Penguins-Capitals. Crosby vs. Ovechkin. The two best players in the game squaring off in a playoff series. This is what the NHL needs to capitalize on and market in order to grow interest in the game. And of course those two guys need to play well. And they did not disappoint tonight in game two, as each player recorded a hat trick.
Unfortunately for Sid the Kid, nobody else on his team scored besides him, and the Capitals won the game 4-3.
The series shifts back to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, and hopefully the Penguins come back and make this series a classic. As much as I dislike both of these punks, you can not knock the talent and passion they bring to the ice.
Strasburg, a pitcher at San Diego St. is all the rage today after a feature story hit the front page of Yahoo! Sports this afternoon.
Here’s a video of him striking out 23 batters in a game! 23! Apparently he can bring it at 103 mph on the radar gun too. The fastest pitch ever recorded is 104 MPH by the Detroit Tigers Joel Zumaya.
And of course his agent, Scott Boras, will try to use this as an opportunity to blow up the MLB draft structure and create even more disparity between the rich and “kinda” rich teams.
As a supplement to Shawn’s post below, I give you this.
Those lucky Florida fans. It’s probably 80+ degrees there everyday now, their team is making a run at the playoffs, and they have a crazy radio guy who’s always good for a few laughs.
I think this puts them over the top. (And the fact that I feel the need to say this is the censored version is awesome.)
Florida Panthers Stephan Weiss playing against Toronto Maple Leafs. (REUTERS)
Let’s be honest, not everyone is a hockey fan. Personally I prefer football, basketball and baseball myself.
In some cases, the most entertaining part of the game is when a fight breaks out or when someone gets put through the glass on the boards.
For sports fans looking for a reason to watch hockey, let me introduce Randy Moller. The energetic announcer from the Florida Panthers doesn’t just scream at the top of his lungs after every goal, but uses music and movie references constantly.
The Dan Le Batard Show posted this video that is becoming a YouTube sensation.
But, I’m going to go out on a limb and agree with them! Here are some of my favorite reasons off their list…
“53. The age-old quandary … cheer for your favorite team – or for your bracket?”
“45. Post-game press conferences that take on the look and feel of a White House press briefing after a failed stimulus bill.”
“19. Gathering around a 13-inch TV in the office when a game goes down to the wire.”
“9. Watching an underdog execute the game-plan to perfection like Gene Hackman’s squad in Hoosiers (Rollie Massimino played the lead role in 1985 and Pete Carril reprised it in 1996).”
This video is well worth the watch if your into college basketball. Gus Johnson is the voice of the NCAA March Madness to me. This remix of a Fort Minor song done a few years ago is phenomenal.
Just watch the video and tell me you don’t get pumped up when Johnson goes “We’re going to overtimeeee innnnn Lexington…. HAHA!”
Late Wednesday night the Dallas Cowboys released wide receiver Terrell Owens. Michael Smith of ESPN broke the story. This comes after they traded for WR Roy Williams during the year and giving up a first and third round draft pick for him, and also a huge contract. This could have influenced why they released him because they gave up so much for Williams and they couldn’t let him stay a number 2 receiver and justify it. Releasing Owens, makes Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, look foolish.
Owens has been a cancer on every team he’s been with over his career in the NFL. It happened in San Francisco with the 49ers, with the Philadelphia Eagles, and now with the Dallas Cowboys. He still poses some great athletic ability, and is probably in the top 10 in the league at wide receiver, but his personality is one not many can handle.
This should open up Owens’ eyes, and maybe he can change his tune. He will ultimately find a team, but it may not be a winning team, and if his goal is to win a super bowl, he’s taken a giant step backward.
Both the New York Giants and the New York Jets made significant moves over the last week bringing in free agents to their teams. They each added depth to their defenses, which will greatly improve both team. Read the rest of this entry »
Rafer Alston grew up playing basketball on the courts in Queens, New York. He became a legend on the blacktop and was given the nickname, “Skip to my Lou.”
