Categories
Anaheim Ducks

And your NHL Finals are set


Ducks 4, Red Wings 3
That sound you hear right now is Dominik Hasek’s slinky spine crumbling to dust.

See, Jean Sebastian Giguere had a rough final period – allowing three red light specials to the Wings – but he was stone cold lights out for the first two periods, when nothing got past him. Hasek was pretty much the reverse, but in the end, the Ducks still won (with help from a Samuel Pahlsson goal). Whether or not this means the adage “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” is something that’s complete bollox, I’m not ready to say just yet.

What I am ready to say is this: the Cup Finals are set, and it’s Anaheim vs. Ottawa. Anaheim was here four years ago, when they lost to the Devs in seven. Ottawa has never been here, at least not in their present, since-1992 version.

The series is boring for this reason: small markets. Anaheim is 10th in the state of CA alone, and Ottawa is 4th in Canada. People will consistently use that argument to prove no one cares (meanwhile, if Cleveland somehow stuns Detroit, the NBA Finals would pit Cleveland against San Antonio, which has to be equivalently disastrous markets).

The series is interesting for this reason: Ottawa’s first line has been incredible during these playoffs. Hell, it’s been just about the only thing Ottawa is doing really well (besides Ray Emery). Anaheim has the personnel to really rumble with that line, and maybe even create a few fights in the process. That’s going to be the Ducks’ big advantage; dudes like Pronger might just level dudes like Spezza as the series winds on.

Depending on how you view the Angels of baseball geographically, you might think that neither Anaheim or Ottawa has had a major sports championship in quite some time. It’s also interesting for that reason: two “fringe” sports communities battling for arguably sports’ most renowned hardware. Y’all ready for this? We’ll be back Thursday with a detailed preview and prediction in this very spot.

Categories
College Football

Dear PETA, leave our sports alone


Nothing sucks harder and more frequently than PETA. It’s fine when they throw red paint on vapid celebrities and going after people who train dogs for fights, but when they start trying to tell sports teams what to do, that’s when they need to be clubbed like a baby seal. (What’d I say?) Their latest foray into being annoying jackasses is to petition LSU to get rid of its live tiger mascot.


Dear Chancellor O’Keefe:

We are writing to express our sympathy over the death of Louisiana State University’s (LSU) mascot, Mike the tiger, and to urge the school not to replace him. Big cats in captivity are denied everything that is natural and important to them, such as the opportunity to run, climb, hunt, establish their territory, and choose their mates.
…
Costumed human mascots are currently in use at most universities, and no major professional sports team includes live animals in its mascot program. The versatility of human performers allows them to interact directly with fans and entertain them throughout the game by leading cheers, reacting to the crowd, and pumping up the team. A frightened animal can’t do any of these things.

Meanwhile, the tradition at LSU of having a live tiger goes back 71 years and the tiger gets to live in a 15,000 square foot $3M home with a bathing pool and a waterfall. Man, that sounds terrible. LSU officials have told PETA to go pound sand.

Links:

[ESPN]: LSU likely to ignore PETA, obtain new tiger mascot

Categories
Boston Celtics

Around the Blogosphere: Celtics fan reactions


We started out thinking we’d post some reaction from around the blogosphere from Celtics fans (the team most screwed) and Trailblazers fans (the luckiest team). But it turns out that while Celtics fans are tearing up the interwebs with their anger and lament, Blazers fans are nowhere to be found.

After winning a lottery in which they only had a 1 in 20 chance, it’s like they don’t even know a team exists. There are more Celtics fans blogging about the Blazers getting Greg Oden than there are Blazers fans. And this, it seems to us, is exactly why the Blazers don’t even deserve to get Oden. (And we absolutely hate the Celtics — it just seems like the sports gods are fucking with them though.)

