Surprising Saturday

By Dan Rodgers

Today we experienced just about everything except the NFL, which of course, is saved for Sundays at this point in the season. Some of the exciting headlines

MLB:

• Texas showed no hangover from the heartbreaking loss in game one, dominated game two with a 7-2 victory. The series heads to New York, with Cliff Lee set to pitch...it's getting interesting. Series even at 1-1
  
• Surprisingly enough, this game went over the six runs predicted by the odds makers. More surprisingly, San Francisco came away with a huge upset victory in Philly to take away home-field advantage. San Fran leads 1-0
  

NCAAF:

• 1 Ohio State knocked off by 18 Wisconsin. Second consecutive week the No. 1 ranked team has lost.
• Un-ranked Kentucky upset 10 South Carolina, un-ranked Mississippi State upset 22 Florida, un-ranked San Diego State upset 23 Air Force
• 5 Nebraska get completely outplayed and throws away their National Championship hopes with a loss to un-ranked Texas.
• Will 3 Boise State jump to No. 1?
  

NHL:

• Caps have early season magic, come back from 2-0 to win 3-2 in OT.
• Blackhawks show no sign of slowing with 4-3 win over Sabres.

NFL:

• Get ready for some crazy week six action tomorrow.

Rodgers That

AL West

By Dr. Jekyll

AL West

Texas Rangers: Behind Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, this team was always going to score runs. The offensive addition of Vlad Guerrero has been a surprise, as he’s absolutely lit it up in Arlington this year. But what no one expected was the pitching to help out. Cliff Lee makes this team an instant World Series contender, with much thanks to the Angels for selling away the core of their team this past year and making way for a new face to emerge from the west. Welcome to the foray, Rangers.

Los Angeles Angels: Speaking of those Angels, Jered Weaver has given this club a chance to remain competitive for a lot longer than some (me) expected them to be this season. Mike Napoli is a stud behind the plate and with him leading up future young pitchers this will be a club that can still make threats even when in a rebuilding year. The loss of core players has definitely made an impact on the season, but this is a gritty club that has a bright future. Just not this season.

Oakland Athletics: At the start of the season I wrote that a healthy Ben Sheets made this an average team. Well, at their current record, I’d like to toot my own horn and say this is one of the few predictions I got right. They have a top order pitching staff, not that anyone who knows Billy Beane would expect any different. The team is still well of being strong, and the constant revolving door of characters that seem to take over this lineup makes it hard to get a feel for the direction of the club. This lineup needs pop, but with a few bats in the lineup they could make noise and play the spoiler role in this division.

Seattle Mariners: I hoped in this bandwagon and jumped off almost immediately. The Ken Griffey show was an awkward farewell, and was probably the most memorable part of the season for Seattle as well. The Cliff Lee trade was meant for a club looking to break through. All the Mariners did was break down. They couldn’t get Lee the run support, let alone any of their other starters, and have one of the worst records in the league because of it. King Felix and Ichiro haven’t gotten much mention this season, and this isn’t a fault of their own. Ichiro is still the best pure hitter of our generation, and will break 200 hits yet again this season. The lone bright spot in what’s otherwise a wash of a season.

Best time of the year...for some

By Scott Antoszewski

The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, the temperatures are rising, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun!

The last series of the first round starts tonight as the Nashville Predators head to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks. The story of the playoffs so far, granted it’s only been 3 days, has been the lack of home ice advantage. The home team has lost four out of the seven games played so far. Phoenix, Vancouver, and Buffalo are the only home teams to win. I loved seeing the whiteout in the desert. I find it interesting how people make such a big deal out of getting home ice for the playoffs, and every year it ends up meaning crap. The Capitals lost games one and two on home ice against the Rangers during last year’s first round. Carolina spanked Boston on home ice twice during last year’s second round. I don’t think it matters where the game is played; the better team is usually going to end up winning. I’ll have more playoff comments next week, after the series are a little bit further along.

