tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140592202024-03-07T02:50:21.059-05:00Beltway Sports BeatA blog for fans of Baltimore-Washington area sports.C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-67017589548554469912012-03-10T16:40:00.002-05:002012-03-10T16:43:51.561-05:00AwesomeFrom the NHL.com homepage after the Caps 4-3 win over the Bruins on Saturday afternoon:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBAkiJoS1kpeU2X1JvgNh9533JoDsMM030ovWe0Hbooj0WlPu2BBGkkAr9RIpsaiC97dWoIkW-fshOVD0LWV8oouOTrpCZr-XPeNL-q3ky-K28gLQWD68b9wPGh9CQFKXSFB_og/s1600/laich_3-10-12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBAkiJoS1kpeU2X1JvgNh9533JoDsMM030ovWe0Hbooj0WlPu2BBGkkAr9RIpsaiC97dWoIkW-fshOVD0LWV8oouOTrpCZr-XPeNL-q3ky-K28gLQWD68b9wPGh9CQFKXSFB_og/s400/laich_3-10-12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718387218051827762" /></a>C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-52583600890326738582011-11-30T14:08:00.007-05:002011-11-30T16:21:24.044-05:00Bruce Boudreau and the "empty tank"When Bruce Boudreau was fired on Monday morning and replaced by Dale Hunter, Capitals General Manager George McPhee told reporters at Kettler, "I think Bruce came in here and emptied the tank. He gave it everything he could and did a really good job, but the tank was empty, and when that happens you get a new coach where the tank is full and see what happens."<br /><br />It struck me as honest and heartfelt, but I didn't think much more about it until today when I was in the midst of a lively email discussion about the value of NHL coaching experience. In the email exchange, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/loveofdriving">my brother</a> wondered aloud (...in text?), "I wonder what the average number of years of coaching experience is for Cup-winning coaches over the last 10 or 15 years."<br /><br />Naturally I had to look it up, and what I found was not that interesting when looking at total NHL coaching experience, but far more interesting when looking at the number of years the coach was with their team before winning the Cup. For the "Fire Bruce" crowd it would provide significant ammo if, you know, the Caps didn't already fire Bruce.<br /><br />Basically what you need to know is that, in the last 20 years, coaches who didn't win a Stanley Cup in their first four years with a team never ended up winning one <span style="font-style:italic;">with that team</span>. And in that same span, <span style="font-weight:bold;">only one coach tenured more than 4 years has won a Cup</span>, and that was Scotty Bowman (twice). Boudreau was in his 5th season as the Caps' bench boss.<br /><br />So it would seem that a coach only has 2-4 years of gas in the tank with any given team.<br /><br />Here's the proof:<table border="1"><tr><td>YEAR</td><td>TEAM</td><td>COACH</td><td>NHL EXPERIENCE</td><td>YEARS WITH TEAM AT TIME OF CUP WIN</td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>Bruins</td><td>Claude Julien</td><td>8 years</td><td>4th season in Boston</td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>Blackhawks</td><td>Joel Quenneville</td><td>13 years</td><td>2nd season in Chicago</td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>Penguins</td><td>Dan Bylsma</td><td><1 year</td><td>1st season in Pittsburgh*</td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>Red Wings</td><td>Mike Babcock</td><td>5 years</td><td>3rd season in Detroit</td></tr><tr><td>2007</td><td>Ducks</td><td>Randy Carlyle</td><td>2 years</td><td>2nd season in Anaheim</td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>Hurricanes</td><td>Peter Laviolette</td><td>4 years</td><td>2nd season in Carolina</td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Lightning</td><td>John Tortorella</td><td>4 years</td><td>4th season in Tampa</td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Devils</td><td>Pat Burns</td><td>13 years</td><td>1st season in New Jersey</td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Red Wings</td><td>Scotty Bowman</td><td>30 years</td><td>9th season in Detroit</td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Avalanche</td><td>Bob Hartley</td><td>3 years</td><td>3rd season in Colorado</td></tr><tr><td>2000</td><td>Devils</td><td>Larry Robinson</td><td>5 years</td><td>1st season in New Jersey**</td></tr><tr><td>1999</td><td>Stars</td><td>Ken Hitchcock</td><td>4 years</td><td>4th season in Dallas</td></tr><br /><tr><td>1998</td><td>Red Wings</td><td>Scotty Bowman</td><td>26 years</td><td>5th season in Detroit</td></tr><tr><td>1997</td><td>Red Wings</td><td>Scotty Bowman</td><td>25 years</td><td>4th season in Detroit</td></tr><tr><td>1996</td><td>Avalanche</td><td>Marc Crawford</td><td>2 years</td><td>1st season in Colorado***</td></tr><tr><td>1995</td><td>Devils</td><td>Jacques Lemaire</td><td>4 years</td><td>2nd season in New Jersey</td></tr><tr><td>1994</td><td>Rangers</td><td>Mike Keenan</td><td>9 years</td><td>1st season in New York</td></tr><tr><td>1993</td><td>Canadiens</td><td>Jacques Demers</td><td>9 years</td><td>1st season in Montreal</td></tr><tr><td>1992</td><td>Penguins</td><td>Scotty Bowman</td><td>20 years</td><td>1st season in Pittsburgh</td></tr><tr><td>1991</td><td>Penguins</td><td>Bob Johnson</td><td>6 years</td><td>1st season in Pittsburgh</td></tr><br /></table>*Bylsma coached the last 25 games of the 2008-09 season<br />**Robinson coached the last 8 games of the 1999-2000 season<br />***Those who were hoping the Caps would hire Crawford should look up <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Crawford#Coaching_record">what he's done since</a><br /><br />Breaking it down further, over the last 20 years the average tenure at the time of winning the Stanley Cup is 2.6, and the median is 2.<br /><br />As for the NHL experience factor, the average years of NHL coaching experience for Stanley Cup winners over the last 20 years is 9.65, which is skewed heavily by Bowman's 20, 25, 26 and 30. The median is 5.5.<br /><br />As this relates to Dale Hunter, 8 of the last 20 Stanley Cups have been won by coaches in their first year with a team (40 percent!), but Bylsma's the only one who was in his first year as an NHL head coach. Five Cup winning coaches in the last 20 years have done it in their first NHL head coaching gig: Bylsma, Randy Carlyle with the Ducks, Bob Hartley with the Avalanche, John Tortorella with the Lighting (unless you count his 4 games as interim coach of the Rangers in 1999), and Ken Hitchcock with the Stars.<br /><br />To look at it another way, my friend Will saw this data and immediately said, "So Buffalo is really f***ing up with Lindy Ruff."