Well, without further ado, here are some angry C’s fans:

“The 5th overall pick in a 2 player draft… that’s what we get out of 82 games of tanking, inept coaching, mongoloidian general management, and Personal Injury…
Portland as a franchise was floundering. Every player they had was some sort of criminal. Dogfighting, weed smoking, assaults, OUI… you name it, the Blazers had someone who did it. We got Bassy Telfair and is gun collection from the Blazers. The team sucked, and the fans- normally the NBA’s most consistent sellout- were shunning the Blazers for Lumberjack Contests and Salmon Fishing Derbies. They got the #1 overall pick.” — High Above Courtside
(Right, it’s Portland’s fault that Danny Ainge traded for Bassy.)

“What does this mean for the Celtics? In my opinion, it means that the Celtics are absolutely the more desperate team in the league this summer. I think that if the Celtics can’t package this pick with Theo Ratliff’s contract and extra pieces for an All-Star caliber veteran, Paul Pierce will be gone by the trade deadline. That also, in my opinion, would be best for both the organization and Paul Pierce (if we can’t get ourselves a veteran All-Star this summer).” — Celticsnews.com

“The worst possible scenario played out in the lottery. The Celtics dropped to the #5 pick and the Grizzlies dropped to #4. Do you realize that there was approximately a 6% chance that the Memphis and Boston would pick 4 and 5? I think David Stern just sent an anti-tanking message to both teams. I would have felt better if the lottery were televised instead of being held behind closed doors.” — Loy’s Place

“I am usually a pretty optimistic Celtics fan, but right now I don’t know how to feel anymore. I can’t end this blog/rant saying all will be well and we should stop worrying. My prediction? An all-star veteran somehow becomes available and we trade the pick, Green, Ratliff, and Delonte West for him. We might even have to add a future pick. What will most likely really happen? No veteran becomes available; we draft Wright and wait at least three more years for him to develop. By then Pierce is all but gone and who knows how our other youngsters will have developed. Optimism? Sorry, wait a few more months before you get any of that from me.” — Celtics 24/7

“NOOOOOOOOOOO! It was all for nothing. The injuries. The tanking (fine, we can say it now). The agony. The misery. The futile dream that something might go right for the Celtics. You know what? I’m not jumping off the bridge yet. Maybe Tony Allen comes back. Maybe Gerald makes an improvement half as big as Al Jefferson’s third-year improvement. Maybe Rondo develops a shot; maybe Perkins adds something (anything) to his game. And we’re still in the Atlantic Division. But, dammit, I wish I’d be thinking about going deep into the playoffs, instead of my 12th straight year of hoping everything goes right and we just get there.

I hate sports.” — Bunkosquad

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Portland gets a breath of fresh air



The next Jail Trail Blazer?

1. The West just got even better
It was one of the more shocking lotteries in recent history, as neither Memphis nor Boston grabbed either of the top two picks, a.k.a. Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, despite being the worst teams in the league, but instead it was a pair of Northwest Division clubs who changed their fortunes. With just a 5.3 percent chance of winning the whole shebang, the Portland Trail Blazers grabbed the top pick while Seattle ended up with a heck of a consolation prize. The beauty of this is that these two kids will grow as rivals for at least the beginning of their careers as they compete for the same division title every year. Unfortunately they will have some stiff competition for the crown as Utah, Denver and Minnesota all reside in the Northwest. But the real losers in this year’s lottery are those pathetic Grizzlies, Celtics and Bucks who put up some horrid regular season records but still had the statistical advantage slip through their fingers, giving their fans no reason to attend any home games in the next few years. That really sucks for those guys but our “kick to the crotch award” goes to Atlanta who came so freakin’ close to grabbing a franchise cornerstone but instead is going to have to settle for the La Toya Jackson of the draft. (Full lottery results)

2. Spurs dominate again

Like in Game 1, the Jazz put together a late run but they couldn’t escape from San Antonio with a victory as the Spurs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the West finals behind a 105-96 Game 2 win. Tim Duncan continued his run of playoff domination as he finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds while Tony Parker dished out a career playoff-high 14 assists to go with his 17 points. Utah had better hope that their home crowd gives them some added umph because the Spurs are starting to make this look way too easy. Sure, Carlos Boozer (33 pts, 15 reb) and Deron Williams (26 pts, 10 ast) are getting it done on the blue team but at this point it is a two man show against a cohesive unit. Sorry, but without some help from the role players, this is going to be a quick and easy series for the West crown.

