Monthly Archives: February 2012

February 27, 2012

Bye Hodgson

By nalstradamus

The trade deadline has come and gone. It would have been the lamest deadline day ever if it were not for the shocker pulled off by the Canucks and Sabres at the buzzer. As most of you know by now the trade centred around two young prospects: Cody Hodgson and Zack Kassian. The two are polar opposites with Hodgson being a slick, skilled, smaller player and Kassian being a big, gritty, physical power forward.

The trade addresses both teams’ needs. Buffalo was in dire need of a number 1 or 2 centre and Vancouver has needed a physical force since last year. The main question around Vancity today was, did the Canucks give up too much for Kassian? In my opinion no, this was a great trade for the Canucks.

I listened to countless complainers on the Team 1040 today. Some were quick to compare the trade to the trade that brought Naslund to Vancouver. Other callers stated they were fine with the trade as long as the Canucks won the cup and if they didn’t then it was the worst trade ever.

I understand where the emotion is coming from. Hodgson is a good looking player who likely will become a stud in the league one day. However, fans need to take a longer look at this deal. Hodgson is a skill player, a player that is best suited in an offensive role. Unfortunately for him, the Canucks are loaded with skill players in the top 6, especially at centre. Kesler and Henrik aren’t going anywhere soon so his path to the top 6 was blocked for years unless he switched to the wing.

The second reason this trade was right for the Canucks is they needed more toughness and grit. They have been looking for a more balanced line up since last year’s playoff run. As one caller put it, the Canucks have enough Porsches, but they don’t have enough tractors. Adding Kassian and Pahlsson allows the Canucks to form a true shutdown checking line to allow Henrik and Kesler to focus on scoring rather than chasing around elite forwards.

Some would argue that the Canucks should have dealt for more well known grit players like Gaustad or Moen. The Canucks have been saying all along they didn’t want a rental player, or a vet on his way out of the league. They are trying not only to be a Stanley Cup champ this year, but also a team that is a long term winner (i.e. Detroit).

Of course with all trades only time will tell, but before we call Kassian a bust or Hodgson the future messiah we all need to chill and let it happen.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Hockey

February 25, 2012

Let’s Make a Deal

By nalstradamus

We are now just 2 days away from my second favourite day of the hockey season (other than opening night), the trade deadline. I used to work from home so I was able to be in ‘meetings’ for most of the day so I could catch all the wheeling and dealing. I now will have to rely on sneaky washroom breaks to take quick peeks at Twitter. There have already been some big trades with names like Jeff Carter, Jack Johnson and Marek Zidlicky changing locales. However, with Rick Nash still being in the mix, Monday could be spectacular. Today’s news that the Canucks have moved Keith Ballard to long term injury reserve indicates the Canucks will be players on Monday. Moving Ballard to LTIR frees up a $4.2 million chunk of cap space. This move has got Canucks fans on the edges of their seats drooling at a potential move…or two…or four.

The Wish List

The move of Ballard to LTIR also means the Canucks will be looking to add a veteran d-man. The top 2 pairings are set, but the final pairing is up for grabs with Aaron Rome, Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev fighting for playing time. A team can never have enough defensive depth going into the playoffs especially a team that relies so heavily on an oft injured Sami Salo. Another obvious need is some depth and grit up front. The names that have been floated about are Steve Ott, Travis Moen, Daniel Winnik and Cody McLeod. I would love to see any of those 4 guys in a Canucks uniform, but Steve Ott would be the clear first choice. It won’t be easy to land Ott because there are a handful of teams vying for his services. A line with Ott, Lapierre and Hansen would be a nightmare for top scoring lines in the playoffs.

The pout may disappear after Monday for Steve Ott

The Long Shot

The craziest scenario involves a package involving Cory Schneider plus others for a big fish like Rick Nash. I don’t envy Mike Gillis, he knows in his heart Schneider will leave at some point. If not now, then next year when he will be commanding top dollar. I am on the side of the fence that is for trading Schneider now rather than later. The team is at it’s peak and in my opinion this version of the team is even better than last year. The window to win will not be open forever. So why not go for the gusto and trade your #1 asset (who will not see much action in the playoffs anyway) to get the final piece(s) to win it all? The big counter argument to my opinion is what happens if Lu gets injured or blows chunks in the playoffs? Well that is true…that could happen, but how about what happens if the Canucks have trouble scoring even with Lu or Schneid’s standing on their head? Then people would be saying, damn, should have traded for Nash…he would have scored some goals. What I’m trying to say is anything can happen and you can’t have it all. However, what the Canucks can do is try and field the best team possible and in my opinion adding a Rick Nash would make the Canucks a ridiculous team. It will probably take Schneider plus 2 others like Raymond and Hodgson plus a draft pick. That is a steep price, but could you imagine Rick Nash with the Twins and a 2nd line of Kesler, Booth and Burrows?

