Using the Toronto Blue Jays and playoff baseball in the same sentence in the past would have been viewed as contradictory. Assuming the Blue Jays continue their torrid pace, or even finish the rest of the jaunt playing .500 baseball, playoff baseball is all but a formality, although the way the scenario currently levies, just qualifying for the wild-card game will be a major disappointment for us north of the border. From my baseball viewing lifetime, I've never followed the Blue Jays while they were a competent baseball team, as from a 1995 Ed Sprague to a 1998 Jacob Brumfield, some of my all time favourite Jays weren't able to levitate the squad to respectability. Now, led by the "Bringer of Rain" himself, former Oakland Athletic Josh Donaldson, the Jays are playoff bound and the subject I wanted to discuss is my opinion how John Gibbons should, not necessarily will construct the playoff roster.
Catchers(2):
Russell Martin and Josh Thole- Although most won't likely agree and the vast majority will be calling for the slower than slow Dioner Navarro to be included on the roster, the simple truth is their is NO chance the Blue Jays employ three catchers on the roster with Russell Martin being the every day guy behind the dish with Thole as per usual, exclusively working R.A Dickey's start(starts).
Infielders(7):
Justin Smoak, Chris Colabello, Edwin Encarnacion, Ryan Goins, Cliff Pennington, Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson,-The infielders were quite easy with the only player complicating matters is rookie Devon Travis. Travis had a blazing start to the 2015 campaign but a recurring shoulder injury hampered his productivity and ability to stay on the field. My thoughts pertaining to Travis is that the Jays are better served shutting down Travis in lieu of ensuring he is fully ready to go for the 2016 season, even though my opinion may differ when it comes to a certain much aligned pitcher that I'll discuss when I get to the pitching portion of this article. The other reason for why the decision to shut down Travis is amendable is due to the flexibility and increased productivity of super infielder Ryan Goins. Goins, if the unthinkable happens to the likes of Tulowitzki or Donaldson, can be slid in and masterfully fill in defensively on the left side of the infield. When it comes to the year long first base platoon of Justin Smoak and Chris Colabello, I don't think their's any doubt that they both get included on the roster as a hot Smoak can battle righties while Colabello can come in versus lefties if needed, but I'd be surprised if the direction John Gibbons didn't go wasn't primarily Justin Smoak, at least for game one and then re-assessment could take place.Getting back to the left side of the infield, this organization will ultimately ride or die with Tulo and J.D, so the Jays will fly as far as these two take them.
Outfielders(5):
Jose Bautista,Ezequiel Carrera, Kevin Pillar,Ben Revere, Dalton Pompey- To answer the elephant in the room, why would the Jays even slightly consider including Dalton Pompey on the playoff roster? That's right, the same Pompey who back in April after initially being named the teams starting centerfielder who made Jackie Bradley Jr. look like a hall of famer will be included for one reason and one reason only. He can run! Far too many Blue Jays will be travelling with the team come October that it's safe to say were never world class sprinters, ie Tulowitzki, Smoak, Colabello, Edwin etc etc so the need of Pompey is especially emphasized as this team might as well be re-branded as the Toronto Slow Pokes. Bautista,Pillar, Revere with Carrera being the fourth outfielder as per usual.
Rotation(4):
Marco Estrada, R.A Dickey, David Price, Mark Buehrle- To be utterly honest, part of the motivation behind this piece this evening was in response to Sportsnet Fan 590's Mike Wilner who was on Prime Time Sports with guest host(might as well be permanent with the volume lately) Jeff Blair, and he was asked this very question that I'm about to answer, and that's precisely who the Jays starters should be granted they'll have the time to set the rotation to their liking? Well, unlike Wilner, I would not include Stroman in the mix even if he shows further readiness in his Buffalo AAA outing. In game one, you brought in David Price for this very reason so naturally Price will start game one or the wildcard crapshoot. Game two is where much debate ensues, and for me Marco Estrada at this rate deserves to be given the ball from Gibbons. Game three would be the knuckleballer Dickey because he's been Zack Greinke hot in the second half. If the Jays are fortunate enough to hold a two games to one lead prior to game four, you start the veteran southpaw Buehrle, but down a game you go back to the prized acquisition Price.
Relievers(7)
Aaron Loup, Brett Cecil, Mark Lowe, Roberto Osuna, Drew Hutchison, Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman-Some might consider this going off the deep end, some may consider I have left the deep end long ago. To each their own. The three names that pop out will be piling Hutchison in the pen, not starting Stroman, and the inclusion of Loup. I'll try to answer these three issues to the best of my abilities. Pertaining to Loup, I just feel as if you need a second lefty in the pen come playoff time. I don't expect John Gibbons to instill the confidence to throw him out there in a meaningful inning but at the same time enlisting Loup as a shut down lefty is commendable in order to shut down the Eric Hosmer's of the world. Now for the million dollar question, and I partially eluded to this earlier, is Marcus Stroman in the bullpen the best for the Blue Jays in 2015? I think some people, including the close minded at times Wilner will take into consideration what Marcus wants, but what Mike and other Jay supporters have to realize is accommodating into Marcus' wants is not something they can afford to do in 2015, that's a more of a 2016 thing to do. Marcus is an eccentric individual and has repeatedly gone on record, but ironically it may be best employ a tactic that was used on his current team mate and former Tampa Bay Ray Price back in their World Series year of 2008. Price the young stud was brought into the bullpen and wouldn't that be a brilliant second chapter in the story of Stroman for him to come in for the seventh inning before the ball gets handed over to Sanchez and Osuna? The final spot(the last spot for a righty) came down to LaTroy Hawkins and Drew Hutchison. Back in 1999, as a member of the Minnesota Twins I saw Hawkins start so I have a close knit appreciaton for the vet LaTroy as that was my first ever baseball game but it's important that impartiality take full effect which is why the not so road warrior Hutchison wins out. Hutchison has been very good and if it wasn't for the depth in the rotation would be a candidate to start. He's your ideal long reliever and quite honestly I'm content with this. Hawkins just hasn't shown enough to be trusted in the all important games.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
U.S Open: The Attitude Era?
The U.S Open of tennis is in full swing with action kicking off this past Monday. On the men's side, we've been privy to the usual suspects advancing to round two but on the women's docket there have been a plethora of upsets creating some, to quote a Dixie Chicks classic "Wide Open Spaces". With the likes of Karolina Pliskova and Lucie Safarova already bowing down in the first round, the common thought is that it's safely setting up for a Serena romp, but there are players left hanging that will surely give Serena a valiant effort in her pursuit for another "Serena Slam". Two names specifically come to mind in the women's game for two ladies who have yet to receive their breakthrough but are on the precipus of accomplishing herculean things in this great game. The feisty Italian, twenty three year old Camila Giorgi is on the verge of doing something special and the bright confines of New York City might very well be where her very first chapter is penned. Giorgi has an extremely powerful forehand and in the few matches I've witnessed of hers, her positioning at net is very technically sound. If she can overcome second round opponent Sabine Lisicki, a very good player in her own right who's endured through a miserable summer, a date in a fourth round may be arranged with Simona Halep, the number two player in the world but who's game is very susceptible to the hard courts. Bold prognostications are nothing out of the ordinary, but I think a trip to the quarterfinals is within reach for Giorgi. The other unconventional name to keep an eye out for on the women's side is the Polish power Magda Linette. Her major championship resume is fairly bare at the moment but despite her diminutive size standing at a whopping 5'7, she possesses a booming first serve that will create a strategical nightmare for second round opponent Agnieszka Radwanska, for no other reason then she may be experiencing a bit of a let down with the dream of facing her sister Urszula a distant dream now. The Radwanska sisters don't handle the power game particularly well which will favour young Magda in this match. A potential third round duel featuring herself and young American Madison Keys would be an absolute treat, something I view as a realistic possibility. Watch out for Linette and Giorgi on the women's side.