3. Another Denver delinquent
Ron Artest might have found a new home after pretty much wearing out his welcome in Sacramento by being involved in several incidents with the law since arriving. So, what whacked out coach would possibly be willing to take a ride in the Artest demolition derby? Why, George Karl of course. Yup, the Denver Nuggets are looking to add rapper extraordinaire “Tru Warier” Artest to their bad boy lineup of Kenyon “Microfracture” Martin, Allen “Practice” Iverson and Carmelo “Sucker Punch” Anthony. We’re guessing that Artest would fit right in with this crew and we’re also guessing that in typical Karl fashion he wouldn’t be able to handle his malcontent cast and end up blaming the Nuggets management for his poor compilation.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Tim Duncan vs. Utah 38 min, 26 pts (FG: 10-15, FT: 6-8), 14 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 5 blk

Buzzer Beater: Well it sure didn’t take the Rockets very long to find a replacement for Jeff Van Gundy after the front office decided to give him the boot on Friday, because Rick Adelman is expected to be introduced as the new coach on Wednesday. It should be a good fit; Houston definitely needs a veteran coach who can properly utilize his tools and Adelman has proven that he can win. Hey, this guy got some great mileage out of Vlade Divac for cryin’ out loud; surely he can turn Yao Ming into a beast. And if you don’t think Adelman desperately wants to win a ring then just remember that he has the highest winning percentage (.610) of any coach who doesn’t have a championship.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Jake Peavy makes his Cy Young case


1. King of the Hill: Jake Peavy faced Rich Hill in a promising pitching matchup on Tuesday. But this one wasn’t close, as Hill continued his recent struggles while Peavy kept his major league leading ERA. Hill allowed five runs in six innings, the third start in a row he’s given up four or more runs. He allowed four homeruns to the Padres, all of them solo. Meanwhile, Peavy gave up just one run to improve to 6-1 with a 1.63 ERA. If the season ended right now, he would win the Cy Young in a landslide. On offense, Adrian Gonzalez hit his 11th homer and Mike Cameron hit two out to triple his season total. The Padres are just a half game back of the Dodgers now.

2. Twin Powers: The Twins’ three best players–Johan Santana, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter–all dominated in a 7-1 win over the Rangers. Santana had one of his best starts of the season, with 13 strikeouts and one run allowed in seven innings. He only surrendered a homer to Sammy Sosa, who now has 598 on his career. Morneau powered the offense with two homers, five RBIs, and three hits. With 13 homers, he is now second only to A-Rod in the AL in that category. Torii Hunter also continued his recent hot streak, with another homer and two ribbies. In his last nine games, Hunter has 5 homers and 17 RBIs. The Rangers, followed up back-to-back 14-run outings with 18 strikeouts on offense.

3. Youth over experience: For the second time in six days, Tim Lincecum of the Giants took on Roy Oswalt of the Astros. Last time, both pitchers were even and the game was decided in extras. On Tuesday, Lincecum got the better of the two-time All Star. Lincecum pitched a career-high eight innings and gave up two runs, lowering his ERA to 3.08. After a poor debut, Lincecum has made three straight quality starts. Oswalt gave up four runs in the loss but is still 6-3. Also worth noting for the Giants is how Barry Bonds has completely struggled lately. Since his last homer on May 8, he has no RBIs, just 5 hits, and a .191 slugging percentage. His OPS has fallen from 1.311 to 1.121, though that’s still good enough to lead the NL.

Player of the Day: Kyle Davies, Braves: 8 innings, 1 run, and three RBIs in an 8-1 win over the Mets.

