The Western Hockey League today unveiled a list that I'm assuming it's sole purpose of unveilment was to spark a great deal of controversy and banter being how we're days away from the commencement of the 2015-2016 regular season. When I perused through this list, which for clarification purposes was a list consisting of the top one hundred and twenty five players in the league's history, some notable omissions were visible. As a disclaimer, as with any list there's a quarrel of subjectivity that goes into the making of these, and when I give my below thoughts by no means am I saying conclusively that the picks that I'm choosing to omit are not worthy, I'm just here to provide input on players that I believe deserve to be on the list. What I will do is include three names that I am choosing to take off the list with naming a replacement for each.
Andrew Ladd(Vancouver Giant/Calgary Hitmen) replacing with Gilbert Brule(Vancouver Giants)
All due respect to Andrew Ladd as what he has done professionally has exceeded even my wildest expectations, but we're basing this solely of Western Hockey League escapades, and by no means do I correlate a great junior hockey player with Andrew Ladd. Essentially, during the majority of his tenure with the Calgary Hitmen he was able to ride Ryan Getzlaf's coat tails which pampered his mediocre statistic line. Ladd is widely considered as one of the best leaders in the game but unfortunately that doesn't translate to an incredible junior specimen.
Gilbert Brule was from my viewpoint the original Giant. He revolutionized the way Giant hockey was played for nearly a decade. His statistics while playing for the Giants were extraordinary and further to that, his leadership on the ice led to increased team success being featured in a Memorial Cup. Although up for debate as many will signal Brendan Gallagher's way, I could make a strong case for Brule being the greatest Giant ever thusfar. Brule didn't have as much to work with compared to Gallagher, stat lines are similar which leads me to this theory, Is this list aided by a players evolution to the professional ranks, because if so I find that vastly unfair. So what that Brule seemingly lost his passion to play at an early age, you can't take away that he was a great member of the WHL.
Marian Hossa(Portland Winterhawks) replacing with Greg Evtushevski(Kamloops Junior Oilers/Blazers)
This one causes me the most grief. Why the heck is Marian Hossa on this list?? The Western Hockey League historians are rewarding players for abusing the system to fast track their way to the National Hockey League. It's a joke. He was a member of the Portland Winterhawks for one season. Hossa came to the Western Hockey League for one purpose, and one purpose only and that was to get his one year of service in North America under his belt to show NHL scouts he was ready for the next level. If he was told prior to the 1997-1998 hockey season that he would require another year of seasoning he would've bolted back to Europe, this is factual. Based off of Hossa's inclusion, I want to know where the Martin Hanzal's, Peter Kalus', and the Marek Schwarz's are on this list? Laughable!
Greg Evtushevski(not a name I want to particularly keep typing out) doesn't get the credit he deserves due to being overshadowed by more prominent names on the Kamloops' teams. For two seasons, Greg lined up alongside Dean Evason, who later made a name for himself in coaching circles and for that reason he's not getting the love from the "historians" because the perception was that he was carried by Evason. Evtushevski(take three) lacks recognizability among most but this diminutive speedster at 5'8 was a pioneer of sorts because as the game during the mid to late eighties was becoming more clutching and grabbing themed, he showed that a small player can still succeed in this type of environment.
Adam Lowry(Swift Current Broncos) replacing with Jordan Weal(Regina Pats)
For another disclaimer, they aren't many bigger Adam Lowry fans out there, but I'm sorry are we once again condoning a one hit wonder during his stay in the Western Hockey League? From what I remember unless I'm way out to lunch, which I'm not is that Lowry actually underachieved during his junior career sans the 2012-2013 campaign. Yes, his season in 12-13 was M.V.P-esque but other than that he struggled with consistency as fans of Speedy Creek clamored to a player that was big and strong but lacked any tangible hockey I.Q. His play has immensely developed under the watchful eye of the Winnipeg Jets and he now projects to be a serviceable top nine forward.
I can speak on the value of Jordan Weal with a degree of background as a local Reginan I saw the player Weal developed into while a member of the Regina Pats. Some will vehemently disagree with this, and that's okay but from my experience we can't definitively say that all of Weal success' were due to Jordan Eberle in the picture but what I will ascertain is that a lot of Eberle's junior exploits can be in thanks of Weal. Eberle gets preferential treatment for who he was, being the local boy and scoring a plethora of ridiculous goals at the World Junior Hockey Championships but what Weal has done is as special. By no means am I implying that Eberle should be off this list, because in reality he's probably top twenty five within the top one hundred and twenty five but at same token Jordan Weal also deserves great recognition, something for whatever reason he isn't receiving.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Birden Bomb:Week two
Welcome to this weekly National Football League column named the "Birden Bomb" in reference to my infatuation with the play in the video game Madden '96 which was known as the, as you can probably guess, the "Birden Bomb". I will provide a few thoughts on the week that was. Enjoy!
-If you haven't been able to surmise by now that when it comes to predictions I hold no reputability and to validate that point, look no further than the New Orleans Saints. I had picked the Saints as my pre-season favourite for the NFC south and they have limped out of the gate at a 0-2 mark. I for one was under the belief that the Jimmy Graham acquisition would have a tremendous impact on this organization but maybe not quite to the degree that is actually has. Look at this week's game for instance where the New Orleans got off to a dismal start but courageously fought back to make it an exciting game at the end. The final drive which saw the Saints go marching down until a final leap by Quarterback Drew Brees was all for not but you have to wonder if the presence of Jimmy Graham would've led to a different result. Graham is an athletical freak, something that they anticipate Oregon State product Brandin Cooks becoming but his game is still under refinement. To reference the old adage, short term pain for long term gain is a prevalent one in the Bayou but how much pain Saints fan will have to endure is still under debate.
