A digression towards baseball.
1) JC Romero coming back. 50 game suspension seemed somehow short. Will he be the same without his suppplements? (See e.g., David Ortiz).
2) Manny in the all-star game. People are already speculating that Ortiz's power outage is due to a rapid stoppage of some sort of supplement, given that he was Ramirez's best buddy on the Botox, er, Bosox, and has one HR and a below the Mendoza line seaon avg. ESPN says he just may be old.
3) I also wonder about Abreu, who's power numbers took a precipitous decline after he won the All-Star home run contest as a Phillie and that supposedly messed up his swing. Even tho his HR numbers are way down (1 this year), he continues to hit right around 300, although he's gonna have to pick it up to keep his streak of 100 RBI seasons alive.
4) One amazing thing about Howard is that despite his struggles for long stretches each season, he still manages to accumulate RBIs. He's second on the team to Ibanez who's been on fire.
5) I like that the steroid chickens are coming home to roost as it looks like Manny's gonna get voted in and put them in a bad position. Watch as Manny finally emerges to "voluntarily" withdraw himself from consideration. Go back to picking your nose, Selig, you sactimonious phony.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Shit stamp
Yeah, refs def put the Bettman diarreah stamp on this one, altho I think the outcome was ultimately fair. Detroit had some bad luck around the net, just like Pitts previously, with posts and missed ops.
The bettman file:
20 secs of too many men on the ice, with Eaton skating off in front of two refs and no call -- the only thing worse was Olcyk going off like an alarm clock repeatedly shouting "Pittsburgh's got 6 men on the ice..." etc.
But I don't have a huge problem with the penalties vs the Red Wings. Was surprised when Pens drew first call and that led to Detroit go ahead goal. Bettman must have crapped his pants. The cleary holding afterward was BS and led to a tying goal, but the Franzen call was legit.
The Ericcson interference call was a little ticky tack, but considering how many times they get away with it, I didn't have a problem with it. Bettman must have spunked his dirty diaper tho when Gonchar cashed it in for the game winning goal.
Observations:
1) wtf are the pens going to do when Datsyuk makes his inevitable return?
2) how great would it be if the Flyers could somehow get Franzen?
3) I've always disliked Samuelsson for some reason, but I am thinking he might be a nice match with either Richards or Giroux.
4) Brad Stuart playing big and smart.
5) Fedotenko, Gill, LeTang are impressing me as potential Flyers (Orpik's been very solid but they'll never let him go). I also liked the way Matt Cooke was not only banging Kronwall, but contributed offensive pressure. Seems much smarter than Downey who they were so in love with, and also seems to have a little touch.
6) Helm's stock has obviously soared, but he would be a great acquisition, but Lebda (like Erskine on the Caps) is a $650K a year guy who's pretty solid and would be great Flyers.
7) If Flyers consider goaltending to be job #1, then we are really in trouble.
The bettman file:
20 secs of too many men on the ice, with Eaton skating off in front of two refs and no call -- the only thing worse was Olcyk going off like an alarm clock repeatedly shouting "Pittsburgh's got 6 men on the ice..." etc.
But I don't have a huge problem with the penalties vs the Red Wings. Was surprised when Pens drew first call and that led to Detroit go ahead goal. Bettman must have crapped his pants. The cleary holding afterward was BS and led to a tying goal, but the Franzen call was legit.
The Ericcson interference call was a little ticky tack, but considering how many times they get away with it, I didn't have a problem with it. Bettman must have spunked his dirty diaper tho when Gonchar cashed it in for the game winning goal.
Observations:
1) wtf are the pens going to do when Datsyuk makes his inevitable return?
2) how great would it be if the Flyers could somehow get Franzen?
3) I've always disliked Samuelsson for some reason, but I am thinking he might be a nice match with either Richards or Giroux.
4) Brad Stuart playing big and smart.
5) Fedotenko, Gill, LeTang are impressing me as potential Flyers (Orpik's been very solid but they'll never let him go). I also liked the way Matt Cooke was not only banging Kronwall, but contributed offensive pressure. Seems much smarter than Downey who they were so in love with, and also seems to have a little touch.
6) Helm's stock has obviously soared, but he would be a great acquisition, but Lebda (like Erskine on the Caps) is a $650K a year guy who's pretty solid and would be great Flyers.