Stat of the Day: After only recording three RBIs in the first 32 games this year, Felipe Lopez of the Nationals has 13 RBIs in his last 13 games, including a 6-RBI effort on Tuesday in a win over Cincinnati.

Categories
General Sports

Odds and Ends: Should bloggers get Press Credentials?


Eric Mcerlain over at Off Wing Opinion posted a link to Sports Media Journal’s poll asking whether sports bloggers should get media credentials. There are only 51 votes as of this writing but almost 2/3 of the respondents say no. And I have to agree with them. A few bloggers, like Eric, absolutely know their stuff. We’ve had Eric on a few podcasts and his knowledge of hockey and the NHL is extraordinary. Giving him a press pass enhances his writing.

However, the majority of bloggers are goddamn useless and add absolutely nothing to sports “reporting.” Hell, why do you need a press pass to post a blog entry on which player in the starting lineup compares to the cast of the Partridge Family? Bill Simmons doesn’t need a press pass and the majority of bloggers are cheap imitations of the Sports Guy. (Even the Sports Guy has become a cheap imitation of the Sports Guy.) You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve clicked on a link, read the blog entry, and thought, “are you f’ing kidding me? Did I just waste time reading that shit?”

No, bloggers do not need press credentials. The good ones come up with important topics and opinions with or without access. The bad ones will always suck the life out of this game, whether or not they have access to the free buffet. And for the record, we don’t have press credentials.

In other news…

[Cincinnati.com]: Bengals release LB Nicholson after arrest on a domestic violence charge

[Idaho Statesman]: Another story for the ‘Hockey players are the toughest athletes’ file

[Canada.com]: The worst logos in hockey

[TrojanWire]: Well, at least we know Steve Nash doesn’t get his chest waxed

[Ump Bump]: For Ozzie Guillen, profanity is but a station in his train of thought

[SportsBurn]: Tony Romo to judge Miss Universe pageant. Bastard.

Categories
All Other Sports

Countdown to UFC 71: Kalib Starnes vs. Chris Leben & Houston Alexander vs. Keith Jardine



Are we the only ones who are sick
of this guy?

If you are like us then you can’t wait until Saturday night when Chuck Liddell takes on Quinton Jackson for the world light heavyweight championship belt. So, in preparation for the big fight, we are going to be conducting a bout by bout rundown of the card for UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson.

Kalib Starnes vs. Chris Leben

In the battle of the reality TV stars, former participants in The Ultimate Fighter, Kalib Starnes (9-2-1) and Chris Leben (16-3-0) will hook it up to see which loser can beat the other loser. Both of these guys annoyed the hell out of us during their tapings of the show but we have to admit that Leben’s red hair and crybaby attitude had us a little more riled up. As in we were wanting to hop in the octagon with the guy. Still, he’s a tough kid who can throw a hell of a punch and he’s had nearly five full months to recover mentally from a pair of beatings that he received in ’06 that included a 49 second KO from the current milddleweight champ Anderson Silva.

Starnes is a well rounded fighter who can box, wrestle and go jiu-jitsu on your ass. He might be able to stand up with Leben for a while but he’ll have a much better chance of trying to get past “The Crippler’s” sprawl and taking the fight to the mat.

Prediction: Starnes wins by submission

Houston Alexander vs. Keith Jardine

We gotta admit that we know basically nothing about Houston Alexander other than he appears to be a brawler who goes 6’0″ tall and is 35 years old with a record of 6-1. But we do know about his opponent, and he has been on an absolute tear in the UFC of late. Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine has a 12-3-1 record in the world of MMA and has gone an impressive 4-1 in his UFC bouts. His most recent fight was against the UFC’s favorite up-n-comer Forrest Griffin who he TKO’d in the first round of UFC 66. Jardine can brawl with the best of `em but, in addition, he has some excellent kickboxing skills to go along with it. Throw in the fact that he’s accustomed to being in the UFC spotlight while it will be his opponent’s first time in the big league and it all adds up to a decided Jardine advantage.