<br /><br />Apparently.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-3778450437790929582011-10-31T15:18:00.010-04:002011-10-31T15:40:19.546-04:00The three most likely free agency plans for the Orioles in 2012Based on a deep historical analysis of my own memories, I've come up with the three most likely routes for the Orioles to take in 2012 MLB Free Agency:<br /><br />1) The Orioles give huge, multi-year contracts to Kyle Farnsworth and Joel Zumaya (although Zumaya isn't Type A or Type B, so the Orioles might instead find someone who would cost them a draft pick). Then they bring in Hideki Matsui on a multi-million dollar, one-year deal (at least it's not multiple years!) and Johnny Damon on a multi-million dollar, multi-year deal (whoops). They may or may not cap this off by adding Livan Hernandez for <a href="http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2009-12-11/sports/bal-sp.millwood11dec11_1_veteran-starter-kevin-millwood-orioles-veteran-second-baseman-brian-roberts">mentoring</a> purposes.<br /><br />2) The Orioles give Jose Reyes 10 years, $250 million to play 2B. He plays a total of 6 games in an Orioles uniform between hamstring, hamstring, hamstring and hamstring injuries. (To be fair, in those 6 games he bats .385 and steals 3 bases.)<br /><br />3) The Orioles give C.J. Wilson 8 years, $180 million. He spontaneously combusts on the mound on Opening Day.<br /><br />So there it is. I've thrown down the gauntlet to the new, yet-to-be-named General Manager/President of Baseball Operations. Prove me wrong!<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-32981340888808447522011-10-09T16:11:00.004-04:002011-10-09T21:53:18.100-04:00The annual Center Ice debate.It was nice to see <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/beltwaysports">Game Over Green</a> working his magic in the first game of the 2011-12 season after a disappointing 8-goal season in 2010-11. And I got to see the game thanks to a free Center Ice preview, which they run every year to try to entice me to shell out $170+ for every game in every city.<br /><br />If you're a transplanted fan like me, you probably have the same internal debate that I have around this time every year: Is Center Ice worth the money and time I'm going to devote to it? Is it really worth $170 to cheer in New York City when Ovechkin lights the lamp in Washington?<br /><br />The first year I lived in New York (2009-10) I purchased the package and watched a good amount of hockey, but I noticed that a huge percentage of the Caps games that I was at home to watch were on NBC, Versus or NHL Network. So in 2010-11 I decided to skip Center Ice, and I still got to watch around 1/4 of all Caps games because the league or networks decided Ovechkin's Caps were a chic team worthy of national airtime along with the Penguins, Flyers and Red Wings. The one aspect of Center Ice that I missed was getting to watch the late games featuring Western Conference teams that I rarely get to see otherwise.<br /><br />This season, a whopping 30 of the Caps' 82 regular season games are scheduled to be on national TV in the U.S., and they tend to be the times I can watch (Thursdays-Sundays). Throw in the free Center Ice previews they do a couple times a year, and it's probably closer to 35 games. So that pretty much ends that debate.<br /><br />Although it feels weird to admit that I'm satisfied seeing less than 40 percent of the Caps' games, real life (and grad school, which I don't think counts as real life) dictates that I probably wouldn't get to see much more than that anyway.<br /><br />See you in another year...<br /><br /><b><i>Correction: My brother brought up the fact that I left out all the games that are against the Rangers, Devils and Islanders that will also be on local TV where I live. That adds six more games that will be on TV in New York (the other 6 against those opponents are scheduled to be nationally televised).</i></b>C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-87377404061380215192010-10-15T20:02:00.004-04:002010-10-15T20:19:20.112-04:00Fun with Time Warner Cable live chat helpTonight I was planning to flip between Islanders-Penguins on MSG Plus, Devils-Avalanche on MSG Plus 2 and ALCS Game 1 on TBS, but naturally Time Warner Cable would have none of that. Similar to last week when the Capitals were playing the Devils (a game I actually cared about seeing), MSG Plus 2 was mysteriously not showing the Devils game. Instead the whole of Manhattan got some sweet looking color bars.<br /><br />Having nothing better to do with my Friday night, I decided to hop on TWC's live chat help and see if they could rectify the situation. Needless to say, I did not have high hopes. After waiting in a queue for the entire first period, this is what transpired. Names have been changed (barely) to protect the innocent (also barely).<br /><br /><blockquote>User Craig has entered room<br />We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.<br />We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.<br />Analyst Andrea has entered room<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:46:06 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Andrea * [last initial withheld]. Please give me a moment while I access your account.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:46:37 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Hello Mr. Stone.<br />I understand that you have a feedback. <br />I will be happy to help you in the best way possible.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:47:32 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Hi. I was hoping to watch the New Jersey Devils game but MSG Plus 2 is not turned on.<br />This happened last week too. It's ridiculous.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:49:01 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Thank you for the information, please allow me a moment. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:50:50 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Mr. Stone, please click on this link to check all the TV listing: http://tvlistings.timewarnercable.com/tvListings/<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:51:28 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />That doesn't tell me anything about anything.<br />it just says "Local Sports" on channel 198<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:51:43 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Did you check channel 435?<br />It is against Colorado Avalanche?