This is the longest stretch of time between blog postings since I started this blog (11 days). So many things have happened in the world of sports I don’t know where to start. I think to make things easier on my wee little fingers (and your eyes) I’ll stick to point form. I’m going multi-sport today so let’s do this.
Hockey
1) Boston Bruins visit White House on January 23…well most of them did
- The lone hold out was star goalie Tim Thomas
- The snub was due to Tim Thomas not being a fan of Barack Obama
- In my opinion the snub was awful, I’m not getting into political opinions here, I’m talking about team solidarity and leadership
- There were probably other ways he could voice his opinion, a random tweet after the visit maybe?
- This was a team event, a special one for most if not all on the team, to me it looks selfish belittling this invite and taking away from a special day for his team
White House Snubber
2) Alexander the Great’s 3 game suspension and all-star game snubbedry
- Suspension? Yup, warranted
- Snubbing fans that voted for you and want to see you play? Weak
- To me it feels like a childish move by Ovie, kind of like a…fine, I’m not playing with you if you’re mean to me….situation
- The 2 time MVP’s stock has really dropped, if I’m Washington I’m starting to have doubts if he’s still the centre piece of your franchise
All-star game snubber
3) Detroit Red Wings and their ridiculous 17 game home winning streak
- I loathe to admit this, but the Wings are looking unstoppable right now (one of my buddies is a hardcore Wings fan…sigh)
- Mark your calendars for Feb. 23 when the Canucks visit Detroit…2nd best game of the season was their earlier match up only bettered by Boston vs. Vancouver
Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
4) Pierre Gauthier losing his mind?
- It is ugly in Habs land these days
- Shipping off arguably their best player one day after that player raised a stink and getting little back in return was awful
- Apologizing for hiring a unilingual coach that hasn’t sparked the team at all is terrible
- Ridiculous rumours about trading away your best prospect in PK Subban is pure madness
- Looks like a full retooling is needed starting at the top with the GM and management
No Hab should feel safe
5) Cody Hodgson becoming a contender for rookie of the year
- Boy has this kid come a long way in a short amount of time
- Proving the haters wrong, they said he was slow, too small, etc. Instead, Hodgson looks quick, solid in his own end, great vision and a wicked shot
Rookie of the Year? Could happen
Baseball
1) The Prince is rich as a king
- 9 years and $214 million
- Caught me by surprise, had no idea the Tigers were even in the conversation
- Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder will be a nightmare two-some for AL pitchers
The Tigers have made Prince richer than rich
2) Blue Jays shore up bullpen, seem to be done shopping
- Janssen, Frasor, Oliver, Cordero, Santos…this bullpen on paper is extremely strong and should be better than the bullpen that was near tops in the AL in blown saves
- The big splash via top end starter or mid order power never materialized which may sadden some Jays fans
- However, the abundance of youth in the minors can be used as future chips to acquire the said pieces…if the Jays are in the playoff hunt
- The 3 year extension given to Morrow was a shrewd move by AA…could end up being a huge steal if Morrow can put consistency together with his ace-like stuff
Can Morrow finally put it all together this season?
3) Mariners and Yankees swap super prospects
- Power Pitcher (Pineda) for power hitter (Montero)
- This trade works well for both teams, Seattle needing pop in a weak hitting line up and the Yanks needing some youth in their aging rotation
- For me I think the Mariners will win this trade when all is said and done. They have plenty of arms in the minors to make up for Pineda’s loss, but a young bat like Montero is hard to find
Jesus Montero (Elsa/Getty Images)
Football
1) Championship games showcase heartbreaking defeats
- Billy Cundiff, Lee Evans and Kyle Williams have faced the wrath of angry fans for their miscues…Williams receiving death threats
- Lee Evans should be receiving the most heat…he had the win in his hands
- The Ravens may have seen their last chance at a Super Bowl go by with aging defensive stalwarts Ed Reed and Ray Lewis starting to see declines in skill level
- Great season by the 49ers, I’m sure not many expected them to be one win away from the Super Bowl. Coach of the year has to go to Jim Harbaugh
Kyle Williams and the fumble that sealed the 49ers fate
2) Super Bowl rematch
- Rematch of 2008 Super Bowl where the Giants upset the Pats coming in as 12 point underdogs
- This time around the Giants are just 3 point underdogs
- Are the Pats the luckiest team to ever make the Super Bowl? Seriously, how many teams with a winning record did they beat this year? That’s right…1…last week against the Ravens
- It’s going to be hard to bet against the Pats though…especially with this game being the ultimate revenge game
- Forget it…screw mystique and aura…I’ll take the Giants…for now. I may change my mind closer to game day…but for now this is my initial lean
Look out for #91 Tom Brady
3) Is Peyton Manning really done in Indy?
- Manning publicly expressed his displeasure with the vast overhaul the Colts are going through
- There still is no guarantee that Manning will even return to the NFL given his health issues
- If I were the Colts I think it’s time to start fresh and complete the rebuild by having a new face of the franchise
- Manning may win you more games than Luck would coming out of the gates, but really they would just be masking their problems which are immense on both sides of the ball
- The decision may come sooner than later with Manning due a $28 million bonus in March with the alternative allowing him to be a free agent
Could this be the end of an era in Indy?
Basketball
- …are they playing yet? Oh…nevermind