7) If Flyers consider goaltending to be job #1, then we are really in trouble.
I agree and disagree
I've always thought PP% was a bit deceiving as a stat, by itself, like you say. The difference between Detroit's and Pitt's powerplays in pct terms means that Detroit needs 4 PP to score a goal, while Pitt needs almost 7 PP.
But like I said, that's deceiving, because of the toll that PK takes, and the rest it gives the team with the man advantage. I think an awful lot of "full strength" goals occur within a minute or two after the end of the penalty.
But I do think the refs have been pretty lax on calling Detroit for interference and also they are very active with slashes -- the former should def be called, and, while I am not saying the latter should be, the Flyers certainly got nailed for a lot of BS stick fouls.
I agree that tonight will be a penalty fest. I am hoping that they do crack down on Detroit's obstruction, tho, to open up Pitt's game and turn this back into a series.
I also hope someone cracks Malkin.
But like I said, that's deceiving, because of the toll that PK takes, and the rest it gives the team with the man advantage. I think an awful lot of "full strength" goals occur within a minute or two after the end of the penalty.
But I do think the refs have been pretty lax on calling Detroit for interference and also they are very active with slashes -- the former should def be called, and, while I am not saying the latter should be, the Flyers certainly got nailed for a lot of BS stick fouls.
I agree that tonight will be a penalty fest. I am hoping that they do crack down on Detroit's obstruction, tho, to open up Pitt's game and turn this back into a series.
I also hope someone cracks Malkin.
Monday, June 1, 2009
I disagree
I think the only difference is that there have been a grand total of 5 power plays in the first two games. Pittsburgh in the previous 3 series grew fat off of all the extra opportunities they were getting. Granted, their power play is average, but the end result would be a tired opposing team, on their heels. This happened in the first round which basically took Mike Richards out of the series.
Now, since the red wings are so deadly on the PP, (over 25%, whereas the Penguins are around 15%) the league has obviously decided that even with Pittsburgh getting 2 or more extra PPAs a game, they still likely will end up on the short end of the stick. So, you saw a "let 'em play" type of game. However, since that clearly isn't working, I predict a whistle fest for game 3. Pens will get 3 extra opportunities on the PP.
I don't think Fleury is playing any differently than he had in the previous 3 series. In the previous 3 series, Fleury was credited with making great saves, whenever the opposing forwards shot the puck at his chest or pads instead of a wide open net. I guess live by the sword, die by the sword.
Now, since the red wings are so deadly on the PP, (over 25%, whereas the Penguins are around 15%) the league has obviously decided that even with Pittsburgh getting 2 or more extra PPAs a game, they still likely will end up on the short end of the stick. So, you saw a "let 'em play" type of game. However, since that clearly isn't working, I predict a whistle fest for game 3. Pens will get 3 extra opportunities on the PP.
I don't think Fleury is playing any differently than he had in the previous 3 series. In the previous 3 series, Fleury was credited with making great saves, whenever the opposing forwards shot the puck at his chest or pads instead of a wide open net. I guess live by the sword, die by the sword.
Referees catch fire, now stuck in corner like broken Roombas
The Refs must be so confused, now that Bettman has them spinning in all directions and now sitting on their whistles.
After Game 1, I liked the fact that the refs finally put away their whistles and let the teams play. I especially was infuriated with the many BS touch fouls (hooking, interference, holding, slashing) as well as the double minors for minor accidental high sticks we had been seeing leading up to the finals. It was nice to see extended stretches of 5 on 5 play.
But now what has become prominent is the amount of significant interference that Detroit employs and gets away with -- mainly by their D on Pitt dump ins, but also by their forwards who do roving picks on their cycle, below the circles. They are usually smart about it, but some of the ones allowed by the D were ridiculous.
I also am seeing a curious double standard on what constitutes a late hit or interference. The hits to Timomen and Hudler, among others, were considered by some to be late, because a beat or so had passed since the puck was gone. (Same with Havlat who never touched it, which I don't think should matter if it's at your feet). But I routinely see forwards hitting defenseman 2-3-4 seconds after they have released the puck -- usually along the boards on routine clearing passes and so not the ugly open ice variety, but still very very late. Usually this is accompanied by an idiot Olcyk stamp of approval that the wingers are finishing their checks.