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:52:29 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />yes but that's the NHL Center Ice package which is blacked out because the Devils are a local team<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:54:42 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />Could you please provide me your account number to check if everything is normal with the NHL Center Ice package?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:55:30 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />The problem isn't with the center ice package. They always blackout Devils, Rangers and Islanders games because those teams are shown on local stations<br />well, they're supposed to be, assuming TWC turns on the station ... which never happens on time<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 19:58:32 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />I do apologize for the inconvenience. <br />I have checked our reports and I noticed that channel 198 is experiencing an outage.<br />Please accept my sincerest apologies for this inconvenience. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 20:00:21 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />OK thanks.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Andrea(Fri Oct 15 2010 20:00:28 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />You are welcome!<br />Is there anything else I can help you with?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Craig(Fri Oct 15 2010 20:00:54 GMT-0400 (EST))></span><br />no that's it.</blockquote><br />I really hate being a dick to customer service people, but honestly I think I showed admirable restraint here. I do think Andrea was just doing her job and probably isn't connected to this problem in any way, but it's bullshit that Time Warner Cable is so inept that it can't even manage to make sure a channel is turned on in time for a game.<br /><br />Luckily I only missed the first 5 minutes of the Caps game last week. As of 8:15 tonight MSG Plus 2 is still color bars...C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-14343969480711637162010-04-18T21:24:00.007-04:002010-04-18T23:52:43.887-04:00Miguel Tejada factsSo for some reason, I thought it would be funny to do a "Miguel Tejada" facts that is like the incomparable <a href="http://www.mattwietersfacts.com">Matt Wieters Facts</a>, but instead of great feats of baseball prowess and inhuman strength, they would be amazing ways to screw over a team.<br /><br />A quick disclaimer: I don't have anything against Miggi and I certainly don't blame him for the 2-11 start to the season, I just think this is an opportunity to be somewhat funny. (Or at least I try.)<br /><br />So here are some early attempts. Please feel free to add more to the comments.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fact #1:</span> Miguel Tejada once led off an inning by grounding into a double play.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fact #2:</span> Miguel Tejada has actually grounded into a quadruple play. The Orioles had to start their next turn at bat with one out.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fact #3:</span> Miguel Tejada's allegedly tainted vitamin B12 shots are just a placebo. While researchers have noted a placebo effect, that effect is a positive steroids test.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fact #4:</span> Coaches measure Miguel Tejada's speed from home to first base using a sundial. Unless it's a routine pop-up. Then they use orbits of Haley's Comet.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fact #5:</span> The only time Miguel Tejada hits Eutaw Street is when he's getting a sandwich at Boog's.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Fact #6:</span> In 2007, Miguel Tejada was within 1,500 games of Cal Ripken's consecutive games played streak. After having his streak snapped just 1,480 games shy of the record, Tejada has set out to beat Cal's other incredible record: 350 GIDPs. That's not even remotely funny, just depressingly accurate.<br /><br />Terrible, right? I'll try harder next time.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-83214633221499709602010-04-13T13:12:00.003-04:002010-04-13T14:28:45.804-04:00Pre-playoff GTalk conversation...<b><a href="http://districtpuckhouse.blogspot.com/">Abram Fox</a>:</b> word is that Ovechkin and Backstrom are hurt, Ovechkin is definitely in on Thursday and Backstrom is questionable<br />so, that is bad<br /><br /><b>me:</b> I will quote Aqua Teen Hunger Force<br />from the epic "Foreigner Belt" episode<br /><br /><b>Abram:</b> haha<br />love that episode<br /><br /><b>me:</b> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZsix9abDg_52CvyUOhMyQEhC2HSB5onfgwM6RjT1LLCvTczPfgPcfjL2C4eAavUDtU5-JmcZLOkuRPAHhKmFnLtvL8EYhPTTiiN6IOeMWjB8mvFyJCLQjIHSXogEOz-qdwJOjw/s1600/headgames.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZsix9abDg_52CvyUOhMyQEhC2HSB5onfgwM6RjT1LLCvTczPfgPcfjL2C4eAavUDtU5-JmcZLOkuRPAHhKmFnLtvL8EYhPTTiiN6IOeMWjB8mvFyJCLQjIHSXogEOz-qdwJOjw/s200/headgames.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459690660263180018" /></a><br />"WHO SET THIS TO 'HEAD GAMES'!??!?!"C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-41394936513123322912009-12-04T11:50:00.009-05:002009-12-04T12:30:11.833-05:00WaPo piece on Langway's daughter doesn't sit rightMy brother sent me an e-mail today with a link to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/26/AR2009112602263.html">Mark Giannotto's Washington Post article on Rod Langway's estranged daughter</a>. I skimmed it when it came out last week, but once my brother asked for my opinion I decided to read the whole thing.<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure, I've been a Capitals fan since the Langway days. But I'm also a journalism professor so I would hope my fan status isn't completely shading my views here.<br /><br />My issue with the article isn't really that it paints Rod Langway in a bad light, it's that there's no real story there to begin with. Well, maybe there is, but Giannotto doesn't find it. The "how" and "why" of the story are afterthoughts so it ends up just being venting space for a 16-year-old girl.<br /><br />This, to me, was the whole story:<br /><blockquote>Langway and his wife, Teresa, say they have tried numerous times to bridge the gap between Hannah and her father, but that Sasscer refused to let Teresa be around Hannah, a stipulation Langway would not agree to.<br /><br />"It hurt Rod and I couldn't even show him how much it hurt me," Teresa Langway said. "It's just a tragedy for Hannah. Everybody would have welcomed Hannah. We all would have loved her. We waited for years and years."