Crosby getting in a fight:
Ovechkin getting in a fight:
Oh wait, he's too much of a pussy to fight. But don't let that make your inferiority complexes change. I love your whining.
WOOOOOOOOOOO
- Matt
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Just Because
For all you whiners and homos out there who keep calling Crosby a crybaby despite all evidence to the contrary, I offer you this comparison:
Crosby getting in a fight:
Ovechkin getting in a fight:
Oh wait, he's too much of a pussy to fight. But don't let that make your inferiority complexes change. I love your whining.
WOOOOOOOOOOO
- Matt
Crosby getting in a fight:
Ovechkin getting in a fight:
Oh wait, he's too much of a pussy to fight. But don't let that make your inferiority complexes change. I love your whining.
WOOOOOOOOOOO
- Matt
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Playoff Situation
Of course I'm talking about the NHL. If you like the NBA, you don't read this site.
As it stands, the Eastern Conference looks like this:
1. Boston, 102 (9 GR)
2. Washington, 99 (6 GR)
3. New Jersey, 98 (8 GR)
4. Philadelphia, 90 (9 GR)
5. Pittsburgh, 90 (6 GR)
6. Carolina, 89 (6 GR)
7. New York Rangers, 87 (6 GR)
8. Montreal, 85 (8 GR)
9. Florida, 83 (7 GR)
10. Buffalo, 80 (8 GR)
As you can see, it's pretty easy to imagine the current top 8 will be the field of 8 in 3 weeks time. Buffalo is fighting the clock at this point, and probably won't make it. More importantly, the Penguins hold tiebreakers against almost everyone else in the wild card field:
vs. PHI: 4-2-0
vs. CAR: 2-1-0 (1 GR)
vs. NYR: 3-1-2 (win tiebreaker based on points percentage)
vs. MON: 1-2-0 (1 GR)
vs. FLA: 2-1-0 (1 GR)
vs. BUF: 2-2-0 (lose tiebreaker based on points percentage)
Because of the tiebreaker against Buffalo, the Penguins' magic number (to clinch a playoff spot) is 9.
Finally, the Pens went 10-1-2 in March, making it a very productive month. And best of all, the playoff push is happening against playoff contenders. Certain teams should be worried about the ease of their schedule down the stretch (cough Washington), and you have to wonder if they can't grab the number 1 seed if they'll be victims of a first round upset.
On to the Western Conference, which is shaping up to be an extremely entertaining race:
1. San Jose, 107 (8 GR)
2. Detroit, 107 (7 GR)
3. Calgary, 90 (8 GR)
4. Chicago, 91 (9 GR)
5. Vancouver, 89 (8 GR)
6. Columbus, 85 (8 GR)
7. Edmonton, 81 (7 GR)
8. Nashville, 80 (8 GR)
9. Anaheim, 80 (7 GR)
10. St. Louis, 79 (8 GR)
11. Minnesota, 78 (7 GR)
12. Dallas, 75 (8 GR)
Dallas is more or less in the same position as the Sabres in the East. Columbus is looking good, but is far from a lock. St. Louis is my personal favorite contender, but they have 3 games left against my other favorite, Columbus, including one tonight. Additionally, the Blues have 6 of their final 8 games on the road, meaning I wouldn't bet on them reappearing in the postseason this year. The 7 through 11 spots are kind of anyone's guess at this point.
I'm just assuming that someone from the Western Conference is winning the Cup this year, so let's take a look at who should be favored:
Detroit- No holes in this team. It's all about luck and favorable matchups at this point.
San Jose- Need to recapture the fire from earlier this season, and have a short playoff memory if they want to go far.
Calgary- Never an easy out in the playoffs. They'll go to the Conference finals I think.
Vancouver- Luongo is incredible. Team is clicking at the right time.
Chicago- Could be this year's Penguins, but lack of recent success has many worried.
Columbus- A guy can dream, right?
- Matt
As it stands, the Eastern Conference looks like this:
1. Boston, 102 (9 GR)
2. Washington, 99 (6 GR)
3. New Jersey, 98 (8 GR)
4. Philadelphia, 90 (9 GR)
5. Pittsburgh, 90 (6 GR)
6. Carolina, 89 (6 GR)
7. New York Rangers, 87 (6 GR)
8. Montreal, 85 (8 GR)
9. Florida, 83 (7 GR)
10. Buffalo, 80 (8 GR)
As you can see, it's pretty easy to imagine the current top 8 will be the field of 8 in 3 weeks time. Buffalo is fighting the clock at this point, and probably won't make it. More importantly, the Penguins hold tiebreakers against almost everyone else in the wild card field:
vs. PHI: 4-2-0
vs. CAR: 2-1-0 (1 GR)
vs. NYR: 3-1-2 (win tiebreaker based on points percentage)
vs. MON: 1-2-0 (1 GR)
vs. FLA: 2-1-0 (1 GR)
vs. BUF: 2-2-0 (lose tiebreaker based on points percentage)
Because of the tiebreaker against Buffalo, the Penguins' magic number (to clinch a playoff spot) is 9.
