorious or miserable, so I have started to hope that the wins and losses even out and that I finish the weekend even. So how did this weekend go? Let's see

• Sounders - Clinched a playoff birth with a 2-1 victory over Kansas City. Things may be at an all-time high with the rave green with their recent 9-1-2 MLS run and subsequent US Open Cup Championship (I'll subtly not mention Champions League). They continue to be the shining like of my sports teams.
• Baseball - Just a sorry state of affairs. The Phillies and Yankees are headed towards a showdown in the WS as they both swept their first round series. Man I hate them both so much. Only positive is that the Mets fired Minaya and Manueal and hopefully are going to go in a new direction.
• Devils - Not the best opening weekends ne could have hoped for. I knew there was a potential that they would give up some goals (Marty losing a step + untested defenseman), but giving up 11 goals in 2 games hurts a lot. Some were saying NJ might contend with Washington, but if Saturday's 7-2 drubbing is any indication, they have a long way to go.
• UW football - Yuck. Just yuck. As I mentioned previously, games against ASU and OSU would help define the season. By losing to the Sun Devils, they pretty much have to win 2 of 3 against Arizona, Oregon and Stanford to be near the top of the league. They let a great opportunity slip away.
• Georgia football - Good news: They clobbered Tennessee 41-10. Bad news: Lane Kiffin wasn't the recipient. Good news: They have Kentucky and Vanderbilt the next two weeks and forseeably could move to 4-4 (3-3). Bad news: Even if they get past those two, they still have Florida and Auburn on the schedule.
  
• NFL - Carolina sucks. Turning to fantasy football, I decided to drop Malcolm Floyd and instead play Mario Manningham this week. I lost by 25. Floyd had 213 yards and 1 TD, good for 27 points. Man I hate fantasy football sometimes.
• Nets - It's only preseason, but the boys from the swamp are 3-1. Derrick Favors is proving all the critics correct: He has the talent, but needs some seasoning. In his first two games, he combined for 11 fouls in 37 minutes. He is not ready to be starting but with Troy Murphy possibly sidelined for a week who will be getting minutes at PF?
• USA soccer - I didn't see any of the game, but I hear that Stuart Holden and Jermain Jones played real well together. I know they are not going to help the problem we have at forward, but it would be awesome if they could get a hold of the final two midfield positions, alonside Donovan and Bradley.
• Other random college football - Rutgers beat Big East contender UConn 27-24 at home. Bucknell lost to Penn 31-10 at home to move to 0-5 on the season. Army beat Tulane (who beat Rutgers the week before, go figure) 41-23.
  

So in all, it appears that it was a pretty crappy weekend for my teams. A Sounders win can mask a lot of negative in other areas, but not 11 goals against in two games from the Devils, a UW loss and stupid Yanks-Phils.

Oh, and on a side note, I almost got thrown out of my first men's league soccer game. To be perfectly honest, I didn't d anything malicious, but the ref wanted to gain control of the game by making an example out of me for my foul from behind, mere minutes after my stopper got into with the other team. I got him to change his mind, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do to get him to change the scoreline: a 4-0 loss. Ouch.

2:30 am brings an unintended introductory rant

I find it ironic that you called me Jay "don't call me Paul" Martin. I could not have been happier when he left the devils this summer for the pens. he is one of the more overrated players in the league, in my opinion, and is an absolute liability in a salary cap kind of world. especially when, in that cap world, you have to overpay to get him. you can't tie up $5 million of your cap for a guy who's not really going to miss enough time to be on LTIR but WILL miss enough time to hurt the team. he was supposed to be the team's best d-man last year (last few years), except he missed 60 games to injury last year. actually, in his 6 seasons, he's played more than 73 games twice. that basically translates to there is a 33% chance that he's going to miss at least 4 weeks in any given year. that's what you want from your best defender?

and the reality is that he's just not that good. he's scored more than 35 points in a season once. you could argue that playing for the devils would stymie his offensive stats but I would counter that it's even more of a time to shine... assuming he actually had the talent needed. which he doesn't. this year, if he can play 75 games, he'll end up with 40 points on the pens. crosby and malkin will make him better. then everybody will rise up and blame the devils for holding him back and see? he's really much better. and then I'll say shut the hell up. I could score as many goals as paul martin playing with crosby/malkin and I can't skate. if you're really good then you make the players around you better rather than riding the coattails of someone awesome. by the way, crosby is awesome and fans need to get over it already.

wait, what was I talking about? oh yeah: eff the rangers.