<br /><br />The Sasscers dispute this assertion. Sasscer said she is willing to allow Teresa to meet Hannah without her being present.</blockquote><br />And? Expand on that. Is there some bitter tension there? Does Sasscer say "That's ridiculous I've invited Rod and Teresa to dinner numerous times?" What was Sasscer's reaction to Teresa Langway's "we all would have loved her" statement? We'll never know.<br /><br />Those three short paragraphs are the entire "why" and "how," and they were buried on page three of a five page piece.<br /><br />I'd be fine with the article if its focus was the conflict between Langway and mother Sasscer, even though it'd be a bit smutty. I'd also be fine if it was a personal profile of the girl or a story of her perseverance despite her family situation, but they glossed over both of those things, too. So really, what's the article about? Langway has an estranged daughter and she hates him. <span style="font-style:italic;">That's it.</span> Is that really deserving of being in The Washington Post?<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-23971884735933802222009-06-22T13:37:00.006-04:002009-06-29T10:58:00.975-04:00When you think of it that way...I was reading this <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=4268999" target=_bsbnew>Bill Simmons column on the "purest" era of baseball</a>, and while his thoughts were arbitrary, somewhat conflicting and based on little of anything that would make sense to any real baseball fan, it got me thinking.<br /><br />Maybe the whole idea of purity in baseball is moot. Maybe we don't <span style="font-style:italic;">want</span> purity in baseball.<br /><br />Part of what makes baseball so great is the ridiculousness of the players. Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden almost ruining their careers with over-the-top partying, Graig Nettles "juicing" his bat with 6 superballs, Jason Grimsley crawling through an air vent to the umpires locker to swap out Albert Belle's confiscated corked bat. That kind of stuff is awesome.<br /><br />It's like a bad episode of Salute Your Shorts over and over again. Except with everyone making millions of dollars and occasionally taking a break from off-the-wall camper antics to play a baseball game.<br /><br />(See more crazy ways to cheat <a href="http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/cheaters/ballplayers.html" target=_bsbnew>here</a>.)<br /><br />You can't tell me that every time a bat splits down the middle like it was struck by lightning that you don't honestly hope to see cork inside it.<br /><br />And given the history of cheating that's surrounded the national pastime, maybe we shouldn't be in such shock and awe that the most recent generation of players has pumped themselves full of more steroids than farm cattle. Is that really any worse than swinging by the Dollar Tree, stocking up on rubber bouncy balls and stuffing them in your Louisville Slugger? It's certainly not as FUNNY, but when that's the precedent maybe it's only natural that the players have veered closer and closer to a look that's straight out of WWE. After all, weren't the rainbow metallic Ric Flair and Hulkamaniac stickers in the 25-cent vending machine right next to the Super Balls?<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-67046971561040225342009-06-10T13:02:00.004-04:002009-06-10T16:48:44.057-04:00Hershey Bears pull my all-time hockey pet peeveIn last night's Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals, the Hershey Bears lost 3-2 to the Manitoba Moose. The Bears still hold a 3-2 series lead, but they'll have to win one of two in Winnipeg if they are going to hoist their 10th Calder Cup.<br /><br />The thing about this game that really irks me is the way the score got to 3-2.<br /><br />The Moose led 2-1 late in the game, and the Bears pulled goalie Michal Neuvirth with about a minute and a half left to play. Manitoba scored almost immediately, making it 3-1 with 1:21 left. Game over. That's it. You've just shortened the game by 81 seconds.<br /><br />Bears defenseman John Carlson added a goal with 31 seconds left to make it 3-2, but it was meaningless at that point.<br /><br />This situation is the perfect example of why I am so against pulling the goalie -- or at least pulling the goalie until it's truly a last ditch effort.<br /><br />I'm not saying Carlson's goal ties it if they don't pull Neuvirth, because there's no telling how the events really would have unfolded if the Moose don't score that 3rd goal. In all likelihood, it would have just ended 2-1 instead of 3-2. But you give yourself a much better chance of tying the score if you don't allow the game to basically be cut 81 seconds short.<br /><br />Down one goal late in the game, time was the Bears' most precious resource, and they gave a bunch of it away.<br /><br />I get that pulling the goalie gives you the best chance to score a goal, but it also gives the other team a FAR better chance to score and all but end the game. Given the odds that the other team pots one in your yawning net, pulling the goalie should really be a last resort. With 1:30 left in a one-goal game, is it really last resort time yet? There's plenty of time to generate a few good chances 5-on-5 in that span.<br /><br />I wish some NHL coach would just say, "You know what? I'm never going to pull the goalie for the extra attacker." Just to see how his team's comebacks in the final 90 seconds stack up against other teams.<br /><br />I'd be willing to bet he'd fare better than teams that pull the goalie all the time, because for every game a team ties with their goalie pulled, there are probably at least five where they get scored on with 30+ seconds left on the clock, killing any comeback hopes.<br /><br />The cons just outweigh the pros when it comes to pulling the goalie when down one goal.<br /><br />Now why won't anyone believe me?<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-7448357367651718482009-06-04T11:35:00.004-04:002009-06-04T12:20:57.687-04:00Cause for concern? Wieters batting .143 through 6 gamesSo the hype has died down as the Orioles travel the West Coast, and with the dust settling one might be wondering if all the expectations on rookie catcher Matt Wieters were a little outlandish.