Finally, the Pens went 10-1-2 in March, making it a very productive month. And best of all, the playoff push is happening against playoff contenders. Certain teams should be worried about the ease of their schedule down the stretch (cough Washington), and you have to wonder if they can't grab the number 1 seed if they'll be victims of a first round upset.
On to the Western Conference, which is shaping up to be an extremely entertaining race:
1. San Jose, 107 (8 GR)
2. Detroit, 107 (7 GR)
3. Calgary, 90 (8 GR)
4. Chicago, 91 (9 GR)
5. Vancouver, 89 (8 GR)
6. Columbus, 85 (8 GR)
7. Edmonton, 81 (7 GR)
8. Nashville, 80 (8 GR)
9. Anaheim, 80 (7 GR)
10. St. Louis, 79 (8 GR)
11. Minnesota, 78 (7 GR)
12. Dallas, 75 (8 GR)
Dallas is more or less in the same position as the Sabres in the East. Columbus is looking good, but is far from a lock. St. Louis is my personal favorite contender, but they have 3 games left against my other favorite, Columbus, including one tonight. Additionally, the Blues have 6 of their final 8 games on the road, meaning I wouldn't bet on them reappearing in the postseason this year. The 7 through 11 spots are kind of anyone's guess at this point.
I'm just assuming that someone from the Western Conference is winning the Cup this year, so let's take a look at who should be favored:
Detroit- No holes in this team. It's all about luck and favorable matchups at this point.
San Jose- Need to recapture the fire from earlier this season, and have a short playoff memory if they want to go far.
Calgary- Never an easy out in the playoffs. They'll go to the Conference finals I think.
Vancouver- Luongo is incredible. Team is clicking at the right time.
Chicago- Could be this year's Penguins, but lack of recent success has many worried.
Columbus- A guy can dream, right?
- Matt
Thursday, March 19, 2009
General Greivis
If I had photoshop skills (or photoshop), I'd totally turn the title of the post into a visual pun.
Anyway, the Terps won because they matched up well against Cal, who relies on their defense and 3 point shooting. Maryland was able to stop perimeter shooters from making the high-percentage shots, as evidenced by Cal's terrible 3 percentage. In particular, check out Patrick Christopher's stats: 0-7 on the 3, and fouled out. Maryland looked well coached, and seemed to know exactly who to guard in which situations. Once Christopher fouled out, Cal went on a run that was too little, too late.
The Terps, by winning, have added to their own resume of credibility. By winning as a tenth seed against a team from another major seed, they've helped their chances of making the Big Dance next year. But more importantly, they showed the most tournament-time poise since their championship season, arguably. Memphis looks like a very intriguing matchup, they're of comparable overall skill to Wake Forest in my opinion. If Maryland can have the same kind of game they did against Cal and Wake, they might be able to pull off the awesome upset.
As for the rest of the field, I hate to say it, but it looks like another top seed heavy year. Good for my bracket, terrible for my underdog sympathies.
I'd type more, but I'm lazy. Comments, yo.
- Matt
Anyway, the Terps won because they matched up well against Cal, who relies on their defense and 3 point shooting. Maryland was able to stop perimeter shooters from making the high-percentage shots, as evidenced by Cal's terrible 3 percentage. In particular, check out Patrick Christopher's stats: 0-7 on the 3, and fouled out. Maryland looked well coached, and seemed to know exactly who to guard in which situations. Once Christopher fouled out, Cal went on a run that was too little, too late.
The Terps, by winning, have added to their own resume of credibility. By winning as a tenth seed against a team from another major seed, they've helped their chances of making the Big Dance next year. But more importantly, they showed the most tournament-time poise since their championship season, arguably. Memphis looks like a very intriguing matchup, they're of comparable overall skill to Wake Forest in my opinion. If Maryland can have the same kind of game they did against Cal and Wake, they might be able to pull off the awesome upset.
As for the rest of the field, I hate to say it, but it looks like another top seed heavy year. Good for my bracket, terrible for my underdog sympathies.
I'd type more, but I'm lazy. Comments, yo.
- Matt
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Mid-March State of the Blog
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Ok, just gentlemen.