I would have much rather had dan hamhuis for $500,000 less. similar players, similar numbers (martin has a higher ppg average, which I don't feel like finding right now), except for that pesky issue of durability (hamhuis missed 9 games over his 6 year career, a span that saw martin miss 92 games). I like andy greene at a fraction of the cost. I think that matt taormina's ceiling (greene's too, for that matter), might be similar to that of martin, which is fine if they're not thrust in the position of carrying the D and getting paid $5 milllion a year. greene should sign a contract similar to david clarkson's in the offseason (3 years/8 million). he's worth that. he's not worth 5 years and $25 million. unfortunately, if he puts in similar numbers this year, he'll probably get overpaid by someone (4 years at 4-5 mil/year).

the problem is that when you tie up cap space on him you can't spend that cap space on someone else. seems logical, right? the thing is that when he gets injured during the season, you're not replacing him with a comparable player making the same money (who, in theory has the same value on the ice); you're replacing him with mark fraser, a decent AHL defenseman*, but that's really it. would you rather have martin at 5.5 or any of vancouver's defensemen (hamhuis, bieksa, edler, salo, ballard, ehrhoff) for 5 or less? by the way, I really like vancouver's defense this year, altough they're not going to win the cup, which is something else we can all just get over.

martin is solid, when he's physically able to play, which never really seemed often enough. he is a 30-35 point defenseman, which is fine for a number 3, but not, not, not good enough when you're supposed to be the best. even on a team such as the devils that never cared for individual stats. actually, way back in the days leading up to the kovalchuk trade, I had really hoped that we would include martin in whatever package went to atlanta. granted, he was hurt at the time, but I digress. wait, no I don't. I just re-made my main argument.

I think I've made my point. it's late here and I don't feel like re-reading any of the above nonsense to find out for sure. by the way, keep in mind that I absolutely am that sucker for anyone who shares my all-too-common last name. I liked the idea of paul martin back when he was a highly touted prospect - the replacement for scott niedermayer (ha!) - and, yes, a lot of that was based simply on the fact that he was a martin. too bad the devils drafted and then overpaid the world's crappiest martin. he will not be missed.

*there is no C in defenseman. get over it, johnny canuck.

Wroten Stays Home

I took 5 minutes out of my work day to watch Garfield HS star basketball player Tony Wroten, Jr announce his college choice. If you have ever seen one of these press conferences, you know how ridiculous they are. A teenager, barely old enough to drive, has flashbulbs blinding him as he chooses a hat off of a fold-up table (you know, the kind they break in WWE). Normally there are 3-5 hats to choose from. The kid talks a little about each school and then pretends like he doesn't know his choice. Sometimes he will try to trick the audience (I once saw a hat inside a hat that no one even knew was there). It's so dramatic and the kid eats every second up.

The whole situation is ridiculous, but the more I think about it, the more I am able to shrug it off. I mean, I have never been in the situation where I had the world by the balls. If I had college coaches salivating over me and if I was constantly being asked about my future, I may try to have a little fun too. I suppose it's only natural.

All that aside, let's talk more about Wroten. The kid was, if I remember correctly, the top ranked point guard in the country as a sophomore. His junior year he injured himself playing football and had to sit the entire year. He is back for his senior year at Garfield and is currently ranked the 4th best PG (35th overall). After two minutes of deliberation, Wroten chose UW over Seattle U, Villanova, Louisville and UNC. It was a great signing for UW - one that will continue keeping us highly ranked.

I can't help but think of the original Seattle guys to stay home. Before I moved to Seattle, UW was a joke. No one wanted to go there. Then around 2001-02 the quartet of Will Conroy (Garfield), Tre Simmons (Garfield), Nate Robinson (Rainier Beach) and Brandon Roy (Garfield) decided to stay local. In 2004-05 they made it to the sweet 16. A year later, they went 26-7 and earned a 1 seed in the tournament. They played such an exciting style, that it suddenly became cool to be a Husky basketball player.