<br /><br />Through six games, Wieters is 3-for-21 with 1 walk, 1 run, 0 RBIs and 5 strikeouts. He has managed a double and a triple (in the same game), but that's still only good enough for <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8395" target=_bsbnew>a .143 average, .182 on-base percentage and .468 OPS</a>. Not exactly <a href="http://www.ianolandwaydesign.com/images/matt-wieters-hof-postcard.jpg" target=_bsbnew>Hall-worthy</a> just yet.<br /><br />But to be fair, Nick Markakis was <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7707/gamelog;_ylt=AnUoEYMZ2SEh8R0sxitnNVyFCLcF?year=2006" target=_bsbnew>hitting .182 a MONTH into his rookie campaign in 2006</a> before raking his way up to a .291 average at season's end. And since then, Markakis has become the second best player in the Majors, only trailing Matt Wieters.<br /><br />So don't pack up your <a href="http://mattwietersfacts.spreadshirt.com/us/US/Shop/Index/index" target=_bsbnew>Matt Wieters Facts t-shirts</a> just yet. There's no reason to think that he's just another Billy Rowell, Jeff Fiorentino, Adam Loewen, Val Majewski, Mike Fontenot, Beau Hale, Tripper Johnson, Mike Paradis, Larry Bigbie, Keith Reed, Chris Richard, Mamon Tucker, Darnell McDonald, Sean Douglass, Matt Riley, Eugene Kingsale, Ivanon Coffey, Alex Ochoa, Jayson Werth, Rick Krivda, Rocky Coppinger, Ryan Minor......<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-74345352289508871302009-05-16T01:41:00.004-04:002009-05-16T01:46:15.343-04:00Turning My Attention to D.C. UnitedWhat, you thought losing baseball was more interesting than the MLS Eastern Conference top seed? You're wrong. Sorry you had to find out this way.<br /><br />D.C. looks to add to their already crowded trophy case by qualifying into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. They won the Cup last year, a highlight in an otherwise disappointing season, and now they're looking for a repeat. Unfortunately there's no automatic bid for last year's champion, so D.C. is working to play their way in.<br /><br />United faces off against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday (May 20), and the winner is in the tournament. I'll be there covering the game and if the press box's wireless allows I'll have twitter updates at http://www.twitter.com/beltwaysports<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-40211517375110560372009-05-14T10:23:00.003-04:002009-05-14T10:29:07.054-04:00DC Sports Box: Game 7 recapIt was a tough game to watch, and I can assure you it was an equally tough recap to write. The Caps got outplayed in every facet (except goaltending until Wednesday) for much of the series, and that's why they're heading to the offseason and the Penguins are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals for a second straight year. And all I keep thinking is, "I can't believe that same Capitals vs. Penguins playoff script played out again." My recap is at DC Sports Box:<br /><blockquote><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/dcsblogo.jpg" align="right" hspace="5">WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Washington may have been a city in denial for much of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, the Capitals were getting outshot in every game and outworked in most, and they never seemed to be able to put together a full 60 minutes of solid effort, but somehow they had found a way to get to a Game Seven on home ice.<br /> <br />At worst, it seemed, Game Seven provided a coin flip: even odds that the Caps could come away with one more win and reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in franchise history. After all, the series had been unbelievably close on the scoreboard for six games. Three of those games required overtime, and the Penguins were outscoring the Caps in the series by only one goal.<br /><br />But those watching every game must have known, even if they didn't want to admit, that the Penguins were controlling too much of the play, putting too many shots on net and drawing too many penalties. Over the first six games, the Penguins outshot the Caps by 66 and had 11 more power plays, both signs that Pittsburgh was dictating the play even though the results weren't making that obvious.<br /><br />In Wednesday night's Game Seven, the results did make that obvious.</blockquote><a href="http://dcsportsbox.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1575&Itemid=65">Read the rest (with lots of depressing player quotes) at DCSportsBox.com.</a><br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-5649941277389321162009-05-07T11:50:00.002-04:002009-05-07T11:52:09.786-04:00Caps-Penguins Game 3 Recap...Not that you want to read more about that game, but my article is up at DC Sports Box:<br /><blockquote><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/dcsblogo.jpg" align="right" hspace="5">PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Capitals goalie Simeon Varlamov stopped shots from every angle imaginable to keep his team in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night, but it was a deflection off his own player in overtime that did the Caps in.<br /> <br />Varlamov had already stopped 39 of 41 Penguins shots through 60 minutes of regulation and 11-plus of overtime when Pittsburgh won an offensive zone faceoff back to the blue line and defenseman Kris Letang fired a slap shot on net. The puck deflected off of Caps defender Shaone Morrisonn's leg, came up and clipped Varlamov's left side before finding its way just inside the goal post, sending the white-clad Pittsburgh crowd into a relieved frenzy knowing the Penguins had avoided falling into a near-insurmountable 3-0 hole in the series.<br /><br />Instead, Pittsburgh now trails 2-1 and has the opportunity to knot the series up on Friday night with another home game.</blockquote><a href="http://dcsportsbox.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1566&Itemid=65">Read the rest at DCSportsBox.com.</a><br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-86831684988615962512009-05-05T10:16:00.009-04:002009-05-05T10:21:24.473-04:00Recap: Caps vs. Penguins Game 2My recap of Capitals-Penguins Game 2 is up at DC Sports Box.<br /><blockquote><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/dcsblogo.jpg" align="right" hspace="5">WASHINGTON, D.C. – For anyone who was concerned that the Alex Ovechkin versus Sidney Crosby matchup in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series couldn't possibly live up to the hype and anticipation: You've been served notice.<br /> <br />Both young superstars scored hat tricks in Monday night's Game Two between the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, but only Washington could claim victory. With a 4-3 win, the Caps will take a 2-0 series lead to Pittsburgh for Games Three and Four.