On the men's side, I would be amendable to discussing how the draw is shaking out but the primary focus of this article is to enlist my thoughts on the impending "Attitude Era" in men's tennis skyrocketed by the brash personality of Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios is the "bad boy" of tennis, in a sport that hasn't had a real villain since John McEnroe. Reading comments via twitter over the last few days, the common opinion is that Kyrgios' antics don't put a positive representation on the game of tennis, but to no surprise of anyone my take differs greatly. Kyrgios brings a aspect of a bullish behavior to the game, something that is in stark contrast to bland personalities that the upper echelon of the men's game currently enthrall the public with, whether it's Roger Federer and his politically correct answers, Nadal's broken English, or Djokovic's "I think I'm funny but I'm really not" demeanor, the game of tennis needs a face that can combine premier tennis abilities with a recognizable personality, something the Australian Kyrgios can offer. Kyrgios' name has been seen in a negative light ever since his comments made at the Rogers cup in Montreal. In a match against Stan Wawrinka, Kyrgios was heard muttering that he hooked up with Wawrinka's girlfriend, and that Wawrinka purportedly "bangs" eighteen year old girls. In response to the controversial comments,the ATP tour fined Nick a substantial amount and he was warranted a suspension as well. Now, do I condone the suspension and fine? Absolutely, if for no other reason than that live tennis can be construed as a potential family outing and these kind of derogatory comments have no place in the family setting. But to step away from that angle, his antics are getting tennis talked about through a national spotlight. Personally, I enjoy watching tennis and used to play tennis quasi competitively but over the last few years, the dominance of the big four in the men's game, and I'll include Andy Murray in that group has made tennis predictable and taken some of the enjoyment away from it. It's like what baseball went through in the mid to late nineties. Sure, you can love to hate the Yankees but to see them win every year got boring fast and didn't provide much hope to other American League patriarchs. Watching Kyrgios play brings back a level of intrigue. Every sport has that somebody who's seen in the antagonist role, whether it's Sean Avery in hockey, Dwight Howard in basketball, or John Rocker in baseball, it creates discussion, and what on earth is wrong with that? For some reason in tennis, it's forbidden that anybody breaks the "code", as if to say the state of the tennis athlete is held to a much higher standard then most. I'm not denying that it would be advisable that Kyrgios tone down some of his banter, but unless the sport is okay consistently stoic Federer's of the world, some further pondering may be needed on how to spice up the courts.
On the men's side, I would be amendable to discussing how the draw is shaking out but the primary focus of this article is to enlist my thoughts on the impending "Attitude Era" in men's tennis skyrocketed by the brash personality of Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios is the "bad boy" of tennis, in a sport that hasn't had a real villain since John McEnroe. Reading comments via twitter over the last few days, the common opinion is that Kyrgios' antics don't put a positive representation on the game of tennis, but to no surprise of anyone my take differs greatly. Kyrgios brings a aspect of a bullish behavior to the game, something that is in stark contrast to bland personalities that the upper echelon of the men's game currently enthrall the public with, whether it's Roger Federer and his politically correct answers, Nadal's broken English, or Djokovic's "I think I'm funny but I'm really not" demeanor, the game of tennis needs a face that can combine premier tennis abilities with a recognizable personality, something the Australian Kyrgios can offer. Kyrgios' name has been seen in a negative light ever since his comments made at the Rogers cup in Montreal. In a match against Stan Wawrinka, Kyrgios was heard muttering that he hooked up with Wawrinka's girlfriend, and that Wawrinka purportedly "bangs" eighteen year old girls. In response to the controversial comments,the ATP tour fined Nick a substantial amount and he was warranted a suspension as well. Now, do I condone the suspension and fine? Absolutely, if for no other reason than that live tennis can be construed as a potential family outing and these kind of derogatory comments have no place in the family setting. But to step away from that angle, his antics are getting tennis talked about through a national spotlight. Personally, I enjoy watching tennis and used to play tennis quasi competitively but over the last few years, the dominance of the big four in the men's game, and I'll include Andy Murray in that group has made tennis predictable and taken some of the enjoyment away from it. It's like what baseball went through in the mid to late nineties. Sure, you can love to hate the Yankees but to see them win every year got boring fast and didn't provide much hope to other American League patriarchs. Watching Kyrgios play brings back a level of intrigue. Every sport has that somebody who's seen in the antagonist role, whether it's Sean Avery in hockey, Dwight Howard in basketball, or John Rocker in baseball, it creates discussion, and what on earth is wrong with that? For some reason in tennis, it's forbidden that anybody breaks the "code", as if to say the state of the tennis athlete is held to a much higher standard then most. I'm not denying that it would be advisable that Kyrgios tone down some of his banter, but unless the sport is okay consistently stoic Federer's of the world, some further pondering may be needed on how to spice up the courts.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Paddock's Pats
The Regina Pats have been involved in a tumultuous off-season in preparation for the 2015-2016 Western Hockey League season. Tumultuous in the sense that the managerial brass has dealt with freak injuries and questionable trades, which has us reminiscing about the direction this team was perennially headed in the infamous Parker era. There was so much optimism during last year's magical run which led to a competitive second round series loss against the Brandon Wheat Kings, which also saw a much needed ownership change now under the direction of the Queen City entertainment group but this off-season, as implied in the opening sentence has been concerning on a number of fronts, and the ultimate question I have is will this organization have enough in the tank to be the team to beat in 2016-2017, a year in which the Pats have set their sights on to give the league
championship the old college try. I'm not sure there is, but I'll leave that up to you to decipher.
Injuries have been the name of the game in Pat land this summer. First, and by far most prevalent is the loss of Colby Williams. Colby had a heralded start to the summer being a surprise selection in the National Hockey League draft going to the Washington Capitals and the immediate concern for Head Coach and General Manager John Paddock was whether Williams would be returned or spend the year with the American Hockey League affiliate. Need not worry anymore about that scenario as Williams has suffered a season ending upper body injury. The expectation for Williams was that he was going to be the defensive catalyst this year as he really came into his own throughout the 2014-2015 jaunt. Now, without Williams, the Pats are heavily banking on the continued emergence of players such as James Hilsendager and Connor Hobbs to carry the ship this winter. I give credit to Paddock in that before he was brought in, I thought Williams's play, for a lack of a better word, was horse manure. Watching Williams play prior to last year was like watching, and only long time Regina Pat supporters will understand and appreciate the reference, Gerad Adams play defence. You weren't sure if Adams was truly aware what team he played on as his nickname should've been Gerad" The Double Agent" Adams as you never truly knew what team held his services, he was that bad, as was Williams pre-Paddock. I remember thinking that it may have been wise considering transitioning Williams to a forward, because he skated well and just not responsible is his own end. It's now apparent that Williams is yesterday's news, just add one to the unlucky tally for the St.Patricia's. As you're about to learn, that tally is soon to be increased with the news that we received that Taylor Cooper is out until at least Christmas. Cooper, who was brought over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes(great trade, one of the few, a topic that will be discussed later) was phenomenal playing on the top line. He netted timely goals and always seemed to be in the ideal scoring areas. He was a good veteran presence up front for a team that's true aspirations lie in the 2016-2017 season and beyond. So to summarize the injury front, two key twenty year old cogs have now been lost, so how does this effect the game plan for the upcoming season? We'll discuss below.
I was extremely impressed with what John Paddock accomplished last year. His reward of being named the Western Hockey League's coach of the year is completely deserved. He took a team that a lot of media pendants perceived to be a non playoff team, and completely twisted the fortune of the franchise allowing the team to trade away their older assets while still comfortably sitting in the playoff picture Morgan Klimchuk was dealt for Jesse Gabrielle, a deal that due to recent turn of events will be forced to scrutinize shortly, Dryden Hunt and team captain Kyle Burroughs were jettisoned to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Also, Connor Gay was sent to the Red Deer Rebels along with a first round pick for youngster Jake Leschyshyn. The Medicine Hat Trade, in which the Pats received fellow Washington Capital draft pick Connor Hobbs I felt as if the Pats didn't get enough back in return. Hunt and Burroughs were two excellent nineteen year olds, and although I'm hearing conflicting reports on Burroughs, the consensus is that Dryden Hunt will be returned to the Tigers, and if by some oft chance Burroughs is sent back to, you have to wonder whether Paddock took enough from the Tiger shed? The Red Deer trade is what it is. For what it's worth, in my limited viewing of Leschyshyn, I was taken a back by his aggression on the ice. Usually, a lot of fifteen year olds/sixteen year olds who get coddled into the league don't play with that level of ferociousness but Jake was there to immediately rake up the points. I think Jake is bound to have a splendid season and fingers crossed he'll turn out to be the player father Curtis was. On a complete side note, I feel sorry for Pats play by play Phil "The Thrill" Andrews as not only does he have a Leschyshyn to pronounciate he also has a Zborovsky to deal with, but to make matters worse in two years time he may have a Leschyshyn and a Lenchyshyn to filter through. Good luck Phil! So the trade I really want to focus on tonight, and I think this will end up reflecting towards to the ultimate success of Paddock's tenure is the Morgan Klimchuk for Jesse Gabrielle deal. Gabrielle, who in Brandon and certainly carried over to the Regina Pats was that he was the Steve Downie of the WHL, his pesky style of play compounded with his tabasco infested mouth got under the skin of the opposition rendering him quite effective in my eyes. On the premise, trading away a nineteen year old first round NHL draft pick of the Calgary Flames in Klimchuk for a moderately coveted seventeen year old NHL prospect in Gabrielle seemed to add-up, The second half of the season saw scorching results for the franchise so it was hunky dory going forward, or so I thought. But then came the ever controversial summer 2015 trade involving the Patties and the Prince George Cougars. Jesse Gabrielle, a now Boston Bruins pick was sent away from a team that is trying to build around the 1997 and 1998 age group??? Utter ridiculousness if you ask me! My first inkling, which was never brought up as reasoning when attempting to provide justification with the move was that Gabrielle's personality caused conflicts forcing the Pats and Paddock's hand, but more than that, if we would've got fair value in return, I could've stomached the thought of sending away Jesse. Instead, we exchanged fourth round draft picks and got back in return a player who put up average statistics in Lane Zablocki. Zablocki, who some will suffice that it works in the Pats favour in that you can pair Zablocki with his fellow 1998 counterpart and face of the franchise in Sam Steel, but what happened trying to win in Steel's eighteen year old year, thus the requirement of possessing a strong 1997 core. The assumption from my end anyway is that their's a very strong chance Steel won't be playing junior hockey when he's nineteen so I fail to reason what they see in Zablocki to be a leading contributor in two year's time. I just can't and never will agree with this being a sound move, and if this move flames which I suspect it will, this will poorly reflect upon Paddock's legacy as a Pat, as this was a non necessitated transaction that was consummated.
championship the old college try. I'm not sure there is, but I'll leave that up to you to decipher.