Since then they had a few down years, but local kids still decided to stay at home. The list runs long: Jon Brockman (Snohomish), Spencer Hawes (Seattle Prep), Venoy Overton (Franklin), Isaiah Thomas (South Kent), Abdul Gaddy (Bellarmine Prep). Now we can add Wroten to the list. When asked what it was like to wear purple, Wroten said that he grew up wearing purple and there was no other choice. One can't help think that Conroy, Roy, Nate and Tre were a big part of his decision. Afterall, they were rocking Hec Ed 5 years ago, when Wroten was in his formative years.

Devils Under the Cap

When the Devils signed Ilya Kovalchuk to the massive 15-year, $100 million contract, it put them roughly $2.5 million over the salary cap, meaning that they would have to make a trade to get under the limit by opening day. Well, today is opening day and no trades have been made. Yet somehow, the Devils are now under the cap.

How did the Devils do it? Well, they sort of lucked into the situation because of one key injury - that of a concussion to defenseman Bryce Salvador. Obviously they were working to get under the cap in traditional ways, not assuming that Salvador would get injured. When he did, it gave them some flexibility by allowing them to put him on the Long Term Injured Reserve, which essentially takes his contract off the books for the time being.

To complement his spot on the LTIR, they also sent their young guys back to Albany and are now opening with the league minimum of 20 guys on the roster. That includes 12 forwards (4 lines of 3), 6 defenseman (3 pairs) and 2 goalies. Some are suggesting that this is a risky move because they will have no extra skaters in case someone gets injured. Obviously if they lose a forward in the first period of a game, then someone will have to get double shifted that night. But that will be a short term thing as they can simply bring someone up from the minors if the injury turns out to be serious.

If there is one thing I have learned from watching the Sounders this year, it's that some guys know how to get the job done when faced with roster problems. The Sounders left pre-season camp with too many men on their roster, but one of those guys, Nate Jaqua was put on the IRfor the first 2 months of the season. When he was ready to come back, they would have to make a decision on who to release, but they figured they could cross that bridge in the future. What happened? Well, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado tore his ACL and was done for the year. Ozzie Alonso hurt himself, as did Brad Evans. Suddenly, there was roster flexibility for when Jaqua came back. The Sounders were patient and it all worked out in the end.

I think this is what Lamiorello has planned. He knew that he had no leverage with respect to trades. Everyone knew they HAD to make a trade, so there was no way he could get any return on a trade. So he sat still for as long as he could and in the end, he was able to keep the team together and still make it under the cap. He will monitor Salvador's progress and I'm sure he will be active behind the scenes, but I don't see anything happening until Salvador is ready to come back. At that time, if there are no other injuries, then someone will get traded. Bottom line - Lou knows what he is doing. We will be fine.

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I wrote my buddy (and future contributor) Jay "Don't Call Me Paul" Martin about the Devils prospects after his look at them in a recent pre-season skate against the Rangers:

I think that Jacob Josefson will be pretty good. He's probably on par with Zajac, who really isn't spectacular but is in a really good situation. I'm sure Josefson will be on the team this year because they need centers and he's relatively cheap.

Mattias Tedenby was good, with some flashes of potential, but I don't think he'll ever be a real stud. He's second line material, probably a little better than Niclas Bergfors, but not much. I guess I never really thought Bergfors would amount to anything more than a 20 goal/20 assist kind of guy anyway, though; Tedenby could be a 25/30 type. It's tough, though, because both of them are so young, to really tell how they'll end up.

Matt Taormina needs some time, but he'll probably make the team, too, as a matter of needs. He looked good, and 70% ready, but that will have to be good enough. He looks like he'll be a 30 point d-man in a year or 3, similar to Andy Greene, but I just don't think the comparisons to Brian Rafalski are totally justified. The biggest difference, I guess, is that Rafalski had a few years in Finland and didn't come to the NHL until he was 26, so he's got a few more years to see if he'll get there. He's got some potential and will work out well as long as we don't expect the second coming of Bobby Orr.