<br /><br />"It was a battle of the two best players in the league tonight," Caps defenseman Mike Green said in the locker room after the game. "Sidney [Crosby] played outstanding. It's incredible how good he is around the net and ... he was carrying his team, but tonight we had the top gun."</blockquote><a href="http://dcsportsbox.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1564&Itemid=65">Read the rest at DCSportsBox.com.</a><br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-38051099691014842042009-05-02T11:46:00.003-04:002009-05-02T11:47:32.643-04:00Beltway Sports Beat is on TwitterThat's right, kids! I'm only a year late to the party.<br /><br />Follow me: <a href="http://twitter.com/BeltwaySports" target=_bsbnew>BeltwaySports</a><br /><br />You can also see my last five tweets in the widget on the right side of this blog.C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-28299012102142641852009-05-01T14:04:00.004-04:002009-05-01T14:13:52.566-04:00Caps-Penguins Previews: Article and Podcast<img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/dcsblogo.jpg" align="right">The preview that my fellow DC Sports Box beat writers and I wrote for the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Caps and Penguins is now available online. <a href="http://dcsportsbox.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1555&Itemid=65" target=_bsbnew>Check it out here.</a><br /><br />I think we have some interesting stuff on Ovechkin vs. Crosby, some of the matchups that AREN'T Ovechkin vs. Crosby, and the goaltending for both teams.<br /><br />Once you're done with that, <a href="http://media.dcsportsbox.com/podcasts/capitals/2009-05-01.mp3" target=_bsbnew>click over to the preview podcast.</a> We've set an important standard with this one: that we're not going to re-record a whole podcast just because we keep flubbing Simeon Varlamov's name. That's right, my co-host, Abram Fox, and I are willing to make sacrifices. Namely, sacrificing quality for our own sanity.<br /><br />Enjoy.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-68079356167980674842009-04-29T10:03:00.003-04:002009-04-29T10:44:36.571-04:00Some thoughts after Game SevenFirst of all, <a href="http://dcsportsbox.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1552&Itemid=65" target=_bsbnew>you can read my recap for DC Sports Box here</a>.<br /><br />But here's some things that couldn't go in the legit piece:<br /><br />I was 14 the last time the Capitals won a playoff series. A freshman in high school. That seems like a long, long time ago.<br /><br />I was hoping the self-proclaimed Maven, Stan Fischler, would come out and say, "Wow we must not be all that good, because I spent the last two weeks saying how weak the Caps were and now we lost to them. Sorry!" <a href="http://blogs.msg.com/gameon/2009/04/29/rangers-wait-til-next-season/" target=_bsbnew>But no...</a><br /><br />Simeon Varlamov (Semyon next year?) tripped a little bit going out the door from the bench to the ice before the third period. I thought that was a bad sign, and remembered that when I was a goalie in high school and college hockey I would always get embarrassed when something stupid like that would happen and inevitably give up a weak goal. I guess that's why I'm clinging to memories of an adult league roller hockey championship and he's a 21-year-old dominating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.<br /><br />Text message from my friend Will right after the game: <a href="http://nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=WAS&season=0809" target=_bsbnew>"Best 4 mil ever"</a><br /><br />Is it odd that the only people I wanted to gloat to were the Caps fans who, after Games Two and Four, were saying things like, <a href="http://boards.washingtoncaps.com/index.php?showtopic=85259" target=_bsbnew>"Stick a fork in us, we are done."</a><br /><br />When we found out about the <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030137&navid=DL|NHL|Home" target=_bsbnew>Hurricanes' amazing comeback on the Devils</a>, I was in the makeshift press room on the Wizards practice court sitting right next to <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy" target=_bsbnew>"Puck Daddy" Greg Wyshynski</a>, who is a Devils fan. Even in the celebratory atmosphere of Verizon Center I felt bad for the guy. Maybe because we've all been there at some point, but also probably because I have a soft spot for the Devils since my brother grew up a fan (he's since converted to <a href="https://secure.indas.on.ca/transcontinental/store/images/cover/THNI08102101.jpg" target=_bsbnew>the most exciting team in the NHL</a>). That feeling vanished when I remembered that the Devils have been around eight less years than the Caps, yet they've been to six Eastern Conference Finals, four Stanley Cup Finals and have won three Cups. (The Caps, of course, are at 2, 1, 0 in those categories.) Also, let it be known that with the Devils up 3-2 with six minutes left, Wyshynski said something to the effect of, "Great, that just means Marty will give up another freaking goal with .2 seconds left." Ouch.<br /><br />The end of the Devils-'Canes game wasn't shown on Versus in our area. I really want to find someone who was in the arena to confirm that Carolina's 3rd and 4th goals DID actually happen. Until I have this confirmation, a small part of me will always believe that the NHL made a call to the Prudential Center after the Caps won, and that there are 17,625 people wandering around North Jersey in a haze confused as to why all of a sudden the scoreboard clicked from a 3-2 Devils lead to a 4-3 Devils loss without anything happening on the ice.<br /><br />My first reaction on finding out the Caps are playing the Penguins in the second round: "I don't think I have enough hate left in my body for a Pittsburgh series."<br /><br />My second reaction: "NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT READ INTERNET COMMENTS DURING CAPS-PENGUINS SERIES"<br /><br />Bruce Boudreau: "Welcome to the circus."C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-63162479002549507332009-04-16T11:42:00.019-04:002009-04-29T10:49:44.759-04:00Why even play the games?It's over. <a href="http://blogs.msg.com/gameon/2009/04/16/rangers-the-meaning-of-the-first-game-win/" target=_bsbnew>Read it and weep.</a><br /><i>(h/t to <a href="http://www.japersrink.com/" target=_bsbnew>Japers' Rink</a>)</i><br /><br />Clearly, the Capitals are "paper tigers" who can't hack it in postseason play.