Prediction: Jardine wins by decision

Links:

[UFC.com]: UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson

Categories
Soccer

Soccer fan killed for celebrating



stoning is not funny

There’s a rule that we think everyone should follow: never celebrate excessively when in an opposing team’s stadium. If you go to an away game, you are allowed to celebrate when your team does something good, but make sure it’s mild mannered and not annoying to any who paid good money to cheer on their own team. We have no sympathy for people who get beaten up for being obnoxious pricks or get heckled for sporting their team colors. (Yes, we’re Eagles fans.)

In any case, while heckling and the occasional deserved beatdown can be expected, stomping and stoning a man to death is completely unacceptable.


A Mozambican soccer fan was stoned and stomped to death after celebrating a goal by his side in a premier league match in the southern African nation, Mozambique’s national newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Angry Lichinga fans attacked the unidentified man after he jumped onto a stadium terrace to celebrate Ferroviario’s second goal in the 69th minute, the daily newspaper said. It quoted witnesses as saying that police failed to intervene.

Yep. The beautiful game.

Links:
[The Offside]: The Daily Dose

[Youtube]: Life of Brian – the Stoning

Categories
Boxing

Helmets + boxing = safe; right?

Kids (boys) love to fight; simple as that. And they are going to do anything to get their fix of physicality. So, now there is a new sensation sweeping the youth of the nation and it is called helmet boxing. Basically, it’s boxing while wearing helmets and gloves and it occurs anywhere and everywhere you can find kids who are willing to beat the crap out of each other. It could be in the front yard, the back yard, the neighbor’s yard, the living room, the locker room, the bath room…we think you get the idea.

Apparently these kids think that adding helmets and a ref to the street fights make them safe, but a lot of times these brawls go until someone gets knocked the F out and business is picking up in emergency rooms because of it.

Now, we’re not saying that this doesn’t look like fun; in fact, we’re off to grab our old lacrosse gear out of the closet as we speak, but we can understand why parents would be pissed off about this. But hey, it’s beats the hell out of letting your kids handle their problems with each other like this:

Links:

[MySA.com]: Dangerous helmet boxing growing in popularity

Categories
Boxing

Foreman claims someone spiked his water before "Rumble in the Jungle"


Well, George Foreman has a new book out, so that can only mean one thing…outrageous, untimely accusations in hopes of whipping up a media buzz that will push his memoir up the bestseller charts. So what is the controversy Foreman speaks of in his book “God in My Corner,” you ask? No, it’s not that the idea for the Foreman Grill wasn’t his. And shame on you for even thinking such a thing. Actually, Foreman is claiming that he was drugged before his “Rumble in the Jungle” with Muhammad Ali.

Yes, that’s right; almost 33 years after the fact, Foreman is attempting to regain some respect after Ali worked him over for eight rounds before knocking Foreman out in the eighth. But according to Foreman, his trainer gave him some nasty tasting water that he believes was spiked.

I almost spit it out … [I told my trainer] ‘Man, I know this water has medicine in it,'” Foreman wrote. “I climbed into the ring with that medicinal taste still lingering in my mouth.”

“After the third round, I was as tired as if I had fought 15 rounds. What’s going on here? Did someone slip a drug in my water?

You know, George, this information would have been a lot more useful, say, back in 1974! C’mon, don’t try to blame losing your world heavyweight championship on getting drugged. And we seriously doubt that Zaire was the first time you had been under the influence of an illegal, mind altering substance. After all, you do have seven kids named George! And two of them are girls!

Just shut up and get ready for your upcoming moment in the spotlight as you pretend to be Paula Abdul on American Inventor. And if you don’t want to shell out the money for Foreman’s book then you can skip the trip to Barnes & Nobel and just read this interesting interview with Foreman at EastSideBoxing.com.

Links:

[MSNBC]: Foreman says he was drugged before Ali KO