Just two more sleeps…

Nash and the Sedins...it's a long shot (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

 

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Hockey

February 18, 2012

Favourite Game of the Year

By nalstradamus

The Canucks have a slew of arch rivals including the Blackhawks, Bruins and Flames. However, there’s nothing a Canucks fan enjoys more than seeing the Canucks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. It hasn’t been a friendly match up for the Leafs as they haven’t beat the Canucks since 2003. Nonetheless, downtown Vancouver will be filled with hundreds if not thousands of Leafs jerseys today.  Rogers Arena will also be filled with Leaf fans who have grossly overpaid for a chance to watch their beloved Leafs. You do have to give credit to Leafs fans, they do seem to stand by their team no matter how poorly they play. Maybe this undying dedication is one reason fans of other teams loathe the Leafs. Kind of this weird, I hate you because you continue to love something that brings you so much pain kind of thing.

Yes that's right...Harold Druken was toiling with the Leafs the last time they beat the Canucks in 2003

There are more obvious reasons why other fans hate the Leafs. Probably the biggest reason is the media bias. The Leafs are always the first team to be talked about on national broadcasts, the first team mentioned on important days like deadline day, draft day, free agent signing day, etc, the team that gets the best announcers on Hockey Night in Canada (Jim Hughson must loathe doing Leafs games), the team that gets the most coverage in magazines, websites, etc. Again yes, it is true population wise there are more Leafs fans then any other team in the league, but when other Canadian teams are having great years they deserve more love then a team that has been brutal for the last decade. Does anyone really care about the Leafs and their yearly quest for the 8th seed in the East or would more people find the Canucks yearly quest for 1st in the league more interesting. The Leafs aren’t even the best team in their own province. The Ottawa Senators who most picked to be doormats are having a sensational year, but you don’t hear much about it. Instead you hear more about Brian Burke looking to solidify his up and coming Leafs squad at the trade deadline for a furious run at 8th place. The Leafs have so much media pull that today’s game is at 4pm PST to accommodate them and their fans…instead of the home team’s fans. Not that Canucks fans should really care about what time the game is, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, midnight…the Canucks are still the vastly superior team and will yet again have the Leafs fans at Rogers Arena cowering for the exits well before the final seconds tick off the clock.

My one request to my fellow Canucks fans is that we show some class to Leafnation no matter how badly the Canucks win or how flukily the Leafs win by buying off the refs and replay officials. If we get all aggro and nasty it will just solidify the rest of the world’s opinion that we have the worst fans in the league. So play nice :)

Go Canucks Go

Prediction: 5-2 Canucks

Vancouver Canucks

Image via Wikipedia

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Hockey

February 14, 2012

Pardon the LINterruption

By nalstradamus

If you read this blog regularly you know I’m not a huge NBA lover anymore, but I think one player may bring me back. Linsanity, Linception, Just Lin Baby, whatever you want to call him…Jeremy Lin has taken the basketball world by storm and has made me a true believer. I watched my first full NBA game on TV in a long time today (on VaLINtine’s day no less) and Lin’s last second 3 pointer for the win over the Raptors has cemented a furious man crush. He struggled in the first half as it looked like he was trying to hard to feed Amare the rock, but in the 2nd half he went Johnny Buck leading a 13-1 run to end the game.

LINSANITY (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

I’m not the only one who has lost their marbles over this kid, the internet has gone wild with Lin tweets and stories and deservedly so. His story is one that the majority of the public fall in love with. You know the story, the guy who comes from absolutely nowhere to become a star. We’ve seen this type of story before with guys like Kurt Warner, Tim Thomas, Alex Burrows, Jose Bautista, Tom Brady, Ryan Fitzpatrick, etc. However, none of those guys are an ASIAN point guard, living on a guys couch…playing in arguably the hardest city to play in. It’s the ultimate underdog story, the guy who never gave up on his dream against ridiculous odds. I’m all for inspirational stories…anything to keep the stories away from the negative cronies in the league like Lebron et al.

So will this story last? Or will the glass slipper shatter into a million rice like pieces? The big test I think will come when Carmelo Anthony returns to the line-up. Right now the offence is running through Lin with the pick and roll. How will Melo adjust? He’s used to being the man in the offence, running iso plays on the wing or post. Melo better be willing to conform to the Lin offence because Knicks fans are goo goo ga ga over Lin and will boo the sh%$ out of Melo if he hogs the ball away from their new favourite player. One thing that Lin will need to improve on however is his turnovers, he’s had 30 of them in his last 5 games including 8, 6 and 6 in his last 3. My hope is that he continues to play well. Its great for the league and it’s bringing fringe fans like myself back to the TV set, heck I’m even considering buying a Lin jersey once they become available.