<br /><br /><table width="140" align="right" cellpadding="5"><tr><td><img align="center" src="http://www.msg.com/media/television/stan-fischler_125x150.jpg"></td></tr><tr><td><i><b>Don't question it. This guy can't be wrong.</b></i></td></tr></table>Just as clearly, Alex Ovechkin is staking his claim as the Alex Rodriguez of hockey. Sure, he's great at putting up gaudy numbers, but he's as un-clutch as they come. I know he led the league with 24 third-period goals, but he also led the league in empty-netters, and those five gimmes with the net yawning more than negate his 10 GWGs.<br /><br />And boy did he have a major letdown last night. Just ask Mr. Fischler. Alex the not-so-Great got over 26 minutes of ice time and all he could manage were two lousy assists, 13 shots on goal and six hits? Weeeeeeeeeaaakkkkk. This clown'll never hoist a Cup if one of the league's best defenses can make him such a complete non-factor.<br /><br />The scariest part is that the Rangers did all this without Chris Drury in the lineup. When Drury comes back, there's no way the Caps are ever within one goal of the Rangers, save for the opening faceoff. I mean, this guy put up almost identical numbers to BROOKS LAICH (except at the bank, where Drury <i>destroyed</i> Laich by $5 million this season). Can you imagine the Capitals even bothering to take the ice if Brooks Laich was out with an injury? No you cannot. Because they'd never do it. Good thing Laich has been healthy enough to participate in every game of '08-'09. But that's just proof of how <i>tough</i> this Rangers team is.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Rangers head coach John Tortorella is working some serious wizardry behind the bench, making Bruce Boudreau's game plan look like a little kid's drawings on the paper table cloths at Rocky Run. MISMATCH. We're talking about the winningest American-born coach in history. A veteran with a stellar .517 points percentage for his career. How could greenhorn Boudreau ever have hoped to compete with those kinds of credentials? (Boudreau's .661 points percentage honestly doesn't mean jack because of the small sample size.)<br /><br />I know Wednesday night was just one game, but it's a microcosm -- a 60-minute example of all that has gone wrong and is destined to once again go wrong for Washington's hockey team.<br /><br />Stick a fork in this series, it's done. Sorry we had to find out this way.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-33626054438832970452009-04-15T10:37:00.003-04:002009-04-15T10:56:34.226-04:00Caps-Rangers Series Preview: Multimedia Style<img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/dcsblogo.jpg" align="right">My fellow DC Sports Box Capitals beat reporters have collaborated to do some serious previewing of the Capitals-Rangers first round playoff series that starts tonight.<br /><br /><a href="http://dcsportsbox.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1520&Itemid=65" target=_bsbnew>The article is here</a> as a set of mini-articles by myself, David Nichols and Abram Fox.<br /><br />I covered the offense, defense and special teams numbers, David covered the goaltenders and Abram took on the player matchups, including Sean Avery vs. the Caps' young guns.<br /><br />Once you're done reading that, <a href="http://media.dcsportsbox.com/podcasts/capitals/2009-04-15.mp3" target=_bsbnew>load this up</a> and listen to almost 33 minutes of me and Abram talking about the series and what we expect to see.<br /><br />Or you can search for DCSportsBox in the podcast directory on iTunes and subscribe so you'll never miss another episode.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-40094280475288108542009-04-14T14:52:00.006-04:002009-04-14T15:38:47.359-04:00ESPN has no idea how the NHL Draft Lottery worksEither the people who run ESPN.com's <a href="http://streak.espn.go.com" target=_bsbnew>Streak for the Cash</a> have absolutely no clue how the NHL Draft Lottery works, or they wanted to give everyone a "freebie" today.<br /><br />When trying to figure out which match-up to pick to extend my amazing streak (currently at 1 consecutive correct picks), I came across a very strange option:<br /><br /><img align="right" src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/sftc_nhldraft.jpg"><br /><br />SftC also provides a handy link to <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=417947#&navid=nhl-search" target=_bsbnew>this explanation of how the NHL Draft Lottery works</a>, which they apparently failed to read.<br /><br />The Islanders have a 25 percent chance of being selected in the lottery, the Avalanche have a 14.2 percent chance, and the Thrashers have a 10.7 percent chance.<br /><br />That adds up to 49.9 percent. Pretty much dead even, right?<br /><br />Wrong. Because the question isn't which team will get selected in the lottery, it's which team will get the #1 pick. And there's a big difference.<br /><br />Below the list of percentages on the link that SftC proviedes, the NHL explains that a team <span style="font-weight:bold;">can only move up four spots in the draft order.</span> That means that only the worst five teams in the NHL this season (Islanders, Lightning, Avalanche, Thrashers and Kings) have a shot at getting the #1 pick, while the other nine non-playoff teams can still have their name drawn but would only move up four spots.<br /><br />So even though the Islanders only have a 25 percent chance of having their name drawn in the lottery, they still have a 48.2 percent chance of getting the #1 pick because if the Coyotes, Maple Leafs, Stars, Senators, Oilers, Predators, Wild, Sabres or Panthers have their name drawn (combined chances: 23.2 percent), they will not move ahead of the Isles and the Isles will still get the top choice in the draft.<br /><br />So the prop really should have been "Who will get the #1 pick in the draft: The Islanders OR Any other team." Or it could have been, "Who will be SELECTED in the NHL Draft Lottery: Islanders/Avalanche/Thrashers OR Any other team."<br /><br />As is, the odds of one of the three teams they listed getting the #1 pick is a whopping 73.1 percent. The only teams they didn't list that COULD get the #1 pick are the Lightning (18.8 percent) and the Kings (8.1 percent).<br /><br />Apparently the Streak for the Cash players don't have the same reading comprehension issues, as almost 98 percent of them have picked the Isles/Avs/Thrashers option. Now watch the Lightning get picked and screw everyone over.