Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sabres' one-third report card
5:25 AM | 
Posted by
Nick Mendola
(WGR 550) -- Unfortunately, 82 isn't divisible by three, so 27 games is as close to one-third of the way through the Sabres season as you can get. I'll try not to be skewed by last night's toddler-effort against the Devils, but we should have a discussion about our local hockey team.
If you'll allow me to editorialize, I love the actual game of hockey, and it leads me to be harder on teams and players than I would in another sport, say, professional football, where I have a team and a handful of players in the league I find alluring, but a league that makes me want to punch myself in the throat.
So here's the harsh truth: The Buffalo Sabres are a good hockey club that needs two things -- some tough love and another scorer.
SABRES FIRST-THIRD REPORT CARD -- PART I -- GOALTENDING -- GRADE: A-
-- Ryan Miller has been absolutely outstanding for the whale's share of his season workload, and while Whiner Line callers and revisionist historians will tell you that every time he plays a bad game, Lindy Ruff made the wrong call, the truth is that Patrick Lalime has been a disappointment. Miller has quite literally been an a-plus, but the back-up goaltending has been well short of acceptable.
Miller is first in goals against average (1.90) and save percentage (.935), second in shut-outs (3) and fifth in wins (16). He's had some remarkable performances that don't show up in the post-game box score, like Nov. 28's 5-1 win over Carolina. Miller's second period was about as good as it gets, as he stood on his head to keep the score at 1-0 before the Sabres turned it on against the lowly Canes for a five-goal third period. Let's face facts -- the score would've been 3-0 against a lesser goaltender and the sad truth is that the Sabres have been known to close up shop in games like that.
PART II -- DEFENSEMEN -- GRADE: B-
-- The boys on the blue line aren't going through a good span recently, but don't let that color your analysis of their first 27 games on the whole. They've been mostly good.
Three players have played in all 27 games -- Steve Montador, Tyler Myers and Henrik Tallinder. The talk before the season was that Tallinder spent the offseason getting his mind to a carefree point where his injury problems and struggles could stay in the past. Granted he's had plus-5 and plus-3 nights on his resume, but Tallinder is arguably back to where he was when he inked a long deal to stay in Buffalo -- playing sound, unnoticed defensive hockey.
A lot of that can be linked to Myers, the young giant. Myers has had issues with the puck lately, but that's going to happen with any rookie puck-mover. The reason he keeps handling the puck is that the Sabres need to grow the guy and let him work through his errors. His reach on defense and gut-instincts on offense are uncanny, and he's starting to grow into a physical role. It seems unlikely he'll ever be a Dion Phaneuf, but more a Jay Bouwmeester.
Montador has been a welcome addition to the mentality of this team, but his on-ice play has a handful of question marks. He's physical, and his presence in front of Miller is what the team missed since Jay McKee left town. Montador is also willing to fight, though I'm not sure he qualifies as a terrific brawler. His mistakes have escalated in the past few weeks, but all-in-all, a good signing.
It hasn't been a banner 2009 for Craig Rivet. The captain is having a tough campaign, with just one assist since Nov. 11. He's a minus-2 overall, and seems to be fighting the puck on the power play. He has just three points playing five-on-five.
It's shocking to see Chris Butler pull into the station at minus-7. The lanky blueliner's poor stats could be equated with his defensive partners, because I've liked his play for most of this season. He'll be a big part of the team's future on defense. Toni Lydman has only played in 13 games this year and his giveaways are the reason people have made him such a whipping boy. The folks who say he doesn't play physical enough are taking it too far, as Lydman sometimes takes himself out of position to land a hash-mark hit. Andrej Sekera has had an improved 2009, but is far from being the Brian Campbell replacement some pundits pegged him to be. Nathan Paetsch has only played seven games, and is solid in the locker room.
PART III - OFFENSE - GRADE: C
-- Two areas plague this offense, and one isn't their fault. Let's start with what is -- inconsistent effort, something that is quick to lose you respect amongst Buffalo fans. The forwards have a bevy of members who you'll know inside of their first shift whether you like their chances to score this year.