-Will the real Cleveland Browns please step up? After embarrassing themselves against a team that I consider below average in the New York Jets, they battled back in week two with Johnny Football behind center and opposed a red hot Tennessee Titans coming off a week where Marcus Mariota showed a resemblance to Joe Montana. In the first half, not only did the Browns put the game out of reach early by jumping to a 21-0 lead, they stifled an offence that was very committed to the running game early, and whether that was a recommendable strategy I will discuss below, and essentially forced Mariota and the Titans out of their comfort zone. This result was disastrous to my fantasy football team as I begrudgingly started the Titans trifecta consisting of Mariota-Kendall Wright, and the Titans defence which will PROBABLY lead to a loss but getting back to the Browns, Manziel may steal all the headlines but it's that dang defence that deserves full recognition. Karlos Dansby showed why he is widely considered to be one of the best defenders in the nation as with nine tackles and a possible candidate for player of the week honors, it's safe to assume this Auburn grad had a much more enriching week than his alma matter.
-Watching that Houston/Carolina game today has led me to a few observations. First, if Texans fan weren't already upset enough with Head Coach Bill O'Brien, than just imagine the mood on post game talk shows will be like. O'Brien was a hot shot coaching candidate coming out of Penn State, but to be completely honest he should be reprimanded for how the quarterbacking carousel has bee handled. They brought in Brian Hoyer from the Cleveland Browns to lead the troops, and after ONE shaky first half in week one, a benching was granted and in came Ryan Mallett?? Hoyer was fantastic with Cleveland a year ago up until his injury paved the way for the aforementioned Manziel was expected to right the sinking ship that has been Houston QB's as of late. It's one thing to take bold measures as these coaches do reside in an "what have you done for me lately" league but nonetheless, a premature overreaction on O'Briens part will and probably already has amounted to the inevitable locker room rifts. Secondarily in this very same game, and I brought up a similar complaint last week as this may be a weekly rant, I'm not understanding the lack of an aerial attack on behalf of the Panthers. Sure, they're 2-0 after all is what you're probably thinking so why would I have an issue? Well.....here's why, the Carolina Panthers lost Kelvim Benjamin to a season ending injury, but this team has a plethora of competent receivers that are being under utilized. Devin Funchess, similarly to Jimmy Graham is an athletical animal and the Panthers offensive attack has to find a better way of keeping more engaged in this offence. Even when analyzing Ted Ginn's contributions, the guy is a one dimensional receiver as you can throw it out wide and let him chase, might as well label him as Ted "Puppy dog" Ginn but he's not being used effectively. The Panthers are a classic case of a team that I wasn't sold on in the pre-season but I'm beginning to warm up to, my only complaint has been the offensive game planning.
-As I promised, the lack of substance in the Tennessee Titans running game is concerning for this quasi fan, although people who know me closely, me representing a team that I view as a "quasi "fan is a misnomer, as I don't have a true team that I ride or die by, I'm the prototypical bandwagon jumper. Getting back to the topic at hand, I understand Dexter McCluster, to reference my inner Southern American word of phrase, had a game this afternoon. The issue I have, and this may be a partial bias when frowning over my fantasy football struggles is where was Bishop Sankey today? Only fourty two yards on the ground is unacceptable for Bishop and the Tennessee Titans have to find a way to get more creative with him in the passing game.
-Tom Brady is back in a gargantuan way. He lit up a Buffalo Bills defence that just the week before stymied the great Andrew Luck and Indianapolis. The defending champions are imposing their will over the rest of National Football league. Cheaters or not, they're ruthless and the question that must be asked is their any defensive back on the planet that can match up with Rob Gronkowski. The answer is a resounding no and they can deflate all the footballs they want, another Super bowl ring for Brady and Pats may be forthcoming.
- I used to hold the CEO and presidency titles when it came to the anti Carson Palmer fan club. He was a big baby in Cincinnati and threatened retirement if he wasn't moved, turned back Oakland's development by two years by ruining the Raiders and then he was brought in by a supposedly lifeless Arizona football club. What he's done under coach Bruce Arians in Arizona is unfathomable to me as he's a new quarterback. He's clearly matured as he's no longer the turnover machine he was once was and this now veteran is putting his stamp down on this franchise as his real value was shown last year during the Cardinal's late season swoon when he was down with an injury. The chemistry between himself and Larry Fitzgerald is phenomenal.
-I'm not sure the reasoning behind the change of philosophy of the Seattle Seahawks offensive tendencies. Was it Marshawn Lynch's mom bemoaning offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell that has led to Lynch's diminished role in week two? Is it Russell Wilson having a higher confidence level in his receivers/tight ends that has led to this? Whatever the truth is, it's equated to an 0-2 start. Just my humble observation but when I watch Lynch play I don't see a player that shows enough grit on the field, I think the nickname "beast-mode" is wearing thin on the Northwest and the longer this drags on, the more likely an off-season trade will be consummated. A deal with Lynch was nearly struck this past off-season, and I can all but guarantee a trade will be in the cards if the Seahawks fail to qualify for the post-season.
-The Indianapolis Colts have been marred in a bunch of bad 'luck' eh? After another transparent weekly performance, this time against those New York Jets, that ever present reported rift between management and coach Pagano won't let up, if anything it will fester even more. Watching the Colts in 2015, and I didn't necessarily have the same opinion in 2014 and that's they elected to throw all of their eggs in the Andrew Luck basket, which some will venture to say that's not a faulty line of thinking, but when you lack the offensive line depth, don't have the necessatative receiving core sans T.Y Hilton, and anytime you have a running game carried by the out of his prime Frank Gore(did he ever really have a prime?) you're in a world of hurt. All this talk about coach Pagano being on the proverbial hot seat may be misplaced, it's time General Manager Ryan Grigson looks himself in the mirror.