In other news, the Tampa Bay Lightning have fired head coach Rick Tocchet and all his staff, as well as General Manager Brian Lawton. The new ownership in Tampa wants a fresh start for next year. They will be picking sixth in the draft, so they should be able to get another quality prospect, possibly an NHL ready player.

The New York Rangers have agreed to extend HC John Tortorella contract for one more season. The Rangers missed the playoffs by a single point this year. It’s going to be tough for them to make a lot of moves in the off season due to the overpaid and undervalued vets that are on the team. It will be interesting to see what they do for next year.

The Edmonton Oilers won the NHL draft lottery this week. They finished with the worst record in the league AND won the lottery so they will be picking first. The Boston Bruins got Toronto’s first round pick for Phil Kessel earlier in the year, and their number came up second. The Florida Panthers pick third, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There are playoff games basically every night for the next week, so enjoy the games!

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.
  

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.

Greatest Caps moments

By Scott Antoszewski

­Several NHL teams have released DVD sets in the last few weeks that are a compilation of that team’s 10 best games of all time. The Washington Capitals are my team (as you most likely know) so I am particularly interested in the Caps version of this. I got my first look at the list and was pleasantly surprised about how many of the listed moments I have witnessed in person. The list is below and I will detail each of the games that I was lucky enough to attend:

10. Ovechkin’s hat trick in game two against Pittsburgh last May, one matched by Sidney Crosby in a losing effort. I was NOT there for this one, but was going nuts in my basement and texting my friends who were there.

9. Game seven versus the Rangers last April. I shared this moment at home with my wife. She loves hockey almost as much as I do.

8. Game one versus the Flyers in 2008. I was at this game. I’ve never been in a louder building in my life. The Caps erased a 3-1 second period deficit to win 5-3. I remember getting light headed from jumping up in the air when the Caps scored the go ahead goal. My throat was sore for a full day afterward. It wasn’t my first playoff game, but it was the first playoff game that I saw the Caps win. This game was also the last time I high-fived a random stranger.

7. Caps winning the Southeast and qualifying for the postseason in the last game of the season against Florida, April 5, 2008. I still watch the last 30 seconds of this game on Youtube every now and then. I decided exactly one day before this game that I wanted to go. I called a sales guy I used to know that worked with the Caps, and because he knew that I had bought seats for less meaningful games, he sold me four $55 seats for $35 each. People were paying two and three times face for this game and I got discount seats. The last minute and a half of the game was one of the coolest environments I have ever experienced. I smile every time I think of that night, including right now. The memorabilia collector in me wonders who ended up with the Ovechkin game used stick he chucked into the stands at the end.

6. Ovechkin scores four goals against the Canadians while enduring a broken nose, Jan. 31, 2008. I took my boss and my wife to this game. I was playing broom-ball on the ice after the game, so I didn’t get to see Ovechkin’s fourth goal. My wife and I ran into some friends at the game and she left my boss and me to sit four rows from the ice. Ovechkin’s hat trick was the first NHL hat trick I had ever been in the stands for. My hat didn’t make it to the ice from the 400 level.

5. Bruce Boudreau’s first game behind the Caps’ bench, Nov. 23, 2007. This game was in Philadelphia, and I wasn’t there. I was however at Glen Hanlon’s last game as coach two days before. I was not part of the crowd chanting “fire Hanlon”. The change was needed, but I couldn’t bring myself to join the chant. Nicklas Backstrom got Bruce Boudreau a win in his first game with an overtime goal.

4. Ovechkin’s first Caps’ game, against Columbus, Oct. 5, 2005. I was at this game. I remember going in wondering if this “Big O” guy could live up to all the hype. I’m glad we don’t call him the “Big O” anymore. I think I have the ticket stub for this game around somewhere. They were big and fancy because it was opening night.

3. Joe Juneau catapults the Caps to their first-ever Stanley Cup finals, June 4, 1998. This was before I got into hockey, but I do remember watching this game on TV. I started following the Caps regularly about a year later.