The main protagonists in my mind -- in terms of simple effort -- are Tim Connolly and Clarke MacArthur. Connolly has registered 13 of his 21 points in five games. He has one goal and seven assists in his other 22 contests. Yes, I realize I'm taking all his multi-point games away from him, but I feel it's a valid point. Take away his four-point game in Philly, and he has just two points, both helpers, since Nov. 11. Not-so-good. MacArthur is an enigma, but he's earned some respect this year. A tiger can't change its stripes over night, and MacArthur's effort has been leaps and bounds above the moribund play we saw in his first two years. Hopefully he puts it all together.
With Derek Roy, it doesn't seem to be effort, it's commitment and smarts in his own end. Roy has the exact same numbers as Connolly so far, but chips in far more consistently. Roy needs to get away from the fancy pass, but you wonder at what point he becomes a guy who would fly higher in a system that gives him a pass on defensive zone effort, as Ruff did with Daniel Briere.
Of course, there's Thomas Vanek, who actually deserves you yelling "shoot" at him. Vanek has just 61 shots on goal, which is the main reason has has more assists (10) than goals (8) for the first time in his career. Both he and Jason Pominville get the "lazy" rap for lack of production, but it's less warranted than their teammates to be sure. Pominville is such a tough nut to crack. He gives you 100 percent effort, game-in and game-out, and he hasn't missed a game since the 2005-06 campaign. It's just that his touch is lost somewhere in limbo. He works himself into position to get many cracks at garbage goals and empty nets, only to fire it wide. At some point, I expect it to turn around. You don't spend your entire life scoring only to forget how to shoot.
Drew Stafford will do some things that amaze you, but still hasn't made that "leap" everyone expects from a highly-touted first-round pick. He's on pace for a career-high in goals, and there isn't much better than watching him successfully bull his way through a defenseman to the net with the puck. He's become much more adept at puckhandling in the zone, with the addition of a single-man cycle in the corners that is hockey beauty to watch. Jochen Hecht rounds out the top-six forward and has had a minor renaissance this year with a renewed dedication to tossing the puck on net from any angle. He has 75 shots this year, second to Pominville.
The team's most valuable forwards, if you will, are five of the "bottom six." Paul Gaustad, Mike Grier, Matt Ellis, Patrick Kaleta and Tim Kennedy have been out-performing expectations.
Gaustad and Grier are this team's heart, without question. Without Grier, this team is 2-3-1. Without Gaustad, they are just a game above .500. You wonder who else is on that bench without a suit that's making noise about hustle and effort. Gaustad's .146 shooting percentage is the best on the team, excepting Tyler Ennis' one goal on four shots, while Grier has put the term "intangibles" back in this line-up's vocabulary.
Kennedy's growth has astounded me, quite literally. He's got this chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder, and he'll finish his check against just about anyone. There's a reason his teeth look like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, and the guy is making his hometown proud. I still wish Kaleta would fight more and better, but his role on the team is indispensable. He does his job without crossing into Daniel "Russell Hammond" Carcillo territory. Keep in mind, I wanted Carcillo on this team while he was in Phoenix, so I probably still do in my heart of hockey hearts. Anything you get from Ellis is a bonus and you've been getting a lot of good puck pressure. Adam Mair has had a lot of trouble getting going this year. That probably happens when the team puts you on waivers and you end up staying put. Awwww-kward.
PART III - FRONT OFFICE - GRADE: TBA
-- I'm not part of the small-but-fierce "fire Lindy Ruff" brigade, so you can commence writing your emails about how one of the league's most-respected coaches is a bum and not enough people realize it. In fact, I think if there are players who won't buy into a "work hard" approach, I probably don't want them on my team.
I am in a really tumultuous relationship with Darcy Regier, however. This team needs another scoring forward, and they need it yesterday. This isn't about getting better at the deadline, or before the Olympics. It's about a hellish December schedule that requires Ruff play a goaltender not named Miller several times. I've heard the names Alexander Frolov and Ray Whitney. Fine. Grab an expiring contract, give up a bit player, a line-up filler and a third-rounder and call it a day. If the Sabres miss the playoffs this year -- which they shouldn't -- it will be because this team lacks a lamp-lighter. If you're waiting for Pominville to come around, don't be silly. He probably will, and wouldn't you like to have him and another guy.