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-81490989047053474392009-04-08T14:10:00.007-04:002009-04-08T14:36:43.238-04:00:-|<a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/04/stan_kasten_sings_a_hymn_to_ph.html" target=_bsbnew>http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/04/stan_kasten_sings_a_hymn_to_ph.html</a><br /><br />Go read that. Then the title of this blog post will make sense.<br /><br />Basically, Nationals President Stan Kasten went on Philadelphia sports talk radio and wooed the hell out of Philadelphia fans, all but begging them to make the three hour trip down I-95 to root against the team he runs.<br /><br />Here's a quick excerpt if you're lazy:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Hey, you've got an opening day hat!" Kasten said, when asked about any giveaways on Monday. "It's a Nats hat, which is ok, but we do feature for sale many Philly hats in our store, so come on by."<br /><br />Good gracious me on the tombstone of Walter Johnson, really? You're going to say that on Philadelphia airwaves? "We do feature for sale many Philly hats in our store?" That's not being tone-deaf, that's deliberately going out of your way to play everything in E-flat when you're living in a D-major city. I'm trying to think of a more blasphemous thing a D.C. sports executive could say. Yup, still trying.</blockquote><br />That's not all of it. That's not even close. You really need to read Steinberg's post at the Bog.<br /><br />I think Bog commenter JDB1 sums it up best:<br /><blockquote>wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtfw wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtf wtfw</blockquote><br />At best I carry a passive interest in the Nationals, but as a Caps fan who has endured a LOT of "fan takeovers" and, fresher in memory, an Orioles fan who has been verbally accosted by drunken moron Red Sox fans yelling about Fenway South, this has got to cut deep.<br /><br />For non-Nats fans, let me try to make this relate:<br /><br />Could you imagine if George McPhee went on ESPN Radio 1250 in Pittsburgh and said the Caps would be selling <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Behold-the-awkward-power-of-Malsby-Penguins-meg?urn=nhl,94982" target=_bsbnew>MALSBY jerseys</a> at FanGear in Verizon Center?<br /><br />Or if Andy MacPhail went on WEEI in Boston and said, "Yeah it's T-Shirt Tuesday so everyone'll get a bright orange shirt, but don't trip ... we's got mad <a href="http://blogs.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/2007/09/06/the-pink-hats-are-taking-over-part-i/" target=_bsbnew>pink hats</a> in the Orioles Store, yo!"<br /><br /><table align="right"><tr><td><img src="http://sports.espn.go.com/i/magazine/new/040922_phanatic.jpg" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td><i>Image from espn.go.com</i></td></tr></table>(Don't ask why imaginary Radio MacPhail speaks in broken '70s jive.)<br /><br />You get where I'm coming from. This. Is. IN. SANE.<br /><br />Sure, Stan. You can secretly hope that the Phillie Phanatics show up in droves just to fill your coffers, but don't send them a "save the date," a written invite AND provide the goodie bags.<br /><br />WTF, indeed.C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-31611438261079368762009-02-26T21:12:00.002-05:002009-02-26T21:14:35.076-05:00Not sure why I thought of this just now...But if the Capitals were to ever, for some odd reason, end up with current Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, I'm changing the name of this blog to "Two Minutes for AndrewFerence."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Get it? Two minutes for interference... interference/AndrewFerence???<br /><br />Yeah. Sorry. It won't happen again.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-62334960296359696162009-02-03T13:48:00.003-05:002009-02-03T14:57:27.103-05:00Ouch. ESPN takes a jab at the TerpsTrying to get my impressive "Streak for the Cash" run up to two consecutive successful picks, I was perusing the options for tonight's action at ESPN.com and found one item particularly amusing/sad.<br /><br /><img src="http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c178/MDTerrapins/greivis_vs_unc.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"><br /><br />That's scrunched to fit, but what you're being asked to pick is which total will be greater: UNC's margin of victory or Greivis Vasquez' total of points PLUS assists. ESPN was so giddy about this hilarious option that they named it the "Progressive Matchup of the Day." So ... I guess that's something to be proud of, Terps fans.<br /><br />The Streakers for the Cash (that sounds bad) are overwhelmingly liking Greivis' chances on this one, as right now just a hair over 75 percent of the players who picked in that matchup went with the feisty Venezuelan. But are they right to do so?<br /><br />At first it seems like a pretty big slap in the face that this is an option at all, but then you consider that Greivis is averaging 16 and 5, AND that the Heels are laying 21.5 points to the Terps. And that's before you look at this <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=200901240173" target=_bsbnew>miserable box score</a> and realize that if they had run the same matchup in the Maryland-Duke game just 10 days ago, Maryland's point guard would have fallen juuuust short ... <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">by 36</span></span>.<br /><br />Do I think the Terps lose by 41 tonight? No. And honestly if I was going to bet on this game (which I highly advise against) I'd take the Terps to beat the spread. But even if they DO beat the spread it could still be hard for Vasquez to put up the numbers required to get him the win in this made-up matchup.<br /><br />As for my Streak for the Cash, tonight I'm taking the well-rested and red hot Dallas Stars to beat the Northwest-leading Calgary Flames, who will be playing on the road for the second night in a row and could be resting starting goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. (Although you should probably never assume Kipper is taking a night off. He's started 46 of Calgary's 49 games this season and he's played more than 90 percent of the team's games since the start of the 2005-2006 season.)<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14059220.post-34566357926396901092009-02-02T20:37:00.002-05:002009-02-02T20:44:51.458-05:00A rare Wizards postEvery time I watch the Wizards I think, "Man, they really need to get Darius Songaila more playing time. That guy's always making things happen." Then Steve Buckhantz reminds me that he has four fouls in just 10 minutes.<br /> C. Stonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00266067254220682550noreply@blogger.com0