-If you haven't been able to surmise by now that when it comes to predictions I hold no reputability and to validate that point, look no further than the New Orleans Saints. I had picked the Saints as my pre-season favourite for the NFC south and they have limped out of the gate at a 0-2 mark. I for one was under the belief that the Jimmy Graham acquisition would have a tremendous impact on this organization but maybe not quite to the degree that is actually has. Look at this week's game for instance where the New Orleans got off to a dismal start but courageously fought back to make it an exciting game at the end. The final drive which saw the Saints go marching down until a final leap by Quarterback Drew Brees was all for not but you have to wonder if the presence of Jimmy Graham would've led to a different result. Graham is an athletical freak, something that they anticipate Oregon State product Brandin Cooks becoming but his game is still under refinement. To reference the old adage, short term pain for long term gain is a prevalent one in the Bayou but how much pain Saints fan will have to endure is still under debate.
-Will the real Cleveland Browns please step up? After embarrassing themselves against a team that I consider below average in the New York Jets, they battled back in week two with Johnny Football behind center and opposed a red hot Tennessee Titans coming off a week where Marcus Mariota showed a resemblance to Joe Montana. In the first half, not only did the Browns put the game out of reach early by jumping to a 21-0 lead, they stifled an offence that was very committed to the running game early, and whether that was a recommendable strategy I will discuss below, and essentially forced Mariota and the Titans out of their comfort zone. This result was disastrous to my fantasy football team as I begrudgingly started the Titans trifecta consisting of Mariota-Kendall Wright, and the Titans defence which will PROBABLY lead to a loss but getting back to the Browns, Manziel may steal all the headlines but it's that dang defence that deserves full recognition. Karlos Dansby showed why he is widely considered to be one of the best defenders in the nation as with nine tackles and a possible candidate for player of the week honors, it's safe to assume this Auburn grad had a much more enriching week than his alma matter.
-Watching that Houston/Carolina game today has led me to a few observations. First, if Texans fan weren't already upset enough with Head Coach Bill O'Brien, than just imagine the mood on post game talk shows will be like. O'Brien was a hot shot coaching candidate coming out of Penn State, but to be completely honest he should be reprimanded for how the quarterbacking carousel has bee handled. They brought in Brian Hoyer from the Cleveland Browns to lead the troops, and after ONE shaky first half in week one, a benching was granted and in came Ryan Mallett?? Hoyer was fantastic with Cleveland a year ago up until his injury paved the way for the aforementioned Manziel was expected to right the sinking ship that has been Houston QB's as of late. It's one thing to take bold measures as these coaches do reside in an "what have you done for me lately" league but nonetheless, a premature overreaction on O'Briens part will and probably already has amounted to the inevitable locker room rifts. Secondarily in this very same game, and I brought up a similar complaint last week as this may be a weekly rant, I'm not understanding the lack of an aerial attack on behalf of the Panthers. Sure, they're 2-0 after all is what you're probably thinking so why would I have an issue? Well.....here's why, the Carolina Panthers lost Kelvim Benjamin to a season ending injury, but this team has a plethora of competent receivers that are being under utilized. Devin Funchess, similarly to Jimmy Graham is an athletical animal and the Panthers offensive attack has to find a better way of keeping more engaged in this offence. Even when analyzing Ted Ginn's contributions, the guy is a one dimensional receiver as you can throw it out wide and let him chase, might as well label him as Ted "Puppy dog" Ginn but he's not being used effectively. The Panthers are a classic case of a team that I wasn't sold on in the pre-season but I'm beginning to warm up to, my only complaint has been the offensive game planning.
-As I promised, the lack of substance in the Tennessee Titans running game is concerning for this quasi fan, although people who know me closely, me representing a team that I view as a "quasi "fan is a misnomer, as I don't have a true team that I ride or die by, I'm the prototypical bandwagon jumper. Getting back to the topic at hand, I understand Dexter McCluster, to reference my inner Southern American word of phrase, had a game this afternoon. The issue I have, and this may be a partial bias when frowning over my fantasy football struggles is where was Bishop Sankey today? Only fourty two yards on the ground is unacceptable for Bishop and the Tennessee Titans have to find a way to get more creative with him in the passing game.
-Tom Brady is back in a gargantuan way. He lit up a Buffalo Bills defence that just the week before stymied the great Andrew Luck and Indianapolis. The defending champions are imposing their will over the rest of National Football league. Cheaters or not, they're ruthless and the question that must be asked is their any defensive back on the planet that can match up with Rob Gronkowski. The answer is a resounding no and they can deflate all the footballs they want, another Super bowl ring for Brady and Pats may be forthcoming.
- I used to hold the CEO and presidency titles when it came to the anti Carson Palmer fan club. He was a big baby in Cincinnati and threatened retirement if he wasn't moved, turned back Oakland's development by two years by ruining the Raiders and then he was brought in by a supposedly lifeless Arizona football club. What he's done under coach Bruce Arians in Arizona is unfathomable to me as he's a new quarterback. He's clearly matured as he's no longer the turnover machine he was once was and this now veteran is putting his stamp down on this franchise as his real value was shown last year during the Cardinal's late season swoon when he was down with an injury. The chemistry between himself and Larry Fitzgerald is phenomenal.
-I'm not sure the reasoning behind the change of philosophy of the Seattle Seahawks offensive tendencies. Was it Marshawn Lynch's mom bemoaning offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell that has led to Lynch's diminished role in week two? Is it Russell Wilson having a higher confidence level in his receivers/tight ends that has led to this? Whatever the truth is, it's equated to an 0-2 start. Just my humble observation but when I watch Lynch play I don't see a player that shows enough grit on the field, I think the nickname "beast-mode" is wearing thin on the Northwest and the longer this drags on, the more likely an off-season trade will be consummated. A deal with Lynch was nearly struck this past off-season, and I can all but guarantee a trade will be in the cards if the Seahawks fail to qualify for the post-season.