As a Whiner Line caller said, this team isn't the 1984 Oilers, and another goal scorer wouldn't give this team an embarrassment of riches. It would just give them some riches.
OVERALL GRADE: B
I predicted the Sabres to come in sixth place. They're looking a little better than that. So, if they're out-performing my expectations -- with apologies to the "Their season will be done by New Year's Day" whackos -- I've gotta go above-average. Let's talk again after game No. 55.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
If you'll allow me to editorialize, I love the actual game of hockey, and it leads me to be harder on teams and players than I would in another sport, say, professional football, where I have a team and a handful of players in the league I find alluring, but a league that makes me want to punch myself in the throat.
So here's the harsh truth: The Buffalo Sabres are a good hockey club that needs two things -- some tough love and another scorer.
SABRES FIRST-THIRD REPORT CARD -- PART I -- GOALTENDING -- GRADE: A-
-- Ryan Miller has been absolutely outstanding for the whale's share of his season workload, and while Whiner Line callers and revisionist historians will tell you that every time he plays a bad game, Lindy Ruff made the wrong call, the truth is that Patrick Lalime has been a disappointment. Miller has quite literally been an a-plus, but the back-up goaltending has been well short of acceptable.
Miller is first in goals against average (1.90) and save percentage (.935), second in shut-outs (3) and fifth in wins (16). He's had some remarkable performances that don't show up in the post-game box score, like Nov. 28's 5-1 win over Carolina. Miller's second period was about as good as it gets, as he stood on his head to keep the score at 1-0 before the Sabres turned it on against the lowly Canes for a five-goal third period. Let's face facts -- the score would've been 3-0 against a lesser goaltender and the sad truth is that the Sabres have been known to close up shop in games like that.
PART II -- DEFENSEMEN -- GRADE: B-
-- The boys on the blue line aren't going through a good span recently, but don't let that color your analysis of their first 27 games on the whole. They've been mostly good.
Three players have played in all 27 games -- Steve Montador, Tyler Myers and Henrik Tallinder. The talk before the season was that Tallinder spent the offseason getting his mind to a carefree point where his injury problems and struggles could stay in the past. Granted he's had plus-5 and plus-3 nights on his resume, but Tallinder is arguably back to where he was when he inked a long deal to stay in Buffalo -- playing sound, unnoticed defensive hockey.
A lot of that can be linked to Myers, the young giant. Myers has had issues with the puck lately, but that's going to happen with any rookie puck-mover. The reason he keeps handling the puck is that the Sabres need to grow the guy and let him work through his errors. His reach on defense and gut-instincts on offense are uncanny, and he's starting to grow into a physical role. It seems unlikely he'll ever be a Dion Phaneuf, but more a Jay Bouwmeester.
Montador has been a welcome addition to the mentality of this team, but his on-ice play has a handful of question marks. He's physical, and his presence in front of Miller is what the team missed since Jay McKee left town. Montador is also willing to fight, though I'm not sure he qualifies as a terrific brawler. His mistakes have escalated in the past few weeks, but all-in-all, a good signing.
It hasn't been a banner 2009 for Craig Rivet. The captain is having a tough campaign, with just one assist since Nov. 11. He's a minus-2 overall, and seems to be fighting the puck on the power play. He has just three points playing five-on-five.
It's shocking to see Chris Butler pull into the station at minus-7. The lanky blueliner's poor stats could be equated with his defensive partners, because I've liked his play for most of this season. He'll be a big part of the team's future on defense. Toni Lydman has only played in 13 games this year and his giveaways are the reason people have made him such a whipping boy. The folks who say he doesn't play physical enough are taking it too far, as Lydman sometimes takes himself out of position to land a hash-mark hit. Andrej Sekera has had an improved 2009, but is far from being the Brian Campbell replacement some pundits pegged him to be. Nathan Paetsch has only played seven games, and is solid in the locker room.
PART III - OFFENSE - GRADE: C
-- Two areas plague this offense, and one isn't their fault. Let's start with what is -- inconsistent effort, something that is quick to lose you respect amongst Buffalo fans. The forwards have a bevy of members who you'll know inside of their first shift whether you like their chances to score this year.