Injuries have been the name of the game in Pat land this summer. First, and by far most prevalent is the loss of Colby Williams. Colby had a heralded start to the summer being a surprise selection in the National Hockey League draft going to the Washington Capitals and the immediate concern for Head Coach and General Manager John Paddock was whether Williams would be returned or spend the year with the American Hockey League affiliate. Need not worry anymore about that scenario as Williams has suffered a season ending upper body injury. The expectation for Williams was that he was going to be the defensive catalyst this year as he really came into his own throughout the 2014-2015 jaunt. Now, without Williams, the Pats are heavily banking on the continued emergence of players such as James Hilsendager and Connor Hobbs to carry the ship this winter. I give credit to Paddock in that before he was brought in, I thought Williams's play, for a lack of a better word, was horse manure. Watching Williams play prior to last year was like watching, and only long time Regina Pat supporters will understand and appreciate the reference, Gerad Adams play defence. You weren't sure if Adams was truly aware what team he played on as his nickname should've been Gerad" The Double Agent" Adams as you never truly knew what team held his services, he was that bad, as was Williams pre-Paddock. I remember thinking that it may have been wise considering transitioning Williams to a forward, because he skated well and just not responsible is his own end. It's now apparent that Williams is yesterday's news, just add one to the unlucky tally for the St.Patricia's. As you're about to learn, that tally is soon to be increased with the news that we received that Taylor Cooper is out until at least Christmas. Cooper, who was brought over from the Lethbridge Hurricanes(great trade, one of the few, a topic that will be discussed later) was phenomenal playing on the top line. He netted timely goals and always seemed to be in the ideal scoring areas. He was a good veteran presence up front for a team that's true aspirations lie in the 2016-2017 season and beyond. So to summarize the injury front, two key twenty year old cogs have now been lost, so how does this effect the game plan for the upcoming season? We'll discuss below.
I was extremely impressed with what John Paddock accomplished last year. His reward of being named the Western Hockey League's coach of the year is completely deserved. He took a team that a lot of media pendants perceived to be a non playoff team, and completely twisted the fortune of the franchise allowing the team to trade away their older assets while still comfortably sitting in the playoff picture Morgan Klimchuk was dealt for Jesse Gabrielle, a deal that due to recent turn of events will be forced to scrutinize shortly, Dryden Hunt and team captain Kyle Burroughs were jettisoned to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Also, Connor Gay was sent to the Red Deer Rebels along with a first round pick for youngster Jake Leschyshyn. The Medicine Hat Trade, in which the Pats received fellow Washington Capital draft pick Connor Hobbs I felt as if the Pats didn't get enough back in return. Hunt and Burroughs were two excellent nineteen year olds, and although I'm hearing conflicting reports on Burroughs, the consensus is that Dryden Hunt will be returned to the Tigers, and if by some oft chance Burroughs is sent back to, you have to wonder whether Paddock took enough from the Tiger shed? The Red Deer trade is what it is. For what it's worth, in my limited viewing of Leschyshyn, I was taken a back by his aggression on the ice. Usually, a lot of fifteen year olds/sixteen year olds who get coddled into the league don't play with that level of ferociousness but Jake was there to immediately rake up the points. I think Jake is bound to have a splendid season and fingers crossed he'll turn out to be the player father Curtis was. On a complete side note, I feel sorry for Pats play by play Phil "The Thrill" Andrews as not only does he have a Leschyshyn to pronounciate he also has a Zborovsky to deal with, but to make matters worse in two years time he may have a Leschyshyn and a Lenchyshyn to filter through. Good luck Phil! So the trade I really want to focus on tonight, and I think this will end up reflecting towards to the ultimate success of Paddock's tenure is the Morgan Klimchuk for Jesse Gabrielle deal. Gabrielle, who in Brandon and certainly carried over to the Regina Pats was that he was the Steve Downie of the WHL, his pesky style of play compounded with his tabasco infested mouth got under the skin of the opposition rendering him quite effective in my eyes. On the premise, trading away a nineteen year old first round NHL draft pick of the Calgary Flames in Klimchuk for a moderately coveted seventeen year old NHL prospect in Gabrielle seemed to add-up, The second half of the season saw scorching results for the franchise so it was hunky dory going forward, or so I thought. But then came the ever controversial summer 2015 trade involving the Patties and the Prince George Cougars. Jesse Gabrielle, a now Boston Bruins pick was sent away from a team that is trying to build around the 1997 and 1998 age group??? Utter ridiculousness if you ask me! My first inkling, which was never brought up as reasoning when attempting to provide justification with the move was that Gabrielle's personality caused conflicts forcing the Pats and Paddock's hand, but more than that, if we would've got fair value in return, I could've stomached the thought of sending away Jesse. Instead, we exchanged fourth round draft picks and got back in return a player who put up average statistics in Lane Zablocki. Zablocki, who some will suffice that it works in the Pats favour in that you can pair Zablocki with his fellow 1998 counterpart and face of the franchise in Sam Steel, but what happened trying to win in Steel's eighteen year old year, thus the requirement of possessing a strong 1997 core. The assumption from my end anyway is that their's a very strong chance Steel won't be playing junior hockey when he's nineteen so I fail to reason what they see in Zablocki to be a leading contributor in two year's time. I just can't and never will agree with this being a sound move, and if this move flames which I suspect it will, this will poorly reflect upon Paddock's legacy as a Pat, as this was a non necessitated transaction that was consummated.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
NFL Fantas-eh
After completing my fantasy football draft this evening, it's time to unveil the five players that I would absolutely classify as late round steals when it comes to your draft, and five players I wouldn't touch with a wooden pole. I thoroughly hope you find this insightful and feedback via twitter(@bretzky26) or by e-mail at brett_h_murray@hotmail.com would be greatly appreciated.
"Slithering Steals"
1.Devin Funchess-WR(Carolina)- With the unfortunate news coming out of Raleigh that stud receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a season ending injury, this has opened the door for the recent Michigan graduate Funchess. Funchess is a giant standing at 6'5, and the expectation was that along with Benjamin, the Raleigh "Twin Towers" were purportedly amongst us, but we'll have to wait until at least 2016 for anything of that magnitude to materialize. Funchess doesn't possess high end speed but is an excellent route runner and the strong arm of his now quarterback Cam Newton will be able to effectively find him with numerous quick hitting patterns that will work to Funchess' advantage. In non-keeper drafts, try to land Funchess in the sixth to seventh round.
2.Kyle Rudolph-TE(Minnesota)- Kyle Rudolph due to the market he resides does not get the deserved recognition. Rudolph's career plight throughout the first three years of his career is that of someone that has had difficulty with staying healthy. The reason I view Rudolph as a mid to late round steal is because a lot of the "insiders" are under the premise that Minnesota Vikings will constantly stuff the ball inside and seemingly ignore their running game, but I'm here to tell you that the emergence of Teddy Bridgewater will be an added bonus attack for Rudolph and other Vikings pass catchers. Selecting Rudolph in the sixth to eighth round would be a worth while concept.
3.Dorial Green-Beckham-WR(Tennessee)- In my keeper league this evening, Green-Beckham was picked relatively early so kudos to the owner who nabbed him in my league. I think Green-Beckham, as has been stated numerous times had his issues collegiately getting removed from the Missouri Tigers program, but if he would've been a civil citizen of the program he likely would have had his name called in the first round of the NFL draft. Green-Beckham's comparable, and this is solely my opinion as is everything else with this enterprise is would be Brandin Cooks out of the Louisiana state. The concern I have, and we'll see whether this becomes me overthinking the situation or ending up being correct and that's whether Marcus Mariota will show the maturity to be a consistent gun slinger in his first season. A third round pick without the quarterback concerns, sixth round pick otherwise.