-The Indianapolis Colts have been marred in a bunch of bad 'luck' eh? After another transparent weekly performance, this time against those New York Jets, that ever present reported rift between management and coach Pagano won't let up, if anything it will fester even more. Watching the Colts in 2015, and I didn't necessarily have the same opinion in 2014 and that's they elected to throw all of their eggs in the Andrew Luck basket, which some will venture to say that's not a faulty line of thinking, but when you lack the offensive line depth, don't have the necessatative receiving core sans T.Y Hilton, and anytime you have a running game carried by the out of his prime Frank Gore(did he ever really have a prime?) you're in a world of hurt. All this talk about coach Pagano being on the proverbial hot seat may be misplaced, it's time General Manager Ryan Grigson looks himself in the mirror.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Jason Day here to stay
Jason Day here to stay, the quintessential title for this piece as judging from recent results in this 2015 PGA Tour season, Day is going nowhere but up. In lieu of his win at the BMW championship this Sunday, he can now stake claim to the distinction of being the number one player in the world. The season has been an interesting one, almost a tale of two halves. The first half of the season was in large part dominated by American Jordan Spieth as he took home the first two majors of the season but shortly before the U.S Open, an event that Day also came close to conquering, a switch was flipped and a player as we know him today was re-born.
Throughout the completion of the U.S Open, a storyline was developing that was beginning to take the sporting world by storm. Nearing the eighteenth green on his second round of play, Day began to present some vertigo symptoms that hampered his ability to stay upward. Vertigo is a nasty ailment, something I've been dealing with largely over the last two years so the fact that he was able to regain his composure and balance to finish out the hole and stay in contention for the championship was inspirational. Purportedly, some tests were done that Friday night and he was cleared to resume action for the Saturday The eventual diagnosis was a benign ear infection which allowed him to consume the appropriate medication to resume playing. Although he didn't end up winning this major, the fans he made at Chambers Bay were countless and even though he was a superstar golfer long before this championship, if it's even possible his popularity increased. Another close call could be damaging for a player that for whatever reason wasn't able to find a way to break through, but Day's mental strength and support system carried him forward to even better things for the rest of 2015 which we'll discuss now!
Here's an amazing statistic, in Day's last eight events on tour he has not finished outside the top fifteen. That's remarkable and so has been his late summer stretch. Winning the RBC Canadian Open in late July was the start to unforeseen type of dominance, he then parlayed that confidence with a win at a prestigious major, the PGA championship where we saw him trump former world number one Jordan Spieth in a duel. Some that don't share Day's resilience may start to exude complacency but he used that major reign to allow himself to bring more trophies home. Next we saw him show up at the Barclay's, his very next event and the consummation of the FedEx cup playoffs and he won again. That's enough right? Not quite, because like I eluded to in my opening that Jason Day is here to stay! The winning streak temporarily snapped at the Deutsche Bank championship, but you win as often as he does you can begin to look like Fred Funk now and again. You're now thinking, Day can't go more than one event without winning right? Why, that's correct as this past weekend he captured the BMW.
Who deserves Player of the Year? Jordan Spieth on the surface may be the obvious choice because he has the two majors in his back pocket but what Jason has accomplished cannot be overlooked, and it's really not because combining his late summer heroics with also contending in the other majors he didn't win(I know, so did Spieth) is why I'm proclaiming Jason Day as your PGA player of the year for 2015.
Throughout the completion of the U.S Open, a storyline was developing that was beginning to take the sporting world by storm. Nearing the eighteenth green on his second round of play, Day began to present some vertigo symptoms that hampered his ability to stay upward. Vertigo is a nasty ailment, something I've been dealing with largely over the last two years so the fact that he was able to regain his composure and balance to finish out the hole and stay in contention for the championship was inspirational. Purportedly, some tests were done that Friday night and he was cleared to resume action for the Saturday The eventual diagnosis was a benign ear infection which allowed him to consume the appropriate medication to resume playing. Although he didn't end up winning this major, the fans he made at Chambers Bay were countless and even though he was a superstar golfer long before this championship, if it's even possible his popularity increased. Another close call could be damaging for a player that for whatever reason wasn't able to find a way to break through, but Day's mental strength and support system carried him forward to even better things for the rest of 2015 which we'll discuss now!
Here's an amazing statistic, in Day's last eight events on tour he has not finished outside the top fifteen. That's remarkable and so has been his late summer stretch. Winning the RBC Canadian Open in late July was the start to unforeseen type of dominance, he then parlayed that confidence with a win at a prestigious major, the PGA championship where we saw him trump former world number one Jordan Spieth in a duel. Some that don't share Day's resilience may start to exude complacency but he used that major reign to allow himself to bring more trophies home. Next we saw him show up at the Barclay's, his very next event and the consummation of the FedEx cup playoffs and he won again. That's enough right? Not quite, because like I eluded to in my opening that Jason Day is here to stay! The winning streak temporarily snapped at the Deutsche Bank championship, but you win as often as he does you can begin to look like Fred Funk now and again. You're now thinking, Day can't go more than one event without winning right? Why, that's correct as this past weekend he captured the BMW.
Who deserves Player of the Year? Jordan Spieth on the surface may be the obvious choice because he has the two majors in his back pocket but what Jason has accomplished cannot be overlooked, and it's really not because combining his late summer heroics with also contending in the other majors he didn't win(I know, so did Spieth) is why I'm proclaiming Jason Day as your PGA player of the year for 2015.
National Football League picks: Week two
Last week's picks abysmally led me a 6-9 record. Let's see if I can right the ship this weekend. Here's to a 15-0 slate! Winners in bold.