The main protagonists in my mind -- in terms of simple effort -- are Tim Connolly and Clarke MacArthur. Connolly has registered 13 of his 21 points in five games. He has one goal and seven assists in his other 22 contests. Yes, I realize I'm taking all his multi-point games away from him, but I feel it's a valid point. Take away his four-point game in Philly, and he has just two points, both helpers, since Nov. 11. Not-so-good. MacArthur is an enigma, but he's earned some respect this year. A tiger can't change its stripes over night, and MacArthur's effort has been leaps and bounds above the moribund play we saw in his first two years. Hopefully he puts it all together.
With Derek Roy, it doesn't seem to be effort, it's commitment and smarts in his own end. Roy has the exact same numbers as Connolly so far, but chips in far more consistently. Roy needs to get away from the fancy pass, but you wonder at what point he becomes a guy who would fly higher in a system that gives him a pass on defensive zone effort, as Ruff did with Daniel Briere.
Of course, there's Thomas Vanek, who actually deserves you yelling "shoot" at him. Vanek has just 61 shots on goal, which is the main reason has has more assists (10) than goals (8) for the first time in his career. Both he and Jason Pominville get the "lazy" rap for lack of production, but it's less warranted than their teammates to be sure. Pominville is such a tough nut to crack. He gives you 100 percent effort, game-in and game-out, and he hasn't missed a game since the 2005-06 campaign. It's just that his touch is lost somewhere in limbo. He works himself into position to get many cracks at garbage goals and empty nets, only to fire it wide. At some point, I expect it to turn around. You don't spend your entire life scoring only to forget how to shoot.
Drew Stafford will do some things that amaze you, but still hasn't made that "leap" everyone expects from a highly-touted first-round pick. He's on pace for a career-high in goals, and there isn't much better than watching him successfully bull his way through a defenseman to the net with the puck. He's become much more adept at puckhandling in the zone, with the addition of a single-man cycle in the corners that is hockey beauty to watch. Jochen Hecht rounds out the top-six forward and has had a minor renaissance this year with a renewed dedication to tossing the puck on net from any angle. He has 75 shots this year, second to Pominville.
The team's most valuable forwards, if you will, are five of the "bottom six." Paul Gaustad, Mike Grier, Matt Ellis, Patrick Kaleta and Tim Kennedy have been out-performing expectations.
Gaustad and Grier are this team's heart, without question. Without Grier, this team is 2-3-1. Without Gaustad, they are just a game above .500. You wonder who else is on that bench without a suit that's making noise about hustle and effort. Gaustad's .146 shooting percentage is the best on the team, excepting Tyler Ennis' one goal on four shots, while Grier has put the term "intangibles" back in this line-up's vocabulary.
Kennedy's growth has astounded me, quite literally. He's got this chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder, and he'll finish his check against just about anyone. There's a reason his teeth look like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, and the guy is making his hometown proud. I still wish Kaleta would fight more and better, but his role on the team is indispensable. He does his job without crossing into Daniel "Russell Hammond" Carcillo territory. Keep in mind, I wanted Carcillo on this team while he was in Phoenix, so I probably still do in my heart of hockey hearts. Anything you get from Ellis is a bonus and you've been getting a lot of good puck pressure. Adam Mair has had a lot of trouble getting going this year. That probably happens when the team puts you on waivers and you end up staying put. Awwww-kward.
PART III - FRONT OFFICE - GRADE: TBA
-- I'm not part of the small-but-fierce "fire Lindy Ruff" brigade, so you can commence writing your emails about how one of the league's most-respected coaches is a bum and not enough people realize it. In fact, I think if there are players who won't buy into a "work hard" approach, I probably don't want them on my team.
I am in a really tumultuous relationship with Darcy Regier, however. This team needs another scoring forward, and they need it yesterday. This isn't about getting better at the deadline, or before the Olympics. It's about a hellish December schedule that requires Ruff play a goaltender not named Miller several times. I've heard the names Alexander Frolov and Ray Whitney. Fine. Grab an expiring contract, give up a bit player, a line-up filler and a third-rounder and call it a day. If the Sabres miss the playoffs this year -- which they shouldn't -- it will be because this team lacks a lamp-lighter. If you're waiting for Pominville to come around, don't be silly. He probably will, and wouldn't you like to have him and another guy.