4.Victor Cruz-WR(New York Giants)- Some reading this will feel as if I'm contradicting myself, particularly seeing as how I didn't end up pursuing Cruz as a fantasy selection. Well...the jokes on you, as I still might! Nonetheless, my reasoning for labelling Cruz a sleeper is three fold For starters, I'm prognosticating the G-men to win the Super bowl so that right there should exquisitely explain my reasoning for wanting Victor Cruz. I think all of the attention and rightfully so will be on the best receiver in the business in Odell Beckham which will create matchups pitting Cruz against a lot of CB2's. Let's not forget that Cruz has been a number one receiver on a super bowl team before and even though he's a little long in the tooth, I could go on and on but I better wrap this up and login into my league and acquire the Super Bowl champs #2. Very, very late round pick would suffice.
5.Nelson Agholor-WR(Philadelphia)-Again, kudos to the same owner who I also believe selected Green-Beckham, but being how he's a delusional Eagles fan, this one didn't surprise me. I only classify this individual as delusional as who in their right mind cheers for the Eagles. Agholor, the more I read I continually get the same rhetoric back and that's he's the number two receiver on the Eagles. Maybe I need a news flash brought to my attention, but what has Jordan Matthews done to suffice being considered the Eagles top show in town. The answer is nothing, Jordan Matthews is an overrated commodity in the city of Brotherly Love which furthers my reasoning for why Agholor is a fantastic pick as by the end of the year I guarantee barring injury he will get the bulk of the work load for Philadelphia. Fifth to sixth round pick.
"CFL Bound"
1.Mark Ingram-RB(New Orleans)- My thought process in including Ingram on the no touch list is that I look at New Orleans as a whole, and I see a team who's bound for a plentiful decrease in the passing game losing Jimmy Graham allowing defensive coordinators to emphasize shutting down the run which will negatively influence Ingram's production. Ingram has reportedly claimed that he aspires to be the three down back but Mark, if I may, and I know you're chomping at the bit every time I post an entry, stick to focusing on the run my friend as without that you're a useless pylon hindering the Saints. They brought in C.J Spiller for a reason.
2.Amari Cooper-WR(Oakland)- The laughable Raiders have once again struck with incompetence. The sad reality is for newly appointed head coach Jack Del Rio is like all other head coaches that have come and went in the Davis era, a team now hawked over by late Al's son, they seem to focus on the short term, never focusing or concentrating on the long term plausibility of the franchise. I fear Cooper's going to succumb to the same pressures put on him that Darius Heyward-Bay dealt with while donning the Black and White. The hierarchy in Northern California doesn't breed success and the fact that quarterback Derek Carr will have the mandate to throw Cooper's way twenty times a game, it's likely that defensive coordinators will have Sunday feast against a rookie that at this point doesn't know any better.
3.Julian Edelman-WR(New England)- I can only imagine some of the reactions that will be internally thought of after reading this. Edelman's Patriots just won the Super Bowl right? Well yes, but the impartial observer in myself clearly saw a scenario developing in Foxboro that when the game got tougher, more targets were going Brandon LaFell's way. Edelman is a premier kick returner, but relying on the kick return won't win you fantasy championships. I think some confuse the fact that because he has such excellent return abilities that he's actually being a premier receiver, for which he is nowhere close. The Patriots may thrive, but Julian will not.
4. Ryan Tannehill-QB(Miami)-Throwing for twenty seven and twenty four touchdowns the last two years respectively is certainly commendable, but the loss of Mike Wallace should not be understated. Jarvis Landry had a astonishing 2014 campaign, but I'm not convinced can retain his number one receiver status. Who else does he have the opportunity to throw the ball too? Greg Jennings? The same Greg Jennings who may allow the infamously slow baseball great Mo Vaughn look like Usain Bolt? Not happening, the lack of quality receiving targets is a scary proposition for fans in the Miami area as to parody a quote from the great Lebron James" This year, I'm going to take my fantasy quarterbacks from South Beach".
5.Doug Baldwin-WR(Seattle)- This Stanford grad may cause most fantasy owners to commit the Cardinal sin by overvaluing one aberration of a year while not focusing on the depth a team has, and particularly in the Seattle Seahawks case, they now have other receivers that are ready to take away some, if not all of Baldwin's productivity. The two names I had in mind were Jermaine Kearse and former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Matthews. I don't think picking Baldwin in a lower rounds of the draft is a make or break mistake but the ones that do are going to switching their sole focus to hockey sooner than others.
"Slithering Steals"
1.Devin Funchess-WR(Carolina)- With the unfortunate news coming out of Raleigh that stud receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a season ending injury, this has opened the door for the recent Michigan graduate Funchess. Funchess is a giant standing at 6'5, and the expectation was that along with Benjamin, the Raleigh "Twin Towers" were purportedly amongst us, but we'll have to wait until at least 2016 for anything of that magnitude to materialize. Funchess doesn't possess high end speed but is an excellent route runner and the strong arm of his now quarterback Cam Newton will be able to effectively find him with numerous quick hitting patterns that will work to Funchess' advantage. In non-keeper drafts, try to land Funchess in the sixth to seventh round.
2.Kyle Rudolph-TE(Minnesota)- Kyle Rudolph due to the market he resides does not get the deserved recognition. Rudolph's career plight throughout the first three years of his career is that of someone that has had difficulty with staying healthy. The reason I view Rudolph as a mid to late round steal is because a lot of the "insiders" are under the premise that Minnesota Vikings will constantly stuff the ball inside and seemingly ignore their running game, but I'm here to tell you that the emergence of Teddy Bridgewater will be an added bonus attack for Rudolph and other Vikings pass catchers. Selecting Rudolph in the sixth to eighth round would be a worth while concept.
3.Dorial Green-Beckham-WR(Tennessee)- In my keeper league this evening, Green-Beckham was picked relatively early so kudos to the owner who nabbed him in my league. I think Green-Beckham, as has been stated numerous times had his issues collegiately getting removed from the Missouri Tigers program, but if he would've been a civil citizen of the program he likely would have had his name called in the first round of the NFL draft. Green-Beckham's comparable, and this is solely my opinion as is everything else with this enterprise is would be Brandin Cooks out of the Louisiana state. The concern I have, and we'll see whether this becomes me overthinking the situation or ending up being correct and that's whether Marcus Mariota will show the maturity to be a consistent gun slinger in his first season. A third round pick without the quarterback concerns, sixth round pick otherwise.
4.Victor Cruz-WR(New York Giants)- Some reading this will feel as if I'm contradicting myself, particularly seeing as how I didn't end up pursuing Cruz as a fantasy selection. Well...the jokes on you, as I still might! Nonetheless, my reasoning for labelling Cruz a sleeper is three fold For starters, I'm prognosticating the G-men to win the Super bowl so that right there should exquisitely explain my reasoning for wanting Victor Cruz. I think all of the attention and rightfully so will be on the best receiver in the business in Odell Beckham which will create matchups pitting Cruz against a lot of CB2's. Let's not forget that Cruz has been a number one receiver on a super bowl team before and even though he's a little long in the tooth, I could go on and on but I better wrap this up and login into my league and acquire the Super Bowl champs #2. Very, very late round pick would suffice.
5.Nelson Agholor-WR(Philadelphia)-Again, kudos to the same owner who I also believe selected Green-Beckham, but being how he's a delusional Eagles fan, this one didn't surprise me. I only classify this individual as delusional as who in their right mind cheers for the Eagles. Agholor, the more I read I continually get the same rhetoric back and that's he's the number two receiver on the Eagles. Maybe I need a news flash brought to my attention, but what has Jordan Matthews done to suffice being considered the Eagles top show in town. The answer is nothing, Jordan Matthews is an overrated commodity in the city of Brotherly Love which furthers my reasoning for why Agholor is a fantastic pick as by the end of the year I guarantee barring injury he will get the bulk of the work load for Philadelphia. Fifth to sixth round pick.
"CFL Bound"
1.Mark Ingram-RB(New Orleans)- My thought process in including Ingram on the no touch list is that I look at New Orleans as a whole, and I see a team who's bound for a plentiful decrease in the passing game losing Jimmy Graham allowing defensive coordinators to emphasize shutting down the run which will negatively influence Ingram's production. Ingram has reportedly claimed that he aspires to be the three down back but Mark, if I may, and I know you're chomping at the bit every time I post an entry, stick to focusing on the run my friend as without that you're a useless pylon hindering the Saints. They brought in C.J Spiller for a reason.