I think Alexander Urbom will probably be a solid #2 or #3, but he's young, too. Just needs some time to get some experience. I know this all sounds cliche, but they all just need another year or two, but at least some of them will be on the team this year and will have some struggles. Personally, I'd rather see Mark Fraser and Matthew Corrente in the bottom pairing and let Urbom develop in Albany for most of the season. It'll probably work out better in the long run.

Actually, the guy who stood out most from the newcomers was Adam Mair. Granted, his ceiling is that of 3rd line center/wing, and he is 31 with 500 NHL games already so you can't really compare him to the kids, but he definitely had a lot jump and some talent. If he'll take a low contract, which I'd imagine he would, the Devils should absolutely have him in the starting lineup on Friday. He'll be a really good utility on the bottom lines. Better than Rod Pelley as a 4th line center. Honestly, I'd love to see a line of Tedenby-Mair-Clarkson, but I don't think that will happen.

All in all, of the rookies, I'd say that Taormina has the best year but that Josefson will probably have a better career.

[update: Josefsen, Tedenby, Taormina, Corrente all assigned to Albany to start the year. Fraser and Urbom on the opening day roster]

Champions!!

Last night was amazing. As you know, I went into the game really nervous and it wasn't until kickoff that I truly felt at ease and excited. Then in the 24th minute, the Crew put one past Keller to go up 1-0. At that point I wasn't overly nervous as I knew we would get one back. We were playing to well not to. Then it happened. Nyassi in the 38th and then again in the 66th. Back to back US Open Cup Champions. I won't speak too much about the game, as you can find reviews here, here, and here. In addition, pics from the night can also be found here and here while postgame video can be found here. (In addition, I hope to have some personal video later in the week)

Most of my comments come from after the game:

• First, I am very very thankful that the front office and the players take this tournament seriously. I know the MLS Cup is the ultimate goal, but getting some silverware and being able to say you are champions of a tournament that is in it's 94th year is a special feeling. Being that the last championship in one of the four major sports came over 30 years ago, titles are a rare thing in Seattle. This is one that should be embraced by everyone.
  
• The on-field celebration quickly became the Blaise Nkufo Hugging Hour. Seriously, I think he may have hugged every person in the organization. He was that happy. For those few who still hate, I want you to think about that for a second. He has played in a World Cup; captained his club team; led his club team to a Dutch Eredivisie title and he has a statue outside of FC Twente's Stadium. Yet here he is, in the US, playing in a tournament that most team in the country don't even take seriously and he seemed to be genuinely excited.
• Kasey Keller is amazing. The fans LOVE him.
• Miguel Montano got a big Sounders flag from someone and proceeded to run up and down the sideline as the rest of the team was doing a victory lap. Zakuani then got the flag and ran back and forth in front of ECS. How can you not love that?
• I think I speak for all of Sounders Nation when I say I wish I could have been in the locker room with them to celebrate. I imagine Joe Roth is going to have a large champagne bill.
• The electricity kits (that one's for you, Joe) are quickly growing on me. Sure enough, they are terrible on tv, but in person they are less offensive. NOw that we have won a title in them, I'm not sure I have anything negative to say.
  

Ok, I can't hold back - two game related thoughts:

• Feel a little bad for Nate Jaqua -he led the team to victories in the previous games, but could only get a minute in last nights final. Hopefully he is able to step back and realize his importance. With MLS, Champions League and US Open Cup on the docket, the season is a long one and every single person is needed at one time or another. We all thank you for your efforts, Nate.
• Steve Zakuani is quickly becoming one of the best players in the league (and no, I don't think that is an overreaction). He still has a few things he needs to correct (like shooting when you have a look inside the 12), but overall his game is quickly becoming one that no one in the league can match.
  

I'm sure Sigi will give the guys an evening or two to enjoy the win before getting back to work. As most know, there are still 3 games left in the regular season, including an elimination game this weekend against KC. Win and the Sounders are in the playoffs. Lose and the final two games against Houston and Chivas will have some extra tension. Let's get it done on Saturday boys. For now, enjoy!