As a Whiner Line caller said, this team isn't the 1984 Oilers, and another goal scorer wouldn't give this team an embarrassment of riches. It would just give them some riches.
OVERALL GRADE: B
I predicted the Sabres to come in sixth place. They're looking a little better than that. So, if they're out-performing my expectations -- with apologies to the "Their season will be done by New Year's Day" whackos -- I've gotta go above-average. Let's talk again after game No. 55.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Embarrassing
How in the world does college football get away with this BCS nonsense, year-after-year? Five teams go undefeated this year. The number might've been less, but teams are too busy turning down Boise State and Texas Christian every year for non-conference because of, why? Ah yes, a loss would damage their BCS hopes.
Before we get into more rabid opinion, here are the BCS match-ups as announced by the NCAA this evening:
BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl: Texas Christian vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
That's right, the BCS has covered its flawed system by doing its best to guarantee only two undefeated teams remain after Bowl Season, and that one of them is from a non-BCS school. With all due respect to Cincinnati, a very good football team, I do not expect Florida to lose back-to-back games to end Tim Tebow's run on campus. Do you?
The only folks defending the BCS are those making gobs of green off it, but the shame is that more money could be made off of a playoff system. Cut down the non-conference slate by a week and cut down the amount of bowls, at least by two. You have 68 teams in bowl games this year. Sixty-eight out of 120 teams. That's 57 percent of all college football teams. In NCAA hoops, 65 teams make it, and there's a wealth more squads (347 -- 19 percent). Each of those 65 teams -- perish the thought -- has a look at the national title. Perish the thought.
(EDIT NOTE: Jeremy White pointed out that I didn't include the NIT or CBI schools for basketball, which would increase the percentage to 33 percent. I would counter that figure is still much smaller. I would also counter than I didn't care one iota that my UB Bulls made the CBI last year. Whoop-de-doo. I don't think they are hanging a banner (though I shouldn't speak too soon).)
Here's my imperfect fix to an miserable problem:
-- Sixteen teams (Eleven conference winners, five at-large) make a four-round playoff, ranked by their precious BCS system, with the exception of the lesser conference, which would get seeds Nos. 16, 15, 14, etc. if they were outside the Top-16. At-large Nos. 12-16 could be ticked off, but who cares? Win more games.
-- Non-conference slate knocked down to two games per team per year. This allows traditional rivalries and a cream-puff game if you need. Boise State and TCU don't have to sweat not being involved in huge non-conference games because they can make the "Biggish Dance" just by winning their conference slate.
-- Ah, the independents. No special Notre Dame clause here. The Irish go to the Big Ten, making it an even 12 teams. Put Navy and Army in the Big East, or move East Carolina and Central Florida to the Big East, and let the academies play in the weaker Conference USA. That puts 10 in the Big East. The Fighting Irish want to complain? Fine, no BCS. Handle it.
-- The Rose Bowl can still be the Grandaddy of them all, pitting the PAC-10 vs. Big Ten champs most years. It'll just be a first-round match-up. This is my biggest problem with my system, but that's because I'm a Big Ten guy. My dream is UB in the Big Ten by 2020.
-- The Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls rotate the as venue for National Title game each year.
-- Pick whichever 12 other bowls make the cut. I'm sure the Cotton, Liberty, Alamo, Texas and Gator Bowls would make it most years, but let lesser or newer bowls have a shot at a first-round game every few years. Would the International Bowl mind missing out on the MAC and Big East every few years to get Florida vs. Utah? Doubt it.
So this year, it'd look like this:
Holiday Bowl - No. 16 Troy vs. No. 1 Alabama
Independence Bowl - No. 15 Central Michigan vs. No. 2 Texas
Music City Bowl - No. 14 East Carolina vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Las Vegas Bowl - No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 4 TCU
Poinsettia Bowl - No. 12 LSU vs. No. 5 Florida
Emerald Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Boise State
Liberty Bowl - No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl - No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oregon
Round Two (projected. What? You thought I'd go with the chalk):
Cotton Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Alabama
Texas Bowl - No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 2 Texas
Alamo Bowl - No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Gator Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 4 TCU
Round Three (projected):
Orange Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl - No. 3 Cincinnati vs. No. 2 Texas
Championship Game (projected):
Sugar Bowl - No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama
How will the fan bases travel? I don't know, but I'm sure they will, and guess what? You'll sell more tickets with great teams than New Mexico State versus Tonawanda Tech in the Big Whammy Automotive Booger Bowl. Listen, I loved going to the International Bowl between UB and UConn last year, and I'm thinking of checking out South Florida and Northern Illinois this year. Still, how much better would that game fare as a Round One match-up between two better teams?