2.Amari Cooper-WR(Oakland)- The laughable Raiders have once again struck with incompetence. The sad reality is for newly appointed head coach Jack Del Rio is like all other head coaches that have come and went in the Davis era, a team now hawked over by late Al's son, they seem to focus on the short term, never focusing or concentrating on the long term plausibility of the franchise. I fear Cooper's going to succumb to the same pressures put on him that Darius Heyward-Bay dealt with while donning the Black and White. The hierarchy in Northern California doesn't breed success and the fact that quarterback Derek Carr will have the mandate to throw Cooper's way twenty times a game, it's likely that defensive coordinators will have Sunday feast against a rookie that at this point doesn't know any better.
3.Julian Edelman-WR(New England)- I can only imagine some of the reactions that will be internally thought of after reading this. Edelman's Patriots just won the Super Bowl right? Well yes, but the impartial observer in myself clearly saw a scenario developing in Foxboro that when the game got tougher, more targets were going Brandon LaFell's way. Edelman is a premier kick returner, but relying on the kick return won't win you fantasy championships. I think some confuse the fact that because he has such excellent return abilities that he's actually being a premier receiver, for which he is nowhere close. The Patriots may thrive, but Julian will not.
4. Ryan Tannehill-QB(Miami)-Throwing for twenty seven and twenty four touchdowns the last two years respectively is certainly commendable, but the loss of Mike Wallace should not be understated. Jarvis Landry had a astonishing 2014 campaign, but I'm not convinced can retain his number one receiver status. Who else does he have the opportunity to throw the ball too? Greg Jennings? The same Greg Jennings who may allow the infamously slow baseball great Mo Vaughn look like Usain Bolt? Not happening, the lack of quality receiving targets is a scary proposition for fans in the Miami area as to parody a quote from the great Lebron James" This year, I'm going to take my fantasy quarterbacks from South Beach".
5.Doug Baldwin-WR(Seattle)- This Stanford grad may cause most fantasy owners to commit the Cardinal sin by overvaluing one aberration of a year while not focusing on the depth a team has, and particularly in the Seattle Seahawks case, they now have other receivers that are ready to take away some, if not all of Baldwin's productivity. The two names I had in mind were Jermaine Kearse and former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Matthews. I don't think picking Baldwin in a lower rounds of the draft is a make or break mistake but the ones that do are going to switching their sole focus to hockey sooner than others.
Fedex Cup upon us!
In a four series event that I would put below the majors and the respective World Golf Championships, the playoffs of the PGA Tour are set to begin at the Barclays, and the dilemma I face is, I may not view this event in the highest regard, but do the players? The PGA Tour, in cooperation with the main title sponsor "FedEx" if that wasn't clear enough already provides a one million dollar grand prize for the winner. For a lot of these players, that kind of cash due in large part to the increased purses for the majority of events is considered chump change, so if the financial surplus isn't enough to motivate the players, what can be done to spice up a very bland event in my eyes?
For starters, in any sport when a playoff comes to mind, it's always a head to head battle featuring the best in the prospective sport when the final ultimately featuring the two best that went through the gauntlet and now face each other to claim the prized glory. If the PGA Tour could develop a system that would create a scenario where, similar to the "Elite Eight" in NCAA basketball, would in the final event which happens to be the Tour Championship, have the final eight in the standings, and divulge in a bracket format which would lead to the final two playing on the Sunday. The drama that could unfold witnessing a Jordan Spieth against a Jason Day would be exhilarating for both the television and live audience. The reason I bring up this proposed event refinement is because what I hate to see, as we saw a couple years ago a guy like Henrik Stenson who dominated the first events in the series, which rendered the third event in the series a moot point for Henrik because irregardless of placement he was guaranteed a top five position heading into the Tour Championship. The display for which Stenson strutted that playoff month was herculean but that's nor here or there, nobody should ever receive a "bye" in any playoffs.
As a converse argument, as much as I'm not a fan of the series, I will say the one advantage it has where it places on the tour schedule is that's it's a great sounding board for players who are on a fringe of making their respective Ryder Cup/President's Cup team. To use an example of a player, because he hails from Weyburn is Graham DeLaet as he is battling for a spot on Nick Price's International President's cup team. DeLaet has for the most part had a miserable 2015 season which has been further hampered by a nagging thumb injury but according to Price in an interview he gave while partaking in a charity event in Saskatoon, and as a forewarning I'm fairly skeptical that he only made these comments while residing in DeLaet's home province was that he was very much on the radar. It's like me going to Toronto and proclaiming that Phil Kessel is the hardest working player in the NHL. I'm pretty sure in reference to that statement I would be met with a chorus of boos, you get the point I'm trying to make. In all seriousness, unless Graham can surprise us all and take home a FedEx event, I give zero chance of him being chosen for the team. In fact, pertaining to the Canadian content on the tour, I think Ontario native David Hearn is far more deserving.
For starters, in any sport when a playoff comes to mind, it's always a head to head battle featuring the best in the prospective sport when the final ultimately featuring the two best that went through the gauntlet and now face each other to claim the prized glory. If the PGA Tour could develop a system that would create a scenario where, similar to the "Elite Eight" in NCAA basketball, would in the final event which happens to be the Tour Championship, have the final eight in the standings, and divulge in a bracket format which would lead to the final two playing on the Sunday. The drama that could unfold witnessing a Jordan Spieth against a Jason Day would be exhilarating for both the television and live audience. The reason I bring up this proposed event refinement is because what I hate to see, as we saw a couple years ago a guy like Henrik Stenson who dominated the first events in the series, which rendered the third event in the series a moot point for Henrik because irregardless of placement he was guaranteed a top five position heading into the Tour Championship. The display for which Stenson strutted that playoff month was herculean but that's nor here or there, nobody should ever receive a "bye" in any playoffs.
As a converse argument, as much as I'm not a fan of the series, I will say the one advantage it has where it places on the tour schedule is that's it's a great sounding board for players who are on a fringe of making their respective Ryder Cup/President's Cup team. To use an example of a player, because he hails from Weyburn is Graham DeLaet as he is battling for a spot on Nick Price's International President's cup team. DeLaet has for the most part had a miserable 2015 season which has been further hampered by a nagging thumb injury but according to Price in an interview he gave while partaking in a charity event in Saskatoon, and as a forewarning I'm fairly skeptical that he only made these comments while residing in DeLaet's home province was that he was very much on the radar. It's like me going to Toronto and proclaiming that Phil Kessel is the hardest working player in the NHL. I'm pretty sure in reference to that statement I would be met with a chorus of boos, you get the point I'm trying to make. In all seriousness, unless Graham can surprise us all and take home a FedEx event, I give zero chance of him being chosen for the team. In fact, pertaining to the Canadian content on the tour, I think Ontario native David Hearn is far more deserving.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
A Westernly past
It's always an exciting time when Western Hockey League training camps are about to get into full swing. I'm hoping to bombard this blog with much aligned WHL content over the next several months as I have already completed the critically acclaimed(in my own mind) 2015-2016 WHL preview which you can find if you scroll through my entries from late June/early July. What I wanted to reminisce on this evening is my top five all time Western Hockey League memories, and as a disclaimer they mostly all involve the Regina Pats because being born and raised in the Queen City you can understand what I was brought up with, and that was the St.Patricia's. I will be counting down from five to one with one being my all-time greatest memory.
5. "Hustlin for Dustin"
The 2003/2004 campaign was a forgettable one for the Regina Pats. Personnel change was imminent as they were immersed in a full out rebuild. Josh Harding, the local fan favourite goaltender was dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings in a complexion of moves which eventually saw Dustin Slade be shipped in via Kamloops-Brandon to become to new Regina Pats starting goaltender. Bob Lowes, who had a reputation of being a stern, stoic bench boss from the out set wouldn't of meshed well with the robust Dustin Slade who's temper on the ice was a turn-off for some Regina hockey traditionalists. The night in question that was one of my highlights was January 9th,2004 which pitted the Pats against Slade's former organization, the Kamloops Blazers. The Pats, in lieu of the rebuild accumulated more losses than wins and were up against a team that trotted out Grant Jacobsen, a former Pat great who was sent to Kamloops in an earlier deal which brought in future captain and Sedley native Kyle Deck and Jonathan Bubnick. Needless to say, this Kamloops team was heavily favoured who also rostered Devan Dubnyk and great junior stalwart Jarrett Lukin. It was one of, if not Dustin Slade's first game with the Patricia's and at that point no one knew the temper that would later be evidenced or what kind of game he brought to the table. On this cold January evening, which saw me bowl a great game before I arrived at the Brandt center(shows the wacked up memory I have)Dustin Slade endeared himself early and stood on his head in route to a 1-1 tie. The Blazers peppered Slade all night with the shots and without having an official game sheet handy, must of held a 20-25 advantage in that category. The Dustin Slade era was upon us in Regina and boy were things just getting started.
