See you next week

Hey everyone,

Just so you know, I will be heading off this weekend to a retreat with my fraternity brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and have no worry that we will crank out some posts as soon as I return on Sunday. Here are some things you might want to think about over the weekend:

• The Rangers battle the Flyers for the eight seed in the NHL Playoff Race. The two teams also play each other for their final two games. Should be a great end to the season.
• The NFL Draft continues to creep up on us...
• The MLB season completes week one...gotta love my Yankees taking two out of three in Boston to open the season
  
• The NBA season heads to the final stretch and the playoff race tightens. Look out for the Bulls and Raptors to battle for the eight seed in the East.
  

Take your time

By Dan Rodgers

Many people, especially non-baseball fans, think that the game is way too long and there should be time constraints. The Yankees/Red Sox opening weekend series took nearly 12 hours to complete. Umpire Joe West felt the need to openly complain about the series, calling the two teams "pathetic and embarrassing" for needing so long to play the game.

Personally, I feel like this is ridiculous. West should be fined and/or suspended just like a player. Not to mention, the two teams he insulted are arguably the two best teams in the Major Leagues who will die to win. He has no right to call these teams out when his job is to sit back and call balls and strikes. They take their time and are careful because it is a part of strategy. I have great respect for teams who find every aspect of the game as part of their strategy. Every pitch, mound visit, time out, and substitution matters.

Somebody with authority needs to tell these umps to shut up. This is baseball, sit back and enjoy the beautiful weather...and the game of course.

Rodgers That

How do you define success?

By Scott Antoszewski

The NHL playoffs start in about a week. Last night the Colorado Avalanche completed the Western Conference bracket by dousing the Calgary Flames. There is only one spot left in the East and it appears that the New York Rangers just aren’t interested enough to get it done.

The beginning of the playoffs had me thinking about what the different playoff teams would consider a successful season. The Avalanche have a rookie head coach and are in year one of the rebuilding process, so the fact that they led their division several times this year and have made the playoffs is huge success for them. The Phoenix Coyotes are in the same type of situation. They were picked to miss the playoffs altogether, so the fact that they darn near won their division was a success in and of itself.

The other side of the coin has team like the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals. Success for the Caps and Sharks is measured much differently. The Sharks recent playoff failures have their whole fan base in a wait and see mode as the playoffs start. The popular thinking is that anything short of a Conference Final or Stanley Cup final may mark the end of the GM, the coach and many of the players. The Caps on the other hand are working against an ever shrinking window. There will be serious salary cap issues for Washington to deal with in the not too distant future. Nicklas Backstrom is a restricted free agent after this year, Alexander Semin has one year left on his deal, and players like Schultz, Morrison, Poti, and Fehr will be due big raises, not to mention the questions in goal. The time to win is now for the Caps. Anything short of a Conference or Stanley Cup final would leave fans of Ovechkin’s army very disappointed as well. Presidents Trophy teams do not have a stellar track record of converting that into playoff success. I doubt people will be jumping off the Caps bandwagon, but an early playoff exit will make for a long summer in our Nation’s Capital.

It will be interesting to see how these teams handle the success they’ve had or the huge expectations of their fan bases in the coming weeks. Buckle up folks, the playoffs should be a wild ride.

FINAL: NCAA Championship...anybody care?

By Dan Rodgers

Wow, is this last minute or what?

(1) Duke has finally made it back to the NCAA Championship, their first appearance since winning the whole thing in 2001. They face off against (5) Butler. What's that...you think I just had a typo? Nope, Butler has actually won 25 games in a row and now face Duke for the whole dang thing... now this is what I call March Madness.

Duke is favored by 6.5 points...

Personally, I think Butler is either going to pull the biggest upset in championship history since eight-seeded Villanova beat powerhouse Georgetown. Yes, back in the day with Patrick Chewing... er, I mean Ewing.

Butler is either going to cover the spread and beat Duke out right, or get clobbered like Michigan State did last year. I would love to see Butler win, but the realist in me says I don't see how Duke can lose. Look for Nolan Smith to have another big game. Don't expect Butler to stick with the Blue Devils if Matt Howard doesn't play...unless Gordon Hayward goes off from three...

Duke 73 Butler 58

Duke 61 Butler 59 FINAL

Duke wins another championship :( and they are the first team to score over 60 points on Butler during the tournament...Butler...PLEASE prove me wrong!

Rodgers That

An open letter to Donovan McNabb

Dear Mr. McNabb,

I’m sorry. On behalf of all Eagles fans everywhere, I’m so, so sorry. I know you’ve been booed since your selection as the number 2 pick in 1999 to play for the city of brotherly love. That you were never surrounded with enough talent to play to your ultimate potential, and that when you finally were given those weapons it was your first Superbowl appearance. And I know that it’s awful to finally have so many new weapons in Brent Celek, DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin. That being traded to play from Andy Reid, who doesn’t know that a run game exists, to Mike Shanahan, the man who basically invented the greatest running scheme known to modern NFL, must feel like heaven for your not-even-close to weary 33 year old frame. So how do you feel, Mr. McNabb? You’re being put in the middle of another offense that will ask too much of you, with Santana Moss and Chris Cooley to serve as your new Robin and Batgirl. Your net worth to the franchise that you brought to the NFC Championship Game 5 times and one Superbowl? A second round draft pick. Sure, you could be worth another pick next year. But ultimately you were just told, as the face of the franchise, that your worth is a backup middle linebacker. Ouch man. On a better note, you muscled your way to being in the same division. I hope you make the Eagles front office remember that you were the best player in Eagles history for a reason.

Best of luck, you’ll be missed,

-Dr. Jekyll.

Sunday Night...BASEBALL!

By Dan Rodgers

Oh my how time flies...it's finally April and that means....the start of the MLB season!

Tonight, my New York Yankees re-enter the biggest rivalry in sports and take the field in Boston against the Red Sox.

This game is one of over a dozen that these two rivals will play this year. Last year the Yanks lost the first eight in a row against the Sox before winning nine of the last 10. The Bombers have shown that they have developed chemistry and the additions of Curtis Granderson, Javier Vasquez, Nick Johnson will add plenty of depth and experience to the powerful Yankee lineup. Vasquez and Johnson will both be entering their second stint with the Yanks and Granderson brings a good bat and a great glove in the outfield.

Boston made major renovations to both their lineup and rotation. The Sox added Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro, and Mike Cameron to the starting lineup. They also picked up Jeremy Hermida and Bill Hall to provide some depth off the bench.

The rotation, however, is the most impressive in the big leagues. Yes, even more so than the Yankees and the Phillies. The rotation headlines with Josh Beckett of course, but there is no drop off to the number two in Jon Lester. Not to mention the fact that John Lackey is the number three. All three of those pitchers have the potential to be 20-game winners. Oh, by the way, Dice-K is the fourth and he has already won 19 games in a season. Youngster Clay Buchholz and veteran Tim Wakefield round out the staff.

This game should be exciting as Sabathia battles Beckett in a game I think the Yankees will take. The Bombers developed a ton of chemistry last year during their World Series run. That was something they had been lacking in previous years. It is also the reason the Yanks win tonight and take the division. The Sox made a lot of changes this off-season and it will take time to develop the chemistry the Yankees now have.

Enjoy the game...and the season.

Rodgers That