Here's a long-awaited post from me, as I've been slacking a lot, after giving Will a lot of shit earlier. With the Penguins streaking (10 straight games with at least a point earned), I've been spending a ton of time on the Pensblog in a state of maddening joy. But it's time to rap, gents. About the sports.
Baltimore Orioles: Orioles Hangout had a very good post on Brian Matusz's pitching mechanics recently. I recommend reading it, but you may not like what you hear. In short, he needs a lot of work, meaning he probably won't make an impact in the majors until at least 2012. Whatever keeps the arm fresh is good with me though.
And, uh, Orioles will flirt with .500 as late as September. Bank on it.
Baltimore Ravens: It's good that the dirty birds kept Ray Ray. He's one of the most beloved players in Baltimore sports history, no matter what the rest of the country thinks. The only thing to watch is a potential "old guard" versus new D coordinator situation, much like the Steelers experienced with Alan Faneca in their offensive line. Which reminds me, Steelers suck.
San Diego Chargers: Good move restructuring LT's deal without trying to rip him off. He's still a top 5 back in the league, he just needs to get healthy. Cutting down on the money while including guarantees for the roughest position in all of sports is a fair compromise. It's even better that this got resolved early in the offseason, rather than creating a boiler pressure situation after the draft. I'm feeling good about the Bolts next season.
Indianapolis Colts: are gay.
Maryland Terrapins: WOOOOOOOO! I like the first round matchup with Cal. It's a rematch of the football game last fall when the Terps surprised the Bears. MD has a good chance, I'm penciling them in the W column. They're starting to play well on neutral courts, which will be very useful in the very near future.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Streaking! Suddenly, the Pens find themselves in the 5 seed position with 82 points. With 11 games left to play, one figures the Pens need to go 6-5 the rest of the season to be assured a playoff spot. That would be 43 wins and 94 points, which is enough in the post-lockout landscape. Depending on their first round matchup, they could be doing a lot of damage. The first line is looking very good these days, Guerin, Kunitz and Crosby all had 3 points in this afternoon's game. It was good enough to make the scoring race a 1-2 Penguins punch, which is the first time since Lemieux-Jagr that it's happened this late in the season.
Washington Capitals: Whaaa?!? Considering a third of our readership is Caps fans, I'm giving legitimate space to reporting about them without calling them names. Given their stellar track record at home (despite recent struggles), their recent road power show speaks volumes. On the other hand, their first round opponent will come out swinging in the first two games, knowing that the Caps can clean up in another team's arena. Ovechkin in particular has picked up his game away from home, but bank on him creating more points at home in the postseason. The worry spot for fans has to be Green; teams are starting to pick up on his reluctance to take the body. The playoffs are a grind, and dirty goals are a must. The Ovechkin Play (TM) on the power play may not work, so the Caps have to find a way to adjust.
NHL: Red Wings have taken the points lead. Who's surprised? ...Columbus is the lovable underdog in the West, they're in good position to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. ...Philly may make a push for the Atlantic division title if Brodeur stops owning the league soon. They have several games in hand on most Eastern teams. ...It seems only one of the Sabres, Canes and Panthers will make the playoffs. I'm banking on the Hurricanes to finally snap their drought.
Totally wrong NCAA tourney predictions later this week.
- Matt
Here's a long-awaited post from me, as I've been slacking a lot, after giving Will a lot of shit earlier. With the Penguins streaking (10 straight games with at least a point earned), I've been spending a ton of time on the Pensblog in a state of maddening joy. But it's time to rap, gents. About the sports.
Baltimore Orioles: Orioles Hangout had a very good post on Brian Matusz's pitching mechanics recently. I recommend reading it, but you may not like what you hear. In short, he needs a lot of work, meaning he probably won't make an impact in the majors until at least 2012. Whatever keeps the arm fresh is good with me though.
And, uh, Orioles will flirt with .500 as late as September. Bank on it.
Baltimore Ravens: It's good that the dirty birds kept Ray Ray. He's one of the most beloved players in Baltimore sports history, no matter what the rest of the country thinks. The only thing to watch is a potential "old guard" versus new D coordinator situation, much like the Steelers experienced with Alan Faneca in their offensive line. Which reminds me, Steelers suck.
San Diego Chargers: Good move restructuring LT's deal without trying to rip him off. He's still a top 5 back in the league, he just needs to get healthy. Cutting down on the money while including guarantees for the roughest position in all of sports is a fair compromise. It's even better that this got resolved early in the offseason, rather than creating a boiler pressure situation after the draft. I'm feeling good about the Bolts next season.