Atlanta @ New York(G)
New York(J) @ Indianapolis
Arizona @ Chicago
Miami @ Jacksonville
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
Dallas @ Philadelphia
Seattle @ Green Bay
Houston @ Carolina
San Diego @ Cincinnati
Detroit @ Minnesota
Baltimore @ Oakland
San Francisco @ Pittsburgh
New England @ Buffalo
Tennessee @ Cleveland
St.Louis @ Washington
Atlanta @ New York(G)
New York(J) @ Indianapolis
Arizona @ Chicago
Miami @ Jacksonville
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
Dallas @ Philadelphia
Seattle @ Green Bay
Houston @ Carolina
San Diego @ Cincinnati
Detroit @ Minnesota
Baltimore @ Oakland
San Francisco @ Pittsburgh
New England @ Buffalo
Tennessee @ Cleveland
St.Louis @ Washington
Saturday, September 19, 2015
To catch or not to catch the Royals
A good friend of mine and I immersed in a debate this evening in the context of whether or not it would be beneficial for the Blue Jays to catch the skidding Kansas City Royals for the first overall position and end up playing the American League wildcard representative which could very well end up being the New York Yankees. I took the correct stance that there's not one team in all of baseball that'd I'd rather least suit up against in the divisional series round. Statistics will point out that the Blue Jays have had a relative amount of success against the Bronx Bombers as of late but statistics don't tell the entire story and frankly the Yankees are not a good matchup for us(see what I did there, I'm beginning to act like a fan that's supported this team for years). With the exception of games started by Ivan Nova who will not be one of the starters when the post-season dance commences, the Jays have consistently struggled to produce runs particularly against Tanaka and Pineda. If we lived in a world where an assurance was made that the Blue Jays could finish first overall and avoid the New York Yankees in American Divisional series then I would be on board, but that's not the kind of world we live in and due to that there are far too many risks inherited with securing that number one seed. Heck, and some will be able to vouch for me when I say that I've been on the lookout for the Cleveland Indians for some time now and even facing off against the Tribe would not be the most endearing scenario ever. Say what you want about this team up North, but the fact is when it comes to squaring off against the opposition's one or two best pitchers, the success level decreases drastically although in fairness to the Blue Jays this is just the nature of sport of when you face the best, the likelihood of winning goes down. Playing one of the Twins, who like I have said on past occasions will eat crow if they make the post-season, the Astros or the Angels I could stomach because I've witnessed enough flaws with these ball clubs to have the confidence that the Jays could handle them with relative ease. I pose my hypothesis the following way, would you rather go to the dance with a rotation that will fire out a combination of Severino-Pineda-Tanaka or dance with the boys from the state where everything's bigger that will send over Cole Hamels-Yovani Gallardo-Derek Holland? Is that even a thought provoking question? It's not, as much as I respect the work of Gallardo who I believe I pegged as one of the Cy Young candidates coming into this season, I'd much rather take my chances beating Hamels and Holland then the nucleus of great young Yankees pitching I'll tell you what you can take way form this blog posting and from my thoughts in general. Tonight, I've struck internal fear with facing the New York Yankees or Cleveland Indians and have essentially written off the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles of Anaheim Angels and Houston Astros. My prognostication track record is so bad, that it's become something of infamy so in other words any true Jay fans out there should be praying to the heaven's that they don't end up battling this trio as a jinxed series loss is inevitable.
My apologies Canada!
If you enjoy my work, please shoot me a line via e-mail at brett_h_murray@hotmail.com or through my twitter handle at @bretzky26. I appreciate you taking the time to read as I continue look to grow this "enterprise".
My apologies Canada!
If you enjoy my work, please shoot me a line via e-mail at brett_h_murray@hotmail.com or through my twitter handle at @bretzky26. I appreciate you taking the time to read as I continue look to grow this "enterprise".
Friday, September 18, 2015
Leading the troops
When dissecting the Regina Pats pre-season outlook and thoughts coming into the regular season, I made a point of pointing out that it was likely that twenty year old Colby Williams would've been the obvious choice for the Regina Pats captaincy. It was all but a foregone conclusion. With Williams suffering a potential season ending injury this has greatly complicated matters for Head Coach and General Manager John Paddock in deciphering the best fit to lead this young hockey club through the gauntlet known as the Regular Season. Williams has been a long serving member of the Pats organization and he has seen the decent times, ie the 2014-2015 campaign, and some tenures that had the supporters of this prestigious franchise very restless but through all the pros and cons, we saw Williams grow as a player which led to is surprise getting selected by the Washington Capitals in the 2015 National Hockey League entry draft. So who's the next lad in line? We will discuss below,
With Colby out of the running and fellow twenty year old Taylor Cooper expected out until at least Christmas, unless the Pats wanted to set a precedent by naming twenty year old goaltender Daniel Wapple the captain which isn't likely, it's safe to say that a twenty year old will not be leading the charge. Who else has may have the fortitude to confidently take over the captaincy? Three names specifically come to mind. Adam Brooks plight with the organization has been a fascinating one as for whatever reason he wasn't given the playing time to succeed under previous regimes coached by Malcolm Cameron and Pat Conacher but was finally giving tangible opportunity under John Paddock My impression of Brooks the first couple of years was he was a player similar to a player that lives in infamy due to poor play, Dominik Favreau. A good skater, arguably great skater but didn't have the necessary hockey I.Q to be an elite WHL scorer. That all changed under the guidance of Paddock as Brooks was a changed man last season. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native showed a penchant for using his speed for controlling the play and in many ways he made Pavel Padakin, who I thought was a tremendous fit as one of the two Europeans on the roster last year and seventeen year Austin Wagner better hockey players and I would imagine Wagner has Brooks to thank as Wagner's strong second half was parlayed into a NHL draft selection. Will Brooks get it, maybe, maybe not. He's not my personal choice but is definitely full fledged in the conversation. My choice still to come.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native Connor Hobbs will be looked at as the team leader because of what it took to acquire him from the Medicine Hat Tigers. Hobbs, who was brought in from the aforementioned Tigers for Kyle Burroughs and Dryden Hunt will be looked upon to be the number one defenceman on a very young unit and my thought process for wanting to include him for consideration is that if you're under the presumption that he's here for the next two or three years, why not give him the reigns early and let him run with it? The philosophy is that although we're not sure what kind of leadership intangible he possesses off the ice but sometimes to keep a top player happy, sticking the "C" on the front of the sweater is the best solution. I hate to label him as a player of this character without fully knowing but the idea has merit as why not make the best player at least on defence take on greater responsibilities. But, like any great lead-on, you'll have to keep reading to find out my ultimate selection for team captain.