2. Game one of the 1996 Eastern Conference quarterfinals when the Caps overcame a 4-1 deficit to beat Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and the Pens 6-4. This was before my time, but any victory against the Pens makes me smile.

1. Dale Hunter vanquishes the Flyers in overtime of game seven in 1988! This game may have been one of the first games I ever watched. The memory that stands out to me was thinking “Wow, they are celebrating like they won the game” after Hunter’s goal. I didn’t know that overtime in the NHL was sudden death. I asked my father several times in subsequent years to take me to a game, but we never went. I was honored to take my Dad to HIS first game sometime during the early 2000’s.

The set seems to be a little heavy on the recent history, mainly due to the Pollin family’s unwillingness or inability to produce video of some of the early years of the organization. I know there is a set out for the Blackhawks and several other teams. I feel very lucky to have seen as many Caps games as I have. I’ve been a hockey fan for about ten years and feel very fortunate to get to see a player the caliber of Ovechkin in my city. I hope you enjoyed this; it was great fun to write.

NHL round-up

By Scott Antoszewski

They are printing playoff tickets and selling division champion shirts and hats in D.C. The Capitals are the first team this year to sew up their division and a playoff berth. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up the level of intensity for the rest of the regular season.

The Sharks are still in first out west, but are staring right down the barrel of a first round match-up with a quickly strengthening Red Wings team. Will this be another short run for San Jose? If so, will it cost GM Doug Wilson his job?

The Canucks finally return home after a fourteen game road trip with an Olympic break in the middle. They lead the northwest division by six points over Colorado who is looking more and more like a team that could make some noise come playoff time. The Flames and Blues are going to need very strong finishes and someone above them to falter if they plan on playing deep into April this year.

The battle for the eight seed in the Eastern Conference will probably go down to the last few days. The players are the same as last week, as the Rangers, Bruins, and Lightning are making a push. The Bolts gained valuable points with a rare road win in Washington on Friday night, and are my pick to bump the Rangers for that spot.

NHL Playoff Preview

By Scott Antoszewski

The Olympics and the trade deadline have come and gone and it’s time to look forward to the next milestone in the 2010 NHL season: The playoffs! There are some potential surprises as we approach playoff time.

We’ll start in the Western Conference:

The Colorado Avalanche keep winning, and if the season ended today they would be the sixth seed out west. Colorado is only two points out of first in their division, so it’s not out of the question that they could have home ice advantage. The play of goalie Craig Anderson and rookie phenom Matt Duchene are a big reason for the ‘lanche’s success.

The Phoenix Coyotes put the rest of the West on notice at the trade deadline. The acquisitions they made will help bolster their lineup, and if the goalie play and scoring can keep it up, they will make their first playoff appearance since 2002.

The Los Angeles Kings should not be a surprise to the other teams out west. The Kings have a young, up and coming lineup. Players like Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, and Canadian Olympian Drew Doughty will make L.A. a tough place to visit come April and May.

The race for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference is incredibly tight. Currently the last playoff spot is held my Montreal (68 points). The Rangers and Thrashers are tied for ninth in the East with 66 points, and the Lightning and Panthers are still in the mix with 65 and 62 points, respectively.

I would be surprised if Atlanta stays in the race considering that they are now without their leading scorer in Ilya Kovalchuk. The Rangers hopes rest squarely on how quickly they can get Marian Gaborik back from injury. Henrik Lundqvist can only steal you so many 2-1 games. The Lightning have new ownership and a strong young core in Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman. It will be interesting to see if the Lightning’s young guns and veteran leadership can get them back in the playoffs.

There are lots of games with playoff ramifications this week, Tampa plays at Montreal hoping to gain ground on eighth in the east. Vancouver visits Colorado to try and pad their lead and the Panthers take on the Avalanche. Watch former Panther goalie Craig Andersen show Florida that he should have been the number one in Miami.