Yao Ming must be proud…

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Basketball

February 4, 2012

Sal’s Super Bowl Lowdown

By nalstradamus

I was going to try my hand in a fancy full analysis of the game, but there are tons of those out there. If you want to read a good breakdown of the game, the latest issue of Sportsnet Magazine has a great one. Instead I’m going to predict the entire game. Not every play, but every big play and scoring play. If I get more than 15% right I’m quitting my job on Monday. Where applicable I’ll also comment on how my predictions match up with the juicy prop bets. Let’s do this thing!

Pregame

The ever so exciting coin toss is the first action us degenerates will be betting on. My bet is the result will be tails and the Giants win the toss and elect to receive. Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson will be performing the national anthem. There are some ridiculous prop bets on her performance alone. I’m going to say she has her hair up, shows her belly, misses at least 1 word and sings the anthem in 1 min and 40 seconds.Here is the summary of my picks.

+300 if she wears this outfit

Tails: -105

Giants win toss: -105

Clarkson hair up: +300

Clarkson showing her belly: +300

Clarkson misses at least one word: +250

Anthem over 94 seconds: -120

1st Quarter

After winning the toss the Giants start on their 20 after an adrenaline fueled kickoff goes out of the end zone for a touchback. The Giants try to establish the run in their first possession and have some success with Ahmad Bradshaw carving up the Pats D for a few nice gains. The Giants cross the 50 in their first possession and get into field goal range with the use of some playaction passes to Victor Cruz. However, the first drive comes to a halt when the Pats D tightens and forces the Giants into a 38 yard field goal…which is good for a 3-0 lead. Abby Manning gets her first TV spot during this first drive as well and she looks nervous. The Giants kick off to the Pats and a nice return gives the Pats decent field position at their 30 yard line. The Pats eager to fight back come out firing with Tom Brady hitting on his first 4 passes. The Pats cross the 50 in their first possession and look poised to at least tie the game. However, a big sack by Jason Pierre-Paul knocks the Pats out of field goal range and forces a punt. The punt is fair caught at the 10 and the Giants have their 2nd crack at the Pats D. This time around the Pats D is ready for the power run game and stuff the Giants on the first 2 downs. The 3rd down passing play is incomplete and the Giants’ punt gives the Pats excellent field position near the 50. During the 2nd Pats possession, Gisele and Tom Brady’s son make their first appearance on TV. Shockingly the son is not wearing a Brady jersey, but instead is wearing a designer pea coat and driver’s cap. In their 2nd possession the Pats quickly get into the red zone and finish off the drive with a Brady to Hernandez TD off of play action. Extra point is good bringing the score to 7-3 Pats. On the Giants’ 3rd drive, Eli begins to air it out and hits Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham on several occasions bringing the Giants into Pats territory again. Brandon Jacobs makes his first appearance and gives a few bruising runs to run out the 1st quarter of play.

Who needs Gisele?

Related prop bets:

Opening kickoff is a touchback: -190

Giants cross 50 yard line first: -165

Will Eli throw a 1st quarter TD pass: no, -170

Total Sacks Jason Pierre-Paul: over 1/2 -210

Will Tom Brady throw a 1st quarter TD pass: yes, +130

Tom Brady’s first pass will be: complete, -200

Aaron Hernandez scoring first TD for Pats: 4/1

Giants score first: -125

Giants score or punt first: score,+105

First score of game is field goal: +150

First score of game is Giants field goal: +350

Field goal in 1st quarter: -125

First to appear on TV Abby Manning or Gisele: Abby Manning -120

Gisele on TV: over 1/2, -250

Brady’s son not wearing a Brady jersey: +130

2nd Quarter

I can do more than dance

The Giants continue their drive into the redone of the Pats. This time they are able to punch it in with a Hakeem Nicks goal-line fade route. Extra point is good making it a 10-7 game. The Pats next possession Brady marches the troops up the field with pin point passes to Wes Welker and Deion Branch. Ron Gronkowski remains reception-less at this point. Brady tries to get his big TE into the game by forcing a pass into double coverage which is picked off by Kenny Phillips. The Giants take over with outstanding field position. After a couple mediocre runs by Bradshaw the Giants are faced with 3rd and long near midfield. Eli returns the favour by trying to force his 3rd down pass into Victor Cruz and it’s picked off by Patrick Chung. The Pats take over near midfield. An unlikely player makes an impact on this drive as Ochocinco hauls in a huge catch on a deep post route bringing the Pats deep into Giants territory. After 2 failed attempts in the end zone to Gronkowski the Pats decide to lean on sure handed Wes Welker to punch it into the end zone to push the Pats back out in front 14-10. The teams go on to trade meaningless drives to end the half as both defences tighten and the score at the half is 14-10 Pats.