Think Connor McDavid and Ryan Murray, two players that were named team captains prior to their National Hockey League draft year. McDavid and Murray, the Erie Otter McDavid in particular was naturally a hyped teen phenomenon long before he arrived in the Ontario Hockey League and it's completely unfair to paint McDavid and Regina Pats "phenom" Sam Steel under the same brush but ths is the kind of world we live in where expectations are generally overblown as they were when Steel entered the league. This is why Paddock would be best advised to throw the captaincy Steel's way....A)entering his sophomore campaign, a lot of players in the past have broken out at the age of seventeen and it's very plausible that Steel could finish the year with the team's most points barring any significant injury B)As I eluded to earlier, the precedent with junior and professional organizations prematurely awarding captaincy to the young up and comers, just look at Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews and Colorado Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog getting named captain at an early age and you'll be able to ascertain that this is becoming an all too common trend and C) it's the goals and aspirations of the franchise that need to be accounted for when making this important decision. John Paddock has gone on record, and this is an issue I've recently brought up on this blog and that is that he's targeting the 2016-2017 season as a year he views as possibly a golden year for the organization. With that in mind, he's under the directive that by that time Sam Steel, Jake Leschyshyn and possibly Dawson Barteaux will have enough to lead the young nucleus to championship glory. If Paddock believes this, which I wholeheartedly believe he does then naming this seventeen year old Steel captain amounts to the correct choice.
With Colby out of the running and fellow twenty year old Taylor Cooper expected out until at least Christmas, unless the Pats wanted to set a precedent by naming twenty year old goaltender Daniel Wapple the captain which isn't likely, it's safe to say that a twenty year old will not be leading the charge. Who else has may have the fortitude to confidently take over the captaincy? Three names specifically come to mind. Adam Brooks plight with the organization has been a fascinating one as for whatever reason he wasn't given the playing time to succeed under previous regimes coached by Malcolm Cameron and Pat Conacher but was finally giving tangible opportunity under John Paddock My impression of Brooks the first couple of years was he was a player similar to a player that lives in infamy due to poor play, Dominik Favreau. A good skater, arguably great skater but didn't have the necessary hockey I.Q to be an elite WHL scorer. That all changed under the guidance of Paddock as Brooks was a changed man last season. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native showed a penchant for using his speed for controlling the play and in many ways he made Pavel Padakin, who I thought was a tremendous fit as one of the two Europeans on the roster last year and seventeen year Austin Wagner better hockey players and I would imagine Wagner has Brooks to thank as Wagner's strong second half was parlayed into a NHL draft selection. Will Brooks get it, maybe, maybe not. He's not my personal choice but is definitely full fledged in the conversation. My choice still to come.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native Connor Hobbs will be looked at as the team leader because of what it took to acquire him from the Medicine Hat Tigers. Hobbs, who was brought in from the aforementioned Tigers for Kyle Burroughs and Dryden Hunt will be looked upon to be the number one defenceman on a very young unit and my thought process for wanting to include him for consideration is that if you're under the presumption that he's here for the next two or three years, why not give him the reigns early and let him run with it? The philosophy is that although we're not sure what kind of leadership intangible he possesses off the ice but sometimes to keep a top player happy, sticking the "C" on the front of the sweater is the best solution. I hate to label him as a player of this character without fully knowing but the idea has merit as why not make the best player at least on defence take on greater responsibilities. But, like any great lead-on, you'll have to keep reading to find out my ultimate selection for team captain.
Think Connor McDavid and Ryan Murray, two players that were named team captains prior to their National Hockey League draft year. McDavid and Murray, the Erie Otter McDavid in particular was naturally a hyped teen phenomenon long before he arrived in the Ontario Hockey League and it's completely unfair to paint McDavid and Regina Pats "phenom" Sam Steel under the same brush but ths is the kind of world we live in where expectations are generally overblown as they were when Steel entered the league. This is why Paddock would be best advised to throw the captaincy Steel's way....A)entering his sophomore campaign, a lot of players in the past have broken out at the age of seventeen and it's very plausible that Steel could finish the year with the team's most points barring any significant injury B)As I eluded to earlier, the precedent with junior and professional organizations prematurely awarding captaincy to the young up and comers, just look at Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews and Colorado Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog getting named captain at an early age and you'll be able to ascertain that this is becoming an all too common trend and C) it's the goals and aspirations of the franchise that need to be accounted for when making this important decision. John Paddock has gone on record, and this is an issue I've recently brought up on this blog and that is that he's targeting the 2016-2017 season as a year he views as possibly a golden year for the organization. With that in mind, he's under the directive that by that time Sam Steel, Jake Leschyshyn and possibly Dawson Barteaux will have enough to lead the young nucleus to championship glory. If Paddock believes this, which I wholeheartedly believe he does then naming this seventeen year old Steel captain amounts to the correct choice.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
NBC Mediocrity no more
In the circles of golf, there's only one name that can crossover non golf fans into passionate observers when it comes to the standard golfing telecast. That man is David Feherty. Feherty combines a knack of producing dry, witty humor with the ability to articulate the thoughts that go through the golfer's mind as he was once a professional golfer himself. Feherty had been the lead roaming commentator for the CBS golfing coverage for the last eighteen years because I grew up watching the game on T.V and enjoying the work of the Irishman turned naturalized U.S citizen, I can wholeheartedly say that it was the works of sir Feherty that kept me genuinely captivated in this great game. The CBS golfing crew was always first class, from the work of art that was Feherty, to the greatest moustache on T.V in Gary McCord to the recently retired Peter Oosterhuis with the dream team rounded off with the iconic, monotone voice of Verne Lundquist. When electing to write a piece on what Feherty has meant for golf, I wanted to explore the full gamut, on the course, off the course on what his presence has meant for Irish golf, ie did he influence Rory McIlroy to dedicate himself fully to the game, and finally what does the loss mean for CBS and who can they bring and what they can do to alleviate this ginormous loss and what impact the signing will have on NBC sports who have now inked Feherty.