Tonight's a Big Night

My buddy D-Lib asked me what my excitement level was for tonight's US Open Cup Final featuring my Soudners against Columbus. I told him that I really hadn't thought about it yet and that I was still basking in the excitement of Saturday's game against Toronto FC. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that reason I'm not wildly excited is that I am scared.

I'm scared that Columbus could come to Qwest and walk out with the win. I should feel confident knowing that Columbus is 0-2-2 lifetime against us. I should feel confident that we just crushed them 4-0 at Crew Stadium two weeks ago. I should feel confident because we are on a roll and at home. But here's the rub - we're not playing Chivas or KC or some other bottom dweller. Columbus is a quality side who have been at the top of MLS standings for the past 4 years. They are not going to just roll over because we have 36k fans in our stadium. If anything, I expect them to play like they have a fire under their ass. Quality teams don't like to lose, let alone get blown out at home. If the Sounders think they are going to have a cake walk they are in for a rude awakening. And yes, C-bus has never beaten us, but guess where the two ties occurred...that's right, at Qwest.

I don't want people thinking I am predicting a Columbus win and I certainly don't want people thinking I am in any way rooting for Columbus. Once I don the race green tonight, I expect to go hoarse in less than 30 minutes. Schelotto, Rogers and Gavin have a lot of venom coming their way. But the excitement aside, i just can't hide the fact that I am feeling a bit uneasy.

Now the Hard Part..

On Saturday, the Huskies beat nationally ranked USC for the second year in a row. It was another signature win that most fans believe will help vaunt Husky football back into national prominence. Here is the thing: the Husky season will not be measured by this single win. It will be measured by what happens in the next few weeks.

Think back to last year. Can you remember how the Dawgs responded to their win against USC? They went out the next week and lost 34-14 at Stanford. They followed that up with a 37-30 loss at Notre Dame. They then beat Arizona before losing 4 conference games in a row (at ASU, OU, at UCLA, at OSU). They ended the season with a 4-5 conference record and an overall 5-7 record.

The win last year against USC was amazing. It was a welcome relief, a glimpse into years past. But in the end, it was a more a blip in the radar than a program changing win. If the Dawgs want to see themselves as contenders for the Pac-10 title; if they want to make it to the Top 25; if they want to make it to a Bowl Game, they need to go out and get some results.

The next two home games, against Arizona St and Oregon St are must-wins. They HAVE to win them. After that, they have a 3-week stretch against the conferences 3 best teams - at#9 AZ, #16 Stanford, at #3 OU. If they enter that three week stretch at 3-0 in conference and can somehow pull off a nice win in of those three games, that puts them at 4-2 in conference with UCLA, Cal and WSU the remaining three games. It is not impossible to think they could go 6-3 in conference and 7-5 overall.

Again, that is predicated on the idea that they get back to business and avoid any letdowns as the Sun Devils and Beavers come to town. They need these wins.

Saturday Night 11-Pack

With so much sports to cover today, a 5-pack isn't going to cut it. To get a good sports buzz going, you're going to need an 11-pack of topics to digest.

First, 5 thoughts on UW's 32-31 win over USC:

• Today's win is a great result. An amazing result. Especially after how poorly the whole team played against Nebraska two weeks earlier. With that being said, USC handed the game to them. UW did everything to lose that game. They gave up 1500 yads rushing. They dropped wide open catches. They gave up tons of yards. Besides Jake, no one played especially well. They deserved to lose. Maybe, just maybe we have finally exercised the demons of the past 4 years
  
• Locker has been much maligned the past two weeks, causing most experts to drop him in their QB rankings. After tonight's performance he has to be back towards the top again. He accounted for 422 total yards and let the team down field for the win (something we all expected him to do against BYU a month earlier).
• For how good Locker looked tonight, I am a big worried about his pro prospects. Make no doubt about it, the guy has raw athleticism, but he still is lacking consistency and accuracy. I was trouble by all the talk about simplifying the playbook and letting Jake do what he is comfortable with. Getting him out of the pocket and allowing him to throw on the run is certainly no a pro-style offense. And the playbook is only going to get more complicated on Sundays. If he goes into a situation like that in Buffalo, he could be a huge bust. He needs to go to a team where he can develop for a few years under a good QB coach.
• I thought Mike Belotti and Brock Huard both did a great job in the booth. Good to see a Husky and a Duck getting along.
• I have never had a problem with USC in the past, partly because I thought carroll was a good guy. But they are totally unlikable now thanks to Lane Kiffin. Can't stand the guy.
  