Is it a perfect system? No. Would it ever pass? Clearly no. Smarter folks have come up with more intelligent systems, but they don't work for this station and type in this space. This is just a way to say there is a better way. We just gotta get those rich folks on the same page with rich folk sport lovers.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Before we get into more rabid opinion, here are the BCS match-ups as announced by the NCAA this evening:
BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl: Texas Christian vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
That's right, the BCS has covered its flawed system by doing its best to guarantee only two undefeated teams remain after Bowl Season, and that one of them is from a non-BCS school. With all due respect to Cincinnati, a very good football team, I do not expect Florida to lose back-to-back games to end Tim Tebow's run on campus. Do you?
The only folks defending the BCS are those making gobs of green off it, but the shame is that more money could be made off of a playoff system. Cut down the non-conference slate by a week and cut down the amount of bowls, at least by two. You have 68 teams in bowl games this year. Sixty-eight out of 120 teams. That's 57 percent of all college football teams. In NCAA hoops, 65 teams make it, and there's a wealth more squads (347 -- 19 percent). Each of those 65 teams -- perish the thought -- has a look at the national title. Perish the thought.
(EDIT NOTE: Jeremy White pointed out that I didn't include the NIT or CBI schools for basketball, which would increase the percentage to 33 percent. I would counter that figure is still much smaller. I would also counter than I didn't care one iota that my UB Bulls made the CBI last year. Whoop-de-doo. I don't think they are hanging a banner (though I shouldn't speak too soon).)
Here's my imperfect fix to an miserable problem:
-- Sixteen teams (Eleven conference winners, five at-large) make a four-round playoff, ranked by their precious BCS system, with the exception of the lesser conference, which would get seeds Nos. 16, 15, 14, etc. if they were outside the Top-16. At-large Nos. 12-16 could be ticked off, but who cares? Win more games.
-- Non-conference slate knocked down to two games per team per year. This allows traditional rivalries and a cream-puff game if you need. Boise State and TCU don't have to sweat not being involved in huge non-conference games because they can make the "Biggish Dance" just by winning their conference slate.
-- Ah, the independents. No special Notre Dame clause here. The Irish go to the Big Ten, making it an even 12 teams. Put Navy and Army in the Big East, or move East Carolina and Central Florida to the Big East, and let the academies play in the weaker Conference USA. That puts 10 in the Big East. The Fighting Irish want to complain? Fine, no BCS. Handle it.
-- The Rose Bowl can still be the Grandaddy of them all, pitting the PAC-10 vs. Big Ten champs most years. It'll just be a first-round match-up. This is my biggest problem with my system, but that's because I'm a Big Ten guy. My dream is UB in the Big Ten by 2020.
-- The Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls rotate the as venue for National Title game each year.
-- Pick whichever 12 other bowls make the cut. I'm sure the Cotton, Liberty, Alamo, Texas and Gator Bowls would make it most years, but let lesser or newer bowls have a shot at a first-round game every few years. Would the International Bowl mind missing out on the MAC and Big East every few years to get Florida vs. Utah? Doubt it.
So this year, it'd look like this:
Holiday Bowl - No. 16 Troy vs. No. 1 Alabama
Independence Bowl - No. 15 Central Michigan vs. No. 2 Texas
Music City Bowl - No. 14 East Carolina vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Las Vegas Bowl - No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 4 TCU
Poinsettia Bowl - No. 12 LSU vs. No. 5 Florida
Emerald Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Boise State
Liberty Bowl - No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech
Rose Bowl - No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oregon
Round Two (projected. What? You thought I'd go with the chalk):
Cotton Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Alabama
Texas Bowl - No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 2 Texas
Alamo Bowl - No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
Gator Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 4 TCU
Round Three (projected):
Orange Bowl - No. 5 Florida vs. No. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl - No. 3 Cincinnati vs. No. 2 Texas
Championship Game (projected):
Sugar Bowl - No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama
How will the fan bases travel? I don't know, but I'm sure they will, and guess what? You'll sell more tickets with great teams than New Mexico State versus Tonawanda Tech in the Big Whammy Automotive Booger Bowl. Listen, I loved going to the International Bowl between UB and UConn last year, and I'm thinking of checking out South Florida and Northern Illinois this year. Still, how much better would that game fare as a Round One match-up between two better teams?