To truly appreciate David's greatness, we must first reminisce on a highlight that he thwarted us with. The list of iconic Feherty moments are practically endless, but this one stands out to me particularly. My most favourite moment happened just a couple years back in early 2014 at the WGC- Match Play Championships, the last true bracket format event as in 2015 the match play format was altered into a non fan friendly set-up, something I could vent a entire novel on but we'll maybe save that for another day. Anyways the call I was referring to was in the final match featuring Jason Day against the infamous Frenchman Victor Dubuisson. This was an event that was ultimately won by the Australian day but it was some shots hit by Dubuisson in some unthinkable lies that led to memorable calls. To describe the play by play to the best of my abilities although I am no Feherty, their was back to back holes in the match that Dubuisson was dead in the water with Day comfortably set up to make a par on the hole. On the first of two miraculous shots, his ball landed in literally a cactus as the event was being held in Arizona and somehow Dubuisson navigated through the cactus, through the rough to approximately ten feet to which Feherty implored after the miraculous shot, "If I saw Arnold Palmer riding down the walk way, I'd believe it". The shot itself was world class and for that Victor deserves all the credit but having somebody on the network describe the shot in a comical and yet captivating manner makes the shot go down in golfing lore. Now although that will go down as his memorable call in my humble opinion but their is a plethora of other calls but like I mentioned earlier this goes down as his very best.
Off the course, David Feherty is a pioneer. During his playing days, although he was able to qualify for a Ryder Cup in his day he was very much a golfer in the background unlike the way he's in the spotlight now. Feherty is someone that can draw parallels through superstars in other professional sports through his new(newer) show showcased on the Golf Channel aptly named 'Feherty'. For us Canadians, we've been indulged for the last eighteen or so years in a talk show called Off the Record hosted by Michael Landsberg which essentially the premise of the show was to bring on sport celebrities from all walks of life with the idea of discussing hot topic sporting items. This show has sustained moderate success in Canada and throughout the years many American networks have tried to implement a similar guideline, some to success ie Pardon the Interruption, some not so successful such as Around the Horn etc etc. With the show David Feherty pitched to the Golf Channel's attention, and if he wasn't the one who pitched it I apologize for not having my facts straight has differed from a lot of concepts in that it's Feherty with a celebrity not necessarily discussing the world of sports, but just going in detail clamoring to personal life details. I personally find this refreshing because to get extreme opinions on any show, I can tune into my local afternoon sports radio talk show but not often will you have someone sit down with Lee Trevino and get into what he really enjoys about fishing. Refreshing might be an understatement as the level of depthness that he delves into is unprecedented and makes this Golf Channel classic truly iconic. The best way to describe it is listening to someone that has expertise in one particular subject matter, in this case golf, it's a beautiful thing allowing these individuals to ride on completely out of the box tangents.
Commending Feherty as a pioneer to the golfing audience is one thing, but is an impact being made to grow golf in his native land of Ireland. First of all, from what I've been told golfing in Ireland is absolutely tremendous with it being host to some of the world's best courses but aside from that, the "Irish explosion" on the professional golf tours is a fascinating one, and I'd like to hail Feherty as being the presipus for what has happened in that regard. In the last fifteen years, four Irish golfers have predominantly had a great deal of success on the PGA Tour. Padraig Harrington, Graem McDowell, Shane Lowry and of course we can't forget Rory McIlroy! The success of Harrington and McDowell can't be all tied to the presence of Feherty because they were already developmental golfers by the time Feherty became an international phenomenon but in reference to the younger generation in Lowry and McIlroy one can speculate what seeing Feherty on a television screen every Sunday did for their confidence and willingness to take golf up as a past time. I doubt they would ever admit the importance of what he means to Irish golf as they are on the surface very confident individuals but I don't discount for a second what he's meant for these two.
CBS golf losing David Feherty is comparable to if ABC and ESPN ever lost Jon Gruden for there Monday Night football coverage. Irreplaceable would be the accurate descriptor. As aforementioned in the opening paragraph, the CBS golf team is top notch and was, was being the operative terminology the best in the business. The main competitors of CBS surely had their strong suits as for example Mike Tirico is an excellent play by play man for the ESPN/ABC British Open coverage, the great Roger Maltbie was clearly a knowledgeable commentator for NBC, and FOX....well what we can say about FOX, Joe" I dip my feet into too many sports" Buck doesn't have the golfing background to be successful in this industry thus the golfing coverage which will reportedly be increasing in content will continue to suffer. With Feherty jumping ship over to NBC, the new "dream team" has formed with himself, Roger Maltbie, though we're not certain how many kicks at the can he has left and Johnny Miller will create an eloquent broadcast. Sure, with the opportunity of broadcasting the Olympics too much of an incentive for David to pass up on, but I find it odd that CBS, being the conglomerate they are couldn't of made it financially beneficial for Feherty to stay. NBC's gain is CBS' loss. Who is the next chosen one that CBS will choose as the new leading roaming commentator? I'm going to throw a name out there that will split the golfing community on agreeance, and that's Brandel Chamblee. Chamblee is known for his over the top opinions and constant sometimes unfair criticism to certain player, his consistent outcry towards Tiger Woods swing changes come to the forefront, so due to the boldness that he brings with him on air, I find it appealing and would be a great coup for the CBS golfing coverage. The Jim Nantz/Nick Faldo tower combination is intriguing because first of all Nantz can make anybody look more superior than they really are but also because Nick Faldo has a story telling skill that not many have had before him. Peter Kostis has that unspoken ability to dissect a golf swing while making it interesting for the viewer. Unfortunately, for all they have that's adherable, losing that comedic presence on air will be tough to overcome as it may draw away some of the casual fans that tuned in to listen to the Irishman. Chamblee, the choice I just theorized with doesn't bring the humor element but he will raise the stakes on the controversial game which may draw a different type of audience, because, hey...who didn't like a little bit of controversy now and again?