But if Kronwall was properly punished (I disagree) for hitting because of the technicality that Havlatt had yet to touch the puck as he stood over it, I have seen many more egregious examples of this since, although none had the effect of leaving the target looking like he had just been hit by a car. There was a play yesterday where Orpik lined up one forward who he thought was going to receive an entry pass, and when the pass instead was taken by a cutting forward, Orpik hit the other forward anyway even though the puck never got near him. Right in front of the ref. It did look like the pass was set up to go to Orpik's target, but then went to the other guy.
Ultimately, the Pens are being done in mainly by their own snakebitten-ness on offense, either hitting the post or just missing wonderful opportunities. I mean look at how often Lidstrom gets his shots through. Really amazing. Gonchar seemed to have that ability in previous series, but has been quieted vs Detroit. Another important factor I think is that Osgood is obviously playing more steadily than Fleury, and the more the Pens have to climb uphill, the more his soft goals seem to kill even as he makes many others he probably shouldn't. And the final factor is that with the Pens being unable to play their dump in game, in large part due to Detroit interference, they can't seem to establish offensive control in the zone very often. Against the Flyers, when they weren't dumping in, one of their slick guys could carry it in as the Flyers D often collapsed. In contrast, vs Detroit, not only does the D not collapse, it is likely to step up and whack you if you are the whirl around types like Malkin and Hossa. (Whereas the Flyers would mostly futilely chase and stick check -- Detroit takes the smart approach - I may not be able to get the puck, so I'll just get you). So I think Pitts forwards are much less aggressive entering the zone, and if they do carry it in, it tends to be on the wing, along the boards. So Pitts dump ins are turnovers about 1/2 the time.
The fact of the matter is Detroit is just wonderfully deep, and wonderfully committed to backchecking and supporting the D. Even tho they have a pretty steady/solid d-corps, at least one winger and usually the center are in the d-zone when Detroit starts the break. The two backcheckers are usually facing the D (backs to center ice) -- more intent on making sure the D have breakout options -- rather than pinned up along the boards in the neutral zone where they are covered, or swooping by and then skating off up the wing. Watch how infrequently they toss the puck out of the zone simply to clear it -- not even to center ice.
And as a result, Pitts forecheck is not causing nearly the problem that it did for Philly and the other teams Pitt beat up to this point -- and I noticed all of these teams regularly (somehow) employ the hated long backhanded breakoutpass (esp the Flyers). I have seen Detroit resort to this only a couple times. While they have had some turnovers, they don't seem structural in nature, and don't seem to be repeatedly vexed by the forecheck as other teams were.
Arguably, the back to backs this weekend should have pressured Detroit more than Pittsburgh since Detroit is older and already beat up. But if anything, Pittsburgh looked slow. And even tho I think Zetterberg is still a much better player than a rapidly improving (tho still whining) Crosby, finally someone (Babcock) has employed my idea of basically man-covering him and make the rest of the team beat you. And so Babcock, in the ultimate chess move, has basically sacrificed Zetterberg to make sure Crosby doesn't kill him. And while Guerin and Kunitz get more chances as a result, neither of them are nearly as dangerous around the net as Crosby, so that's a smart trade off. Meanwhile, Babcock is getting tons of unexpected offense (offsetting the loss of Datsyuk and the repurposing of Zetterberg) from the likes of Helm and Cleary. And Crosby ain't hurting them, and now Malkin (who is so ez to get off his game) is getting frustrated with the rough stuff.
I think the Malkin non-suspension is total BS even though I support the decision. What I didn't like was Campbell's gerrymandering as to how he arrived at the decision, as if there is some sort of unassailable objective standard in his employ. The fact is Pitt was badly hurt on the arguable non-call vs Hossa prior to the Filippula go-ahead goal, and losing Malkin will very much undermine Bettman's emergency rehab plan for the Pens beginning with Game 3.
The fact of the matter is that if you consider the two players -- with Zetterberg being much more the Lady Byng type than Malkin -- and that I don't think Malkin had a specific beef with Zetterberg in connection with actual play on the ice (i.e. paying back a late hit or slash), you have to wonder what Malkin was so agitated about other than being beat on my other Red Wing players. Zetterberg said it was the first fighting major he could ever remember getting. So in all probability (tho I didn't see the whole development), Malkin instigated the fight, at the end of the game (20 secs left with Pitt down by 2), and picked Zetterberg as probably Detroit's MVP so far in the series (as opposed to in retaliation for an on-ice incident). If that's not sending a message, then I don't know what is.