And an additional 6-pack of random musings:

• Watch the end of the LSU-Tennessee game. What a painful way to lose.
• Sebastian LeToux continues his amazing MLS run. I have been a Seba fan for 4 years now and never would have expected 13 goals and 10 assists in MLS. If he was on a better team, he would be the MVP. The Wife asked what the problem was last year and I think it simply was that he was playing out of position. To be fair to Sigi though, even if he had played forward, I still think he would have had a problem because Montero was clearly the alpha-male (well, when the other Freddie wasn't around). In Philly, he was handed the reigns to the ship and has been the unquestioned leader.
• Recently I said the end of the Mets season was about two things: finding which young guys should be part of the future and getting Wright to 100 RBI and a .300 average. It has been successful on both counts, as we affirmed Thole as our everyday catcher and we found that Dillon Gee should be our 5th starter next year. Thanks to recent hot streak, Wright is at 29 homers and 103 RBI.
• I can only think of one person in America (Chris Folwer who does College Gameday, Wimbledon, the World Cup) who has a better job than Todd Grisham. During the week, Grisham is an announcer for WWE and on the weekends he hosts the MLS studio show on Fox Soccer Channel.
• Alabama has the toughest schedule in America (top 25 matchups against Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, Auburn) and they are not going to lose at all. Hate to say it but freaking Saban again has the best team.
• I'm watching Rocky IV for the 78th time right now. I always feel bad for the Soviets when Rocky's trainer beats the Soviet in chess. It's bad enough that they are portrayed as dopers; that Drago loses and that the crowd turns on their own countryman. But to have him lose at chess - blasphamous.
  

Instant (Over)Reaction: Toronto FC

Here is the hidden secret of these columns: they are called Instant (Over)Reactions yet I hardly ever overreact. Allowing myself to break this for this column, let me say the following. We are going to be a handful in the playoffs. If I'm one of the top 5 teams, I would NOT want to face us. We are world beaters right now (well, except when that world is anything outside of the USA)

• With Blaise in fine form, there offense is clicking perfectly. No longer is it just Montero and Zakuani. Now we have an added element that will be hard to contain.
• Fredy seems to be pressing. Last week against C-bus he seemed annoyed that he wasn't the one scoring. Being in the stadium today, I couldn't see his facial expressions, so I can't predict what was going on in his head, but he needs to know that the team is SOOO much better when their is balanced scoring. Even if he is not scoring, he is still uber-important to the team as a playmaker.
• Finally, a goal by Sanna. Props to The Wife who predicting today would be the day. I loved the celebration - you can just tell how united this team. They seem to genuinely like each other. Definitely a nice moment.
• Alonso was just flat out winning balls again. He dominated Julian De Guzman.
• Say what you want about DeRo, but he continues to be one of the top 5 players in the league. (an entry to follow this week on his whole check writing celebration)
• It's not hard to forget about past performances, but I think this is the best passing I have ever seen from the team. They connected so many and just walked around Toronto.
• Giving up 2 goals is a little concerning. No one will mention it because we were impressive, but we can't have mental breakdowns like we did on Toronto's two goals against the likes of LA, DAL, RSL, NY.
• This will be the best MLS playoffs ever. There are5 amazingly great teams and 3 great teams. There will be no easy match-ups.
• I mentioned to J-will that it is an amazing luxury having El Flacco coming off the bench. Nyassi tires out his mark and then Flacco takes advantage of it.
  

After the win, we sit in 4th in the West with a 12-9-6 record. It still amazes me to think that at one time we were 4-8-2 and I was asking them to focus solely on US Open Cup and Champions League. I'm sad that I gave up on the season, but I think I had every right to.

Speaking of the US Open Cup, Tuesday is going to be a big night. We get to defend our cup at Qwest. The atmosphere is going to be like none other.