4. Chris Phillips and his rubber legs
Chris Phillips, the first overall pick of the Ottawa Senators in 1996 when describing his career in the NHL could be described as a little bland. Usually, first overall picks provide more of an impact on their respective organization but what Phillips provided was a little more mundane as he was never the top two defenceman Ottawa thought they were selecting. One of the more memorable nights from the Western Hockey League that I remember took place on February 19th,1997 when Phillips and his Lethbridge Hurricanes who had acquired him from Prince Albert earlier that season went up against the Brandon Wheat Kings. This match-up was showcased on TSN during the time that TSN had rights to the Canadian Hockey League. The game if I'm not mistaken was broadcasted by my journalistic hero in Paul Romaniuk with Gary Green providing color and the significance of the game to where Romaniuk so eloquently laid out was due to some sudden change of events in the pre game, the Hurricanes were forced to dress only four defenceman, one of them being Phillips. Phillips, I kid you not, because I vividly remember the play by play team lauding his efforts, played close to fifty minutes in a 4-2 victory.He single handedly carried the Hurricanes on this night and those heroic efforts on TSN will never be forgotten.
3. "The Fight"
Reverting back to the legend that was Dustin Slade for a moment, his aforementioned temper brought forward mixed emotions amongst Regina hockey enthusiasts. The youth loved it, the adults despised it but in the end had to live with it for a brief time. In the famed Highway # 1 rivalry featuring the Regina Pats and the Moose Jaw Warriors, their have been more memorable battles then I'll ever be able to recount but one evening, I can't recall the date and any almanac source hasn't been able to assist me, all I know it was a school night as I was enrolled in high school that saw myself witness my first ever goaltender fight. Dustin Slade v Joey Perricone. On television, I had seen it numerous times but was never privy to it happening live so as a high-school student, I was in amazement. To parlay another useless tidbit about this hockey game, I recall buying a 50/50 but the friend I was riding with wanted to leave early so to this day we'll never know if I won. It's ok....... I've won several luck box contests since. In a heated battle, the two goalies met up at center ice and dropped the ginormous glove and blocker and started firing haymakers back and forth. It was an entertaining scrap with no parties heavily invested in the proceedings. The game may have been a route that night, basing it off of the assumption that with the Warriors as title contenders with the nucleus including Kendal McArdle, Dustin Boyd, and Troy Brouwer, aside from the Slade dust-up, it's doubtful the Pats put up much of a fight on this night.
2."Bozon's Bravery"
The Kootenay Ice faithful won't have much to cheer about this upcoming season, so I hope they take solace that one of their now alumni will go down as one of the most heroic, defiant individuals the league has ever seen in Tim Bozon. On March 1st,2014, Bozon after finishing up a game against the Kootenay Ice fell ill and at the request of the team trainer, was admitted into the Saskatoon hospital. According to reports, during his stay at the hospital his condition worsened falling into a coma after being diagnosed with meningitis. It's a condition that hampers the ability of the brain and spinal cord so when it was announced what was happening to the young Swiss player, the hope was that some day he could recover to a point where he could live a normal life. Hockey wasn't even on the radar. Tim Bozon never got the memo and showed an unprecedented courage and determination encountering endless hours of physical therapy to learn how to speak and walk again, with re-acquiring the skill of skating coming sooner then most thought. Bozon prior to the ailment was a coveted prospect with the Montreal Canadiens. If the unfortunate illness didn't happen, it's more than likely that he would of spent the 2014-2015 season in the American Hockey League, but after all he's been through the Canadiens made the organizational decision to send him back to Cranbrook for one more year of development. I suffice that the fact that he was even able to touch foot on the ice again speaks volumes of Tim's character and I made a conscious effort to make sure I was front row when Tim Bozon and the Ice returned to Regina, because I'm positive years later we'll still be fascinating about the Tim Bozon hardships and what it took to regain control of his own self.
1. "The Finicky Foreurs"
The 2001 Memorial Cup in Regina was in many ways my introduction to my lifelong passion of Junior Hockey. The tournament consisted of the host Pats, eventual champions Red Deer Rebels, Ottawa 67's, and those pesky Val'dor Foreurs. I could literally write a novel recounting my experiences and memories from the tournament as it was some of the most prolific hockey I've seen to date. To say the Regina Pats had a shaky beginning to the MasterCard Memorial Cup would be a massive understatement. In the tournament opener, they got thumped by the 67's in a Donald Choukalos goaltending performance that would've made Roman Cechmanek proud. Game two didn't fare much better for the Patties falling to aforementioned Foreurs. The two consecutive losses led coach current Vancouver Giants head coach Lorne Molleken to make a change between the pipes, now entering into the fold is someone well beknownst in Regina hockey lore, that being Chad Davidson. The third game was a must win for the Pats going up against the Red Deer Rebels. The myth still believed to this day, and something Brent Sutter vehemently denies is that Red Deer threw the game thus guaranteeing tiebreakers which would further wear out teams. The Pats reigned victorious setting up a tiebreaker against the Ottawa 67's. The tie-breaker took place the next night, and this is actually the one game I didn't see(some hockey fan I am right!). In all actuality, I had a baseball commitment that evening and considering I was the team ace, I may of regretted my decision but the team certainly didn't. Okay....so I lied, I was anything but the team ace as my throwing mechanics were widely panned as one of the more memorable quotes I ever received was from a good friend's father when describing my pitching/throwing, classified my delivery as the "drop ball" because it would never reach the intended glove. I missed that game, but saw the highlights and was PUMPED because I knew I was now going to the semi final v Val'dor in what turned out to be the greatest hockey game I've ever been to. In one of those "where were you when" moments, so many things stick out about that game. For starters, in the pre game they handed out foam Thunder sticks that by the end of the afternoon I had shredded to pieces due to nerves. It was a back and forth affair with at one point Regina holding a three to one lead only to see it evaporated. In a game knotted at threes with a minute and a half left, team captain Barrett Jackman scored the decisive goal for what most fans including myself thought to be game winner. We're off to the final versus Red Deer right......not so fast! Electric sniper Simone Gamache broke the hearts of Regina fans less than a minute later to tie up the game which led to an overtime period being required. I just recall throughout that intermission the tension in the then Agridome. You could hear the dime drop and I was bracing onto what little I had left of that thunder stick. Overtime came, and a fairy tale ending wasn't in the script this time around as third liner Chris Lyness trailed an odd man rush and potted home the winner. The devastation in my fourteen year old self was paramount as I felt like I had my heart ripped from within me. To make matters worse, the friend who accompanied me to the game, who's dad was our ride was boxed in by two idiots in the parking lot leading to a two hour delay sitting around waiting for the vehicles to clear out. The intensity was like no other and based off of my experiences, I can only hope the now Brandt Center will have the flexibility to host another Memorial Cup.
5. "Hustlin for Dustin"
The 2003/2004 campaign was a forgettable one for the Regina Pats. Personnel change was imminent as they were immersed in a full out rebuild. Josh Harding, the local fan favourite goaltender was dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings in a complexion of moves which eventually saw Dustin Slade be shipped in via Kamloops-Brandon to become to new Regina Pats starting goaltender. Bob Lowes, who had a reputation of being a stern, stoic bench boss from the out set wouldn't of meshed well with the robust Dustin Slade who's temper on the ice was a turn-off for some Regina hockey traditionalists. The night in question that was one of my highlights was January 9th,2004 which pitted the Pats against Slade's former organization, the Kamloops Blazers. The Pats, in lieu of the rebuild accumulated more losses than wins and were up against a team that trotted out Grant Jacobsen, a former Pat great who was sent to Kamloops in an earlier deal which brought in future captain and Sedley native Kyle Deck and Jonathan Bubnick. Needless to say, this Kamloops team was heavily favoured who also rostered Devan Dubnyk and great junior stalwart Jarrett Lukin. It was one of, if not Dustin Slade's first game with the Patricia's and at that point no one knew the temper that would later be evidenced or what kind of game he brought to the table. On this cold January evening, which saw me bowl a great game before I arrived at the Brandt center(shows the wacked up memory I have)Dustin Slade endeared himself early and stood on his head in route to a 1-1 tie. The Blazers peppered Slade all night with the shots and without having an official game sheet handy, must of held a 20-25 advantage in that category. The Dustin Slade era was upon us in Regina and boy were things just getting started.