Which is why Bettman and his talking co-asshole Campbell are such hypocrites that are ruining hockey. Maybe they need to re-clarify the rule and indicate that has to be a distinct instigating motion to warrant a suspension.
But we've no doubt not seen the last of Bettman's diarreah. I can't wait for what he has in store for the next 2 games in Pittsburgh, which I think will be a BS penalty-fest to Pitt's advantage.
I will only say this -- if he is pushing for home teams to win their games, then I can at least see a point to the apparent favoritism. When the home team wins, the arena is loud and screaming, and makes the game seem, to the more casual viewer, to be exciting and important. Nothing worse than the home team getting behind and the place turns into a library. So if that's what he's doing, I still hate it and him, but at least I can see some sort of logic behind it, for once.
Not too early to bet on Phoenix to win the Cup next year (currently 75-1) -- Flyers are 15-1.
http://www.vegasinsider.com/nhl/odds/futures/
After Game 1, I liked the fact that the refs finally put away their whistles and let the teams play. I especially was infuriated with the many BS touch fouls (hooking, interference, holding, slashing) as well as the double minors for minor accidental high sticks we had been seeing leading up to the finals. It was nice to see extended stretches of 5 on 5 play.
But now what has become prominent is the amount of significant interference that Detroit employs and gets away with -- mainly by their D on Pitt dump ins, but also by their forwards who do roving picks on their cycle, below the circles. They are usually smart about it, but some of the ones allowed by the D were ridiculous.
I also am seeing a curious double standard on what constitutes a late hit or interference. The hits to Timomen and Hudler, among others, were considered by some to be late, because a beat or so had passed since the puck was gone. (Same with Havlat who never touched it, which I don't think should matter if it's at your feet). But I routinely see forwards hitting defenseman 2-3-4 seconds after they have released the puck -- usually along the boards on routine clearing passes and so not the ugly open ice variety, but still very very late. Usually this is accompanied by an idiot Olcyk stamp of approval that the wingers are finishing their checks.
But if Kronwall was properly punished (I disagree) for hitting because of the technicality that Havlatt had yet to touch the puck as he stood over it, I have seen many more egregious examples of this since, although none had the effect of leaving the target looking like he had just been hit by a car. There was a play yesterday where Orpik lined up one forward who he thought was going to receive an entry pass, and when the pass instead was taken by a cutting forward, Orpik hit the other forward anyway even though the puck never got near him. Right in front of the ref. It did look like the pass was set up to go to Orpik's target, but then went to the other guy.
Ultimately, the Pens are being done in mainly by their own snakebitten-ness on offense, either hitting the post or just missing wonderful opportunities. I mean look at how often Lidstrom gets his shots through. Really amazing. Gonchar seemed to have that ability in previous series, but has been quieted vs Detroit. Another important factor I think is that Osgood is obviously playing more steadily than Fleury, and the more the Pens have to climb uphill, the more his soft goals seem to kill even as he makes many others he probably shouldn't. And the final factor is that with the Pens being unable to play their dump in game, in large part due to Detroit interference, they can't seem to establish offensive control in the zone very often. Against the Flyers, when they weren't dumping in, one of their slick guys could carry it in as the Flyers D often collapsed. In contrast, vs Detroit, not only does the D not collapse, it is likely to step up and whack you if you are the whirl around types like Malkin and Hossa. (Whereas the Flyers would mostly futilely chase and stick check -- Detroit takes the smart approach - I may not be able to get the puck, so I'll just get you). So I think Pitts forwards are much less aggressive entering the zone, and if they do carry it in, it tends to be on the wing, along the boards. So Pitts dump ins are turnovers about 1/2 the time.
The fact of the matter is Detroit is just wonderfully deep, and wonderfully committed to backchecking and supporting the D. Even tho they have a pretty steady/solid d-corps, at least one winger and usually the center are in the d-zone when Detroit starts the break. The two backcheckers are usually facing the D (backs to center ice) -- more intent on making sure the D have breakout options -- rather than pinned up along the boards in the neutral zone where they are covered, or swooping by and then skating off up the wing. Watch how infrequently they toss the puck out of the zone simply to clear it -- not even to center ice.