To truly appreciate David's greatness, we must first reminisce on a highlight that he thwarted us with. The list of iconic Feherty moments are practically endless, but this one stands out to me particularly. My most favourite moment happened just a couple years back in early 2014 at the WGC- Match Play Championships, the last true bracket format event as in 2015 the match play format was altered into a non fan friendly set-up, something I could vent a entire novel on but we'll maybe save that for another day. Anyways the call I was referring to was in the final match featuring Jason Day against the infamous Frenchman Victor Dubuisson. This was an event that was ultimately won by the Australian day but it was some shots hit by Dubuisson in some unthinkable lies that led to memorable calls. To describe the play by play to the best of my abilities although I am no Feherty, their was back to back holes in the match that Dubuisson was dead in the water with Day comfortably set up to make a par on the hole. On the first of two miraculous shots, his ball landed in literally a cactus as the event was being held in Arizona and somehow Dubuisson navigated through the cactus, through the rough to approximately ten feet to which Feherty implored after the miraculous shot, "If I saw Arnold Palmer riding down the walk way, I'd believe it". The shot itself was world class and for that Victor deserves all the credit but having somebody on the network describe the shot in a comical and yet captivating manner makes the shot go down in golfing lore. Now although that will go down as his memorable call in my humble opinion but their is a plethora of other calls but like I mentioned earlier this goes down as his very best.
Off the course, David Feherty is a pioneer. During his playing days, although he was able to qualify for a Ryder Cup in his day he was very much a golfer in the background unlike the way he's in the spotlight now. Feherty is someone that can draw parallels through superstars in other professional sports through his new(newer) show showcased on the Golf Channel aptly named 'Feherty'. For us Canadians, we've been indulged for the last eighteen or so years in a talk show called Off the Record hosted by Michael Landsberg which essentially the premise of the show was to bring on sport celebrities from all walks of life with the idea of discussing hot topic sporting items. This show has sustained moderate success in Canada and throughout the years many American networks have tried to implement a similar guideline, some to success ie Pardon the Interruption, some not so successful such as Around the Horn etc etc. With the show David Feherty pitched to the Golf Channel's attention, and if he wasn't the one who pitched it I apologize for not having my facts straight has differed from a lot of concepts in that it's Feherty with a celebrity not necessarily discussing the world of sports, but just going in detail clamoring to personal life details. I personally find this refreshing because to get extreme opinions on any show, I can tune into my local afternoon sports radio talk show but not often will you have someone sit down with Lee Trevino and get into what he really enjoys about fishing. Refreshing might be an understatement as the level of depthness that he delves into is unprecedented and makes this Golf Channel classic truly iconic. The best way to describe it is listening to someone that has expertise in one particular subject matter, in this case golf, it's a beautiful thing allowing these individuals to ride on completely out of the box tangents.
Commending Feherty as a pioneer to the golfing audience is one thing, but is an impact being made to grow golf in his native land of Ireland. First of all, from what I've been told golfing in Ireland is absolutely tremendous with it being host to some of the world's best courses but aside from that, the "Irish explosion" on the professional golf tours is a fascinating one, and I'd like to hail Feherty as being the presipus for what has happened in that regard. In the last fifteen years, four Irish golfers have predominantly had a great deal of success on the PGA Tour. Padraig Harrington, Graem McDowell, Shane Lowry and of course we can't forget Rory McIlroy! The success of Harrington and McDowell can't be all tied to the presence of Feherty because they were already developmental golfers by the time Feherty became an international phenomenon but in reference to the younger generation in Lowry and McIlroy one can speculate what seeing Feherty on a television screen every Sunday did for their confidence and willingness to take golf up as a past time. I doubt they would ever admit the importance of what he means to Irish golf as they are on the surface very confident individuals but I don't discount for a second what he's meant for these two.
CBS golf losing David Feherty is comparable to if ABC and ESPN ever lost Jon Gruden for there Monday Night football coverage. Irreplaceable would be the accurate descriptor. As aforementioned in the opening paragraph, the CBS golf team is top notch and was, was being the operative terminology the best in the business. The main competitors of CBS surely had their strong suits as for example Mike Tirico is an excellent play by play man for the ESPN/ABC British Open coverage, the great Roger Maltbie was clearly a knowledgeable commentator for NBC, and FOX....well what we can say about FOX, Joe" I dip my feet into too many sports" Buck doesn't have the golfing background to be successful in this industry thus the golfing coverage which will reportedly be increasing in content will continue to suffer. With Feherty jumping ship over to NBC, the new "dream team" has formed with himself, Roger Maltbie, though we're not certain how many kicks at the can he has left and Johnny Miller will create an eloquent broadcast. Sure, with the opportunity of broadcasting the Olympics too much of an incentive for David to pass up on, but I find it odd that CBS, being the conglomerate they are couldn't of made it financially beneficial for Feherty to stay. NBC's gain is CBS' loss. Who is the next chosen one that CBS will choose as the new leading roaming commentator? I'm going to throw a name out there that will split the golfing community on agreeance, and that's Brandel Chamblee. Chamblee is known for his over the top opinions and constant sometimes unfair criticism to certain player, his consistent outcry towards Tiger Woods swing changes come to the forefront, so due to the boldness that he brings with him on air, I find it appealing and would be a great coup for the CBS golfing coverage. The Jim Nantz/Nick Faldo tower combination is intriguing because first of all Nantz can make anybody look more superior than they really are but also because Nick Faldo has a story telling skill that not many have had before him. Peter Kostis has that unspoken ability to dissect a golf swing while making it interesting for the viewer. Unfortunately, for all they have that's adherable, losing that comedic presence on air will be tough to overcome as it may draw away some of the casual fans that tuned in to listen to the Irishman. Chamblee, the choice I just theorized with doesn't bring the humor element but he will raise the stakes on the controversial game which may draw a different type of audience, because, hey...who didn't like a little bit of controversy now and again?
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