4. Chris Phillips and his rubber legs
Chris Phillips, the first overall pick of the Ottawa Senators in 1996 when describing his career in the NHL could be described as a little bland. Usually, first overall picks provide more of an impact on their respective organization but what Phillips provided was a little more mundane as he was never the top two defenceman Ottawa thought they were selecting. One of the more memorable nights from the Western Hockey League that I remember took place on February 19th,1997 when Phillips and his Lethbridge Hurricanes who had acquired him from Prince Albert earlier that season went up against the Brandon Wheat Kings. This match-up was showcased on TSN during the time that TSN had rights to the Canadian Hockey League. The game if I'm not mistaken was broadcasted by my journalistic hero in Paul Romaniuk with Gary Green providing color and the significance of the game to where Romaniuk so eloquently laid out was due to some sudden change of events in the pre game, the Hurricanes were forced to dress only four defenceman, one of them being Phillips. Phillips, I kid you not, because I vividly remember the play by play team lauding his efforts, played close to fifty minutes in a 4-2 victory.He single handedly carried the Hurricanes on this night and those heroic efforts on TSN will never be forgotten.
3. "The Fight"
Reverting back to the legend that was Dustin Slade for a moment, his aforementioned temper brought forward mixed emotions amongst Regina hockey enthusiasts. The youth loved it, the adults despised it but in the end had to live with it for a brief time. In the famed Highway # 1 rivalry featuring the Regina Pats and the Moose Jaw Warriors, their have been more memorable battles then I'll ever be able to recount but one evening, I can't recall the date and any almanac source hasn't been able to assist me, all I know it was a school night as I was enrolled in high school that saw myself witness my first ever goaltender fight. Dustin Slade v Joey Perricone. On television, I had seen it numerous times but was never privy to it happening live so as a high-school student, I was in amazement. To parlay another useless tidbit about this hockey game, I recall buying a 50/50 but the friend I was riding with wanted to leave early so to this day we'll never know if I won. It's ok....... I've won several luck box contests since. In a heated battle, the two goalies met up at center ice and dropped the ginormous glove and blocker and started firing haymakers back and forth. It was an entertaining scrap with no parties heavily invested in the proceedings. The game may have been a route that night, basing it off of the assumption that with the Warriors as title contenders with the nucleus including Kendal McArdle, Dustin Boyd, and Troy Brouwer, aside from the Slade dust-up, it's doubtful the Pats put up much of a fight on this night.
2."Bozon's Bravery"
The Kootenay Ice faithful won't have much to cheer about this upcoming season, so I hope they take solace that one of their now alumni will go down as one of the most heroic, defiant individuals the league has ever seen in Tim Bozon. On March 1st,2014, Bozon after finishing up a game against the Kootenay Ice fell ill and at the request of the team trainer, was admitted into the Saskatoon hospital. According to reports, during his stay at the hospital his condition worsened falling into a coma after being diagnosed with meningitis. It's a condition that hampers the ability of the brain and spinal cord so when it was announced what was happening to the young Swiss player, the hope was that some day he could recover to a point where he could live a normal life. Hockey wasn't even on the radar. Tim Bozon never got the memo and showed an unprecedented courage and determination encountering endless hours of physical therapy to learn how to speak and walk again, with re-acquiring the skill of skating coming sooner then most thought. Bozon prior to the ailment was a coveted prospect with the Montreal Canadiens. If the unfortunate illness didn't happen, it's more than likely that he would of spent the 2014-2015 season in the American Hockey League, but after all he's been through the Canadiens made the organizational decision to send him back to Cranbrook for one more year of development. I suffice that the fact that he was even able to touch foot on the ice again speaks volumes of Tim's character and I made a conscious effort to make sure I was front row when Tim Bozon and the Ice returned to Regina, because I'm positive years later we'll still be fascinating about the Tim Bozon hardships and what it took to regain control of his own self.
1. "The Finicky Foreurs"
The 2001 Memorial Cup in Regina was in many ways my introduction to my lifelong passion of Junior Hockey. The tournament consisted of the host Pats, eventual champions Red Deer Rebels, Ottawa 67's, and those pesky Val'dor Foreurs. I could literally write a novel recounting my experiences and memories from the tournament as it was some of the most prolific hockey I've seen to date. To say the Regina Pats had a shaky beginning to the MasterCard Memorial Cup would be a massive understatement. In the tournament opener, they got thumped by the 67's in a Donald Choukalos goaltending performance that would've made Roman Cechmanek proud. Game two didn't fare much better for the Patties falling to aforementioned Foreurs. The two consecutive losses led coach current Vancouver Giants head coach Lorne Molleken to make a change between the pipes, now entering into the fold is someone well beknownst in Regina hockey lore, that being Chad Davidson. The third game was a must win for the Pats going up against the Red Deer Rebels. The myth still believed to this day, and something Brent Sutter vehemently denies is that Red Deer threw the game thus guaranteeing tiebreakers which would further wear out teams. The Pats reigned victorious setting up a tiebreaker against the Ottawa 67's. The tie-breaker took place the next night, and this is actually the one game I didn't see(some hockey fan I am right!). In all actuality, I had a baseball commitment that evening and considering I was the team ace, I may of regretted my decision but the team certainly didn't. Okay....so I lied, I was anything but the team ace as my throwing mechanics were widely panned as one of the more memorable quotes I ever received was from a good friend's father when describing my pitching/throwing, classified my delivery as the "drop ball" because it would never reach the intended glove. I missed that game, but saw the highlights and was PUMPED because I knew I was now going to the semi final v Val'dor in what turned out to be the greatest hockey game I've ever been to. In one of those "where were you when" moments, so many things stick out about that game. For starters, in the pre game they handed out foam Thunder sticks that by the end of the afternoon I had shredded to pieces due to nerves. It was a back and forth affair with at one point Regina holding a three to one lead only to see it evaporated. In a game knotted at threes with a minute and a half left, team captain Barrett Jackman scored the decisive goal for what most fans including myself thought to be game winner. We're off to the final versus Red Deer right......not so fast! Electric sniper Simone Gamache broke the hearts of Regina fans less than a minute later to tie up the game which led to an overtime period being required. I just recall throughout that intermission the tension in the then Agridome. You could hear the dime drop and I was bracing onto what little I had left of that thunder stick. Overtime came, and a fairy tale ending wasn't in the script this time around as third liner Chris Lyness trailed an odd man rush and potted home the winner. The devastation in my fourteen year old self was paramount as I felt like I had my heart ripped from within me. To make matters worse, the friend who accompanied me to the game, who's dad was our ride was boxed in by two idiots in the parking lot leading to a two hour delay sitting around waiting for the vehicles to clear out. The intensity was like no other and based off of my experiences, I can only hope the now Brandt Center will have the flexibility to host another Memorial Cup.
Monday, August 24, 2015
The Knuckle Ball:Volume three
Welcome back to the third edition of the "Knuckle Ball" where I share my thoughts on three particular news items/thoughts that you or may, or won't likely find enjoyable in the world of baseball. On tonight's docket, I look at the New York Yankees three headed 1B/DH monster, forecasting an option that may strengthen the Bronx Bombers. Secondly, I profile a young pitcher, turned hitter, turned pitcher, in Adam Loewen who is revolutionizing the state of the baseball athlete as we know it. To finish off the slate this evening, I'll analyze(bull-shit) my way through the ever enticing National League central sharing my thoughts on how I see this division playing out.
I hate the New York Yankees. This statement didn't necessarily merit regurgitation but I wanted to provide clarity for those who think I'm on the Yankees bandwagon(I'm on many wagons FYI, just not the type that is colored with pinstripes), when sufficing my opinion on how manager Joe Girardi can bolster his every day lineup. Recently called up from AAA was Greg Bird, this twenty two year old Aurora, Colorado native shot his way through the minor league ranks(too soon?) and has landed with the big club for the stretch drive. His position is first base which creates a conundrum for Girardi and co. As it stands, they have A-Fraud himself in Alex Rodriguez residing over the designated hitter assignment with Teixeira although currently injured, the prognosis is not long term and will be ready to get back in action shortly. When Teixera is riping at the bit to resume playing, does Greg Bird who has been effective in limited action sit? The logical argument would say yes, but the creative mind in me has a solution that does nothing but benefit the pin stripes. Stephen Drew is currently the every day second baseman but his .198 batting average leaves plenty to be desired. Frankly, if I did cheer for the Yankees I'd be a lot more comfortable seeing the likes of one time Yankee Homer Bush patrol the middle and he was historically inept. An option that I have drawn up could be implemented one of two ways. Option A would have Chase Headley convert over to second base thus opening up the corner for Alex Rodriguez. I fully understand I'm advocating a forty year old man resuming his infielding career but a little less defence could provide a lot more offence, a trade-off I'm willing to swallow. As a contingency plan B, if Rodriguez' defence just isn;t MLB capable any longer to play third, hiding him at second while keeping Headley at third could prove to be just as beneficial. I don't read Yankee forums to read if this premise has been brought up in the past, but at the very least it's something Girardi should ponder as the offence has begun to scuffle.