And as a result, Pitts forecheck is not causing nearly the problem that it did for Philly and the other teams Pitt beat up to this point -- and I noticed all of these teams regularly (somehow) employ the hated long backhanded breakoutpass (esp the Flyers). I have seen Detroit resort to this only a couple times. While they have had some turnovers, they don't seem structural in nature, and don't seem to be repeatedly vexed by the forecheck as other teams were.
Arguably, the back to backs this weekend should have pressured Detroit more than Pittsburgh since Detroit is older and already beat up. But if anything, Pittsburgh looked slow. And even tho I think Zetterberg is still a much better player than a rapidly improving (tho still whining) Crosby, finally someone (Babcock) has employed my idea of basically man-covering him and make the rest of the team beat you. And so Babcock, in the ultimate chess move, has basically sacrificed Zetterberg to make sure Crosby doesn't kill him. And while Guerin and Kunitz get more chances as a result, neither of them are nearly as dangerous around the net as Crosby, so that's a smart trade off. Meanwhile, Babcock is getting tons of unexpected offense (offsetting the loss of Datsyuk and the repurposing of Zetterberg) from the likes of Helm and Cleary. And Crosby ain't hurting them, and now Malkin (who is so ez to get off his game) is getting frustrated with the rough stuff.
I think the Malkin non-suspension is total BS even though I support the decision. What I didn't like was Campbell's gerrymandering as to how he arrived at the decision, as if there is some sort of unassailable objective standard in his employ. The fact is Pitt was badly hurt on the arguable non-call vs Hossa prior to the Filippula go-ahead goal, and losing Malkin will very much undermine Bettman's emergency rehab plan for the Pens beginning with Game 3.
The fact of the matter is that if you consider the two players -- with Zetterberg being much more the Lady Byng type than Malkin -- and that I don't think Malkin had a specific beef with Zetterberg in connection with actual play on the ice (i.e. paying back a late hit or slash), you have to wonder what Malkin was so agitated about other than being beat on my other Red Wing players. Zetterberg said it was the first fighting major he could ever remember getting. So in all probability (tho I didn't see the whole development), Malkin instigated the fight, at the end of the game (20 secs left with Pitt down by 2), and picked Zetterberg as probably Detroit's MVP so far in the series (as opposed to in retaliation for an on-ice incident). If that's not sending a message, then I don't know what is.
Which is why Bettman and his talking co-asshole Campbell are such hypocrites that are ruining hockey. Maybe they need to re-clarify the rule and indicate that has to be a distinct instigating motion to warrant a suspension.
But we've no doubt not seen the last of Bettman's diarreah. I can't wait for what he has in store for the next 2 games in Pittsburgh, which I think will be a BS penalty-fest to Pitt's advantage.
I will only say this -- if he is pushing for home teams to win their games, then I can at least see a point to the apparent favoritism. When the home team wins, the arena is loud and screaming, and makes the game seem, to the more casual viewer, to be exciting and important. Nothing worse than the home team getting behind and the place turns into a library. So if that's what he's doing, I still hate it and him, but at least I can see some sort of logic behind it, for once.
Not too early to bet on Phoenix to win the Cup next year (currently 75-1) -- Flyers are 15-1.
http://www.vegasinsider.com/nhl/odds/futures/
Philadelphia Penguins
I didn't mistype that. They must be gripping those sticks with white knuckles by now. Crosby and company are on the verge of ruining the NHL's marketing plan by turning into a pumpkin. This looks just like 1997 all over again, with the league's superstar being checked and nullified, while Detroit's 4th line wins them the cup. I've always said it and I'll say it again, a good 4th line, wins championships.
It may have been last night, but it was mentioned on the tv that osgood, in the finals has only ever let in one or fewer goals in his career. Crazy.
Of course, after the Pens goon it up at the end, and try to send a message, Campbell has already decided that he won't suspend Malkin. I personally don't think he should suspend Malkin, but the hypocrisy of the NHL and the way it metes out justice is clearly turning the league into a joke.
It may have been last night, but it was mentioned on the tv that osgood, in the finals has only ever let in one or fewer goals in his career. Crazy.
Of course, after the Pens goon it up at the end, and try to send a message, Campbell has already decided that he won't suspend Malkin. I personally don't think he should suspend Malkin, but the hypocrisy of the NHL and the way it metes out justice is clearly turning the league into a joke.
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