Alston was one of the stars of the AND 1 Mixtape Tour, known for his moves with the ball in his hands. His nickname originated from the way he dribbled the ball down the court, taunting the defender in front of him. He would dribble up the court in what looked like slow motion and then would speed past the defender for a lay-up or no-look pass.
The Streetballer that made Skip to my Lou, a popular player for AND 1 fans, has made a name for himself in the NBA. Alston was drafted as the 39th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft to the Milwaukee Bucks. He set the school record at Fresno State with 240 assists while in college. In his 11-year career, Alston has jumped around from team to team. (End of link) He played in Milwaukee, Toronto, Miami, Houston and most recently the Orlando Magic.
Alston brings great ball handling skills and a reliable 3-point shooter. He is not afraid to take a big shot, but is unselfish enough to find ways for teammates to score. He is averaging 11 points, six assists and two rebounds per game.
Alston was one of the top trades that many people overlooked, as the rumors of bigger name stars distracted fans and reporters. Alston has helped spread the floor for Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, while also feeding the ball down in the paint to Dwight Howard. He has helped bring new life to Magic, a team that was left for dead by many after Nelson’s injury sidelined him for the season.
Rafer Alston talks about playing on the street and the NBA
The NHL was founded on fighting. It is a huge part of the game, but it seems since the Wayne Gretzky years that fighting has gone by the way side. Fans want to see more of it, the crave it.
I was watching the RangersFlyers game a few weeks ago and Rangers forward, Colton Orr, was given a 2 minute penalty for who knows what and a 10 minute game misconduct for doing nothing. They said he was trying to antagonize a fight, and the analysts at intermission simply stated “This isn’t the wimp hockey league.”
If the NHL put more emphasis on allowing fights to occur, and I’m not saying that they don’t allow any fighting, than more fans would make their way back to the game. Like I said it is part of hockey’s history, and hockey should embrace it.
While hockey may not be at the top of most people’s pop culture list, it’s still interesting news when any team from New York fires their head coach with 20 games left in the season.
But the best part is who the new coach is going to be – John Tortorella
His name might not be famous, but he’s a guy that speaks his mind, and a few years ago cursed out New York Post writer Larry Brooks during a post game press conference.
Can’t wait to see how that goes full time in New York.
ABC recently released their new lineup for Dancing With the Stars. Former Giants LB, Lawrence Taylor, joins a long list of football players, past and present who have been on the show. Usually they place in the top, if not win the whole thing.
Former Giants LB Lawrence Taylor on Dancing With the Stars
And then you have Aaron Voros, an absolute bum who brings nothing to a hockey team. He’s tall? He’s got a cool beard? I’m more concerned that a hockey player is terrible at the game of hockey.
Maybe he should get some credit for willing to drop his gloves. But I just think he’s an idiot who should have realized he’s worthless and go back to Canada.
What a spark his teammates must have gotten seeing their big hulking winger get his face pounded in.
The struggling New York Rangers lost again last night. This time it was to the 14th ranked St. Louis Blues of the NHL’s Western Division. The final score 2-1 is a reflection as to how the Rangers are struggling as of late to score points. They lost Sunday afternoon to their rival Philadelphia Flyers 5-2, scoring their two goals in meaningless play after they had already been down 5-0.
During that game at home, Rangers fans started chanting ‘Fire Renney’ the Rangers head coach. They desperately need to do something to find a way to score. It’s over half the season and they don’t even have a 20 goal scorer. However, they only trail Philadelphia by 3 points for third place, but if they keep playing this poorly they could miss the playoffs.
The Rangers are considering bringing back LW Sean Avery in an attempt to possibly spark the team. Avery signed with the Dallas Stars in the off-season to a huge contract, but due to controversy the Stars want to release him. He was on the team last year and was a productive goal scorer and also was a gnat to other teams. People say he’s the most hated player in the league.
The Rangers face off against another rival in the New York Islanders, who happen to be the worst team in the NHL. Hopefully they can muster up a win.