2015 Comeback player of the year belongs to.........perhaps Canadian and Philadelphia Phillie Adam Loewen? In my opinion, one of the better stories in sports which based on success will get a lot more media traction. Sure we've seen this song and dance before most notably with Rich Ankiel, but the difference between the two was a fan at the game you weren't scared if a pitch was going to hit you in the stands unlike Ankiel. I'm not going to sit here and say that I have a large viewing of Loewen's work, because I don't but in a recent series where the Phillies met up against the scorching Toronto Blue Jays, Loewen came in and showed a propensity to have a Tom Glavine-esque breaking ball which fooled Toronto's hitters to no end. In my little research I've formulated, because facts are facts I'm essentially an encyclopedia when it comes to sport factoids, I do not believe there's ever been a pitcher crack a MLB roster, get sent back down only to re-form himself as a hitter only to eventually crack a big league club as a pitcher. If Loewen can find a permanent home next season, whether Philadelphia or elsewhere, it would be a tremendous story if he made the opening day twenty five man roster. With the lack of quality lefties in the Blue Jays pen, maybe just maybe a return to Toronto is in order.
The National League central division is just ridiculous. The best team in baseball is the St.Louis Cardinals and if they were in any other division, they'd be coasting to the finish line, but not in the Central where the Pirates have been creeping up as of late playing red hot baseball and we simply can't ignore the work Joe Maddon has done with the lovable losers Chicago Cubs. Joe Maddon has already won the NL Manager of the Year, and if you think Mets bench boss Terry Collins even has a sniff of hope you're sadly mistaken. I'm not here tonight to theorize my thoughts on the managerial award, but it's been the subtle changes Maddon has made implemented on the North side of Chicago that has made the Cubs an instantaneous contender. The Cardinals from the outset have nothing on the roster that drastically intimidates opponents but yet don't possess any glaring weaknesses that can be exploited. The acquisition of shortstop Jhonny Peralta a couple of seasons ago was huge in the sense that the Cardinals weren't really rostering many positional players who had much for veteran experience and that's exactly what Peralta has brought to Mike Matheny's group. The Pirates are a organization that are good, and judging from the contributions they are receiving from their young inexperienced lineup, are not going away any time soon. Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco and Gerrit Cole are the young core that will lead the Pirates in the post-season once again. Unless the Pirates are in the Cardinals rear-view mirror the last week of the regular season, they'll be able to afford to rest up Cole for that one game crapshoot that we call the Wildcard game. Who will Cole likely line up against in that game, well none other than the Cubbies. The Cubs are the last team you want to play right now, although the Mets and Blue Jays are doing jumping jacks trying to say hello. When they lured Jon Lester over from Oakland, the common belief was that they finally found their long term ace. A large reason for the triumphs in Chicago has not just been Lester, but perhaps the REAL ace in Jake Arrieta. I find the notion of the words Arrieta and ace in the same sentence astonishing because I remember a few years back while he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles thinking it was deplorable that he was even in the rotation and now I'm hearing Cy Young whispers although the award is ultimately going to Zack Greinke. The Chicago sport scene has fallen on incredible times with the Bulls a yearly Eastern conference threat, the Cubs doing there thing and the Blackhawks winning championships every other year. The biggest concern for Chicago sport fans, particularly for the female gender is being on alert for Patrick Kane's whereabouts. My prediction for how the Central is going to shake out, because after all that was the opening for this subject, is the Cardinals holding on and winning the division only to be eventually knocked out in the NLDS by the wildcard winning Pittsburgh Pirates.
I hate the New York Yankees. This statement didn't necessarily merit regurgitation but I wanted to provide clarity for those who think I'm on the Yankees bandwagon(I'm on many wagons FYI, just not the type that is colored with pinstripes), when sufficing my opinion on how manager Joe Girardi can bolster his every day lineup. Recently called up from AAA was Greg Bird, this twenty two year old Aurora, Colorado native shot his way through the minor league ranks(too soon?) and has landed with the big club for the stretch drive. His position is first base which creates a conundrum for Girardi and co. As it stands, they have A-Fraud himself in Alex Rodriguez residing over the designated hitter assignment with Teixeira although currently injured, the prognosis is not long term and will be ready to get back in action shortly. When Teixera is riping at the bit to resume playing, does Greg Bird who has been effective in limited action sit? The logical argument would say yes, but the creative mind in me has a solution that does nothing but benefit the pin stripes. Stephen Drew is currently the every day second baseman but his .198 batting average leaves plenty to be desired. Frankly, if I did cheer for the Yankees I'd be a lot more comfortable seeing the likes of one time Yankee Homer Bush patrol the middle and he was historically inept. An option that I have drawn up could be implemented one of two ways. Option A would have Chase Headley convert over to second base thus opening up the corner for Alex Rodriguez. I fully understand I'm advocating a forty year old man resuming his infielding career but a little less defence could provide a lot more offence, a trade-off I'm willing to swallow. As a contingency plan B, if Rodriguez' defence just isn;t MLB capable any longer to play third, hiding him at second while keeping Headley at third could prove to be just as beneficial. I don't read Yankee forums to read if this premise has been brought up in the past, but at the very least it's something Girardi should ponder as the offence has begun to scuffle.
2015 Comeback player of the year belongs to.........perhaps Canadian and Philadelphia Phillie Adam Loewen? In my opinion, one of the better stories in sports which based on success will get a lot more media traction. Sure we've seen this song and dance before most notably with Rich Ankiel, but the difference between the two was a fan at the game you weren't scared if a pitch was going to hit you in the stands unlike Ankiel. I'm not going to sit here and say that I have a large viewing of Loewen's work, because I don't but in a recent series where the Phillies met up against the scorching Toronto Blue Jays, Loewen came in and showed a propensity to have a Tom Glavine-esque breaking ball which fooled Toronto's hitters to no end. In my little research I've formulated, because facts are facts I'm essentially an encyclopedia when it comes to sport factoids, I do not believe there's ever been a pitcher crack a MLB roster, get sent back down only to re-form himself as a hitter only to eventually crack a big league club as a pitcher. If Loewen can find a permanent home next season, whether Philadelphia or elsewhere, it would be a tremendous story if he made the opening day twenty five man roster. With the lack of quality lefties in the Blue Jays pen, maybe just maybe a return to Toronto is in order.
The National League central division is just ridiculous. The best team in baseball is the St.Louis Cardinals and if they were in any other division, they'd be coasting to the finish line, but not in the Central where the Pirates have been creeping up as of late playing red hot baseball and we simply can't ignore the work Joe Maddon has done with the lovable losers Chicago Cubs. Joe Maddon has already won the NL Manager of the Year, and if you think Mets bench boss Terry Collins even has a sniff of hope you're sadly mistaken. I'm not here tonight to theorize my thoughts on the managerial award, but it's been the subtle changes Maddon has made implemented on the North side of Chicago that has made the Cubs an instantaneous contender. The Cardinals from the outset have nothing on the roster that drastically intimidates opponents but yet don't possess any glaring weaknesses that can be exploited. The acquisition of shortstop Jhonny Peralta a couple of seasons ago was huge in the sense that the Cardinals weren't really rostering many positional players who had much for veteran experience and that's exactly what Peralta has brought to Mike Matheny's group. The Pirates are a organization that are good, and judging from the contributions they are receiving from their young inexperienced lineup, are not going away any time soon. Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco and Gerrit Cole are the young core that will lead the Pirates in the post-season once again. Unless the Pirates are in the Cardinals rear-view mirror the last week of the regular season, they'll be able to afford to rest up Cole for that one game crapshoot that we call the Wildcard game. Who will Cole likely line up against in that game, well none other than the Cubbies. The Cubs are the last team you want to play right now, although the Mets and Blue Jays are doing jumping jacks trying to say hello. When they lured Jon Lester over from Oakland, the common belief was that they finally found their long term ace. A large reason for the triumphs in Chicago has not just been Lester, but perhaps the REAL ace in Jake Arrieta. I find the notion of the words Arrieta and ace in the same sentence astonishing because I remember a few years back while he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles thinking it was deplorable that he was even in the rotation and now I'm hearing Cy Young whispers although the award is ultimately going to Zack Greinke. The Chicago sport scene has fallen on incredible times with the Bulls a yearly Eastern conference threat, the Cubs doing there thing and the Blackhawks winning championships every other year. The biggest concern for Chicago sport fans, particularly for the female gender is being on alert for Patrick Kane's whereabouts. My prediction for how the Central is going to shake out, because after all that was the opening for this subject, is the Cardinals holding on and winning the division only to be eventually knocked out in the NLDS by the wildcard winning Pittsburgh Pirates.
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