Indianapolis Colts: are gay.
Maryland Terrapins: WOOOOOOOO! I like the first round matchup with Cal. It's a rematch of the football game last fall when the Terps surprised the Bears. MD has a good chance, I'm penciling them in the W column. They're starting to play well on neutral courts, which will be very useful in the very near future.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Streaking! Suddenly, the Pens find themselves in the 5 seed position with 82 points. With 11 games left to play, one figures the Pens need to go 6-5 the rest of the season to be assured a playoff spot. That would be 43 wins and 94 points, which is enough in the post-lockout landscape. Depending on their first round matchup, they could be doing a lot of damage. The first line is looking very good these days, Guerin, Kunitz and Crosby all had 3 points in this afternoon's game. It was good enough to make the scoring race a 1-2 Penguins punch, which is the first time since Lemieux-Jagr that it's happened this late in the season.
Washington Capitals: Whaaa?!? Considering a third of our readership is Caps fans, I'm giving legitimate space to reporting about them without calling them names. Given their stellar track record at home (despite recent struggles), their recent road power show speaks volumes. On the other hand, their first round opponent will come out swinging in the first two games, knowing that the Caps can clean up in another team's arena. Ovechkin in particular has picked up his game away from home, but bank on him creating more points at home in the postseason. The worry spot for fans has to be Green; teams are starting to pick up on his reluctance to take the body. The playoffs are a grind, and dirty goals are a must. The Ovechkin Play (TM) on the power play may not work, so the Caps have to find a way to adjust.
NHL: Red Wings have taken the points lead. Who's surprised? ...Columbus is the lovable underdog in the West, they're in good position to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. ...Philly may make a push for the Atlantic division title if Brodeur stops owning the league soon. They have several games in hand on most Eastern teams. ...It seems only one of the Sabres, Canes and Panthers will make the playoffs. I'm banking on the Hurricanes to finally snap their drought.
Totally wrong NCAA tourney predictions later this week.
- Matt
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Suck us.
WOOOOOOOOO!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
If you don't know why, you're a joke. I think Sid put the whiners to bed for now. Unreal goal(s).
Can't wait to face Washingjoke in the first round.
- Matt
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
If you don't know why, you're a joke. I think Sid put the whiners to bed for now. Unreal goal(s).
Can't wait to face Washingjoke in the first round.
- Matt
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Bill Guerin Is A Badass
From tPB:
Many years ago, I had tickets to a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway, and they were the cheaper outfield seats and fairly high up in right field. My buddies and I were drinking away when we noticed Bill Guerin and a couple other Bruins walking up the stairs to our section double-fisting beers at the start of the 1st inning. His walk was what got my attention: head down watching both beers as not to spill a drop but still moving quickly up the stairs.
After the second inning, Guerin went back down to get more beers.
Since I can't resist a chance to bust balls AND was sitting on the aisle, I stopped Guerin on his way up to his cheap seats.
I told him, "Didn't you learn from Lindros' and know you should keep your head up at all times?"
He stopped dead in his tracks, looked me dead in the eye and said, "I can handle a hit with my head down, but I'll be damned if I'm spilling my beer."
Clutch city.
Apparently he's a strong locker room personality, and sticks up for anyone on his team. This loyalty is just what the Pens need, so it should be interesting to see how he handles anyone taking a run at Crosby or Malkin. He seems to be loving it in Pittsburgh so far, especially because he's finally on a team that might make the playoffs. We'll see if he can produce at a top 6 forward level.
- Matt
Many years ago, I had tickets to a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway, and they were the cheaper outfield seats and fairly high up in right field. My buddies and I were drinking away when we noticed Bill Guerin and a couple other Bruins walking up the stairs to our section double-fisting beers at the start of the 1st inning. His walk was what got my attention: head down watching both beers as not to spill a drop but still moving quickly up the stairs.
After the second inning, Guerin went back down to get more beers.
Since I can't resist a chance to bust balls AND was sitting on the aisle, I stopped Guerin on his way up to his cheap seats.
I told him, "Didn't you learn from Lindros' and know you should keep your head up at all times?"
He stopped dead in his tracks, looked me dead in the eye and said, "I can handle a hit with my head down, but I'll be damned if I'm spilling my beer."
Clutch city.
Apparently he's a strong locker room personality, and sticks up for anyone on his team. This loyalty is just what the Pens need, so it should be interesting to see how he handles anyone taking a run at Crosby or Malkin. He seems to be loving it in Pittsburgh so far, especially because he's finally on a team that might make the playoffs. We'll see if he can produce at a top 6 forward level.
- Matt
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