Related prop bets:

Eli Manning interceptions: over 1/2, -200

Eli Manning throws a TD before a Pick: -250

Hakeem Nicks scoring a TD: -115

Kenny Phillips INT: +400

Tom Brady interceptions: over 1/2, -165

Wes Welker scoring a TD: +105

Ochocinco receptions: over 1/2, -165

Player to get 1st interception: Kenny Phillips, 10/1

Hakeem Nicks scoring first TD for Giants: 7/2

Pats score last in 1st half: -115

Will both teams have lead in 1st half: yes, -105

Pats win 1st half by 4-6 points: 6/1

Halftime

Madonna is the halftime entertainment this year and she blows the audience away singing Like a Prayer, Vogue, Hung Up and ending off with Like a Virgin. No nudity is shown.

No nudity...but maybe some profanity?

3rd Quarter

The Pats get the ball first in the 2nd half. The Giants front four gets after Brady in this first drive sacking him twice, Justin Tuck and Pierre-Paul doing the damage. The Pats are forced to punt and Giants start with great field position. The Giants continue to pound the rock with Bradshaw and Jacobs. With the Pats bringing the safeties up to help with the run, Manning is able to hit Manningham on a go route for a monster gain inside the Pats 20. Bradshaw caps off the drive with a 6 yard scamper to push the Giants back in front 17-14. On the Pats next possession it is more of the same for the Giants front four who continue to get to Brady. The Pats yet again forced to punt. The Giants now full of confidence continue to move the ball by mixing up the run and pass play calls. Victor Cruz who has been relatively quiet so far is the star of this drive as he takes a relatively innocent looking quick slant route into a 35 yard touchdown play. The Giants build their lead to 24-14. The Pats on their next possession appear to have made adjustments up front and use Gronkowski as more of a blocker than route runner. This adjustment seems to kickstart Brady who is able to find targets with his new-found pocket time. Welker scores his 2nd TD of the game on a short crossing route to bring the score to 24-21 Giants. This sets up a nail-biting 4th quarter.

Wes Welker

4th Quarter

The Giants look to answer early in the 4th quarter, but are unable to score any points in their first 4th quarter possession and are forced to punt. The Pats with the momentum behind them continue to terrorize the Giants secondary with short, quick routes. Brady brings the Pats back into the red zone and the drive is capped off by the Law Firm muscling in for a short TD run. 28-24 Pats early in the 4th. The Giants with their 2nd possession of the 4th quarter start to make adjustments of their own and start to move the ball again. However, the drive is stymied by a 3rd down drop by Victor Cruz. The Giants are yet again forced to punt. The Pats take over with seven minutes and change left to go. The Pats begin to lean more on Woodhead and the Law Firm to eat some clock. A seemingly tired Giants D begins to get shoved around and the Pats running game eats up precious clock. With 3 minutes to go the Pats are over the 50 and are looking poised to score yet again…and then the fumble heard around the world occurs. The Pats having success with the Law Firm for most of the drive decide to get fancy and run the ball with TE Hernandez on a sweep. Jason Pierre-Paul who to this point was having a beast of a game is able to punch the ball out of Hernandez’s grasp and is also able to pounce on the ball for the turnover. With 2 and half minutes left and 2 time outs remaining Eli and the Giants have the chance to break the Pats hearts yet again. Not wanting to give Brady another chance with the ball, the Giants do not abandon the run. Bradshaw eclipses the 100 yard mark on this drive and at the 2 minute warning the Giants are just shy of midfield. After the 2 minute warning the Giants continue with the run game and continue to move the ball. After a play action pass to Victor Cruz the Giants are on the Pats 30 yard line with just over a minute remaining. Continuing with the hurry up offence against a tired Pats offence, Eli continues his hot play with another completion to Victor Cruz to get the Giants into the red zone. With 40 seconds remaining the Giants call a time out. After the time out the Giants go 4 wide and cross up the Pats with a draw play to Bradshaw. The play brings the Giants to the Pats 7 yard line. The Giants decide to forego their last time out and on the next play Eli hits Nicks in the back of the end zone to give the Giants the lead 31-28 with only 12 seconds remaining. The Pats are unable to pull off a miracle and Giants pull off the upset…again. Coughlin is showered with blue Gatorade and Hakeem Nicks is named Superbowl MVP and thanks God for the victory.

Related prop bets:

Colour of Gatorade dumped on coach: blue, +800

Hakeem Nicks MVP: +1200

MVP thanking God first: 4/1

Bradshaw score a TD: +110

Cruz score a TD: Even

Law firm score a TD: +120

 

Wow, typing this has got me so pumped for tomorrow. I have $50 on the Giants at +120 to win the game so here’s hoping at least I have that prediction right :)

Enjoy the game everyone!

 

 

 

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Football

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 95 other followers