Is it a perfect system? No. Would it ever pass? Clearly no. Smarter folks have come up with more intelligent systems, but they don't work for this station and type in this space. This is just a way to say there is a better way. We just gotta get those rich folks on the same page with rich folk sport lovers.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Friday, December 4, 2009
US drawn with England, two underdogs
Who will the 14th-ranked United States take on in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? Here are the groupings, announced in Cape Town this afternoon (FIFA ranking in parenthesis) with the aid of actress and South African native Charlize Theron (above):
Group A:
South Africa (86)
Mexico (15)
Uruguay (19)
France (7)
Group B:
Argentina (8)
Nigeria (22)
South Korea (84)
Greece (12)
Group C:
England (9)
United States (14)
Algeria (28)
Slovenia (33)
Group D:
Germany (6)
Australia (21)
Serbia (20)
Ghana (37)
Group E:
Netherlands (3)
Japan (43)
Denmark (26)
Cameroon (11)
Group F:
Italy (4)
Paraguay (30)
New Zealand (77)
Slovakia (34)
Group G:
Brazil (2)
North Korea (52)
Ivory Coast (16)
Portugal (5)
Group H:
Spain (1)
Switzerland (18)
Honduras (38)
Chile (17)
The United States had a terrific draw. England is a mercurial club in world competitions despite having some of the best talent in the world. Algeria and Slovenia are arguably the teams you would hope to get for the best chance of American advancement to Round Two. The Americans will begin play on June 12.
The States will play England on June 12 in Rustenberg, Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesberg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.
Group G is inarguably the Group of Death, featuring the Nos. 2nd, 5th, 16th and 52nd ranked clubs in the world. The Irish will be displeased to learn that France has a relatively easy ride to the second round in Group A, as South Africa only qualified for the tournament as a host nation. Argentina should also be pleased after barely qualifying despite having an absolutely-loaded roster. They should make Round Two with precious little sweat.
Germany and Serbia are your Group D favorites, with Group E looking tricky. First look would think the Netherlands and Cameroon would move on, but Denmark is a tricky club and the Dutch have struggled in big-time competition, especially when favored. Italy and Slovakia would be the favorites to advance from Group F, though contending with the style of Paraguay should prove challenging.
Group H is a quietly vicious group. Expect Spain to come out alive, but any one of the other three could advance. Honduras is the type of team that will step on your throat to get the ball, while Chile has both flash and panache. Switzerland isn't flashy, but you can't sleep on them.
Any questions, Email: nick@wgr550.com For live, in-draw thoughts, head to twitter.com/NicholasMendola. This is my favorite time for sports.
Group A:
South Africa (86)
Mexico (15)
Uruguay (19)
France (7)
Group B:
Argentina (8)
Nigeria (22)
South Korea (84)
Greece (12)
Group C:
England (9)
United States (14)
Algeria (28)
Slovenia (33)
Group D:
Germany (6)
Australia (21)
Serbia (20)
Ghana (37)
Group E:
Netherlands (3)
Japan (43)
Denmark (26)
Cameroon (11)
Group F:
Italy (4)
Paraguay (30)
New Zealand (77)
Slovakia (34)
Group G:
Brazil (2)
North Korea (52)
Ivory Coast (16)
Portugal (5)
Group H:
Spain (1)
Switzerland (18)
Honduras (38)
Chile (17)
The United States had a terrific draw. England is a mercurial club in world competitions despite having some of the best talent in the world. Algeria and Slovenia are arguably the teams you would hope to get for the best chance of American advancement to Round Two. The Americans will begin play on June 12.
The States will play England on June 12 in Rustenberg, Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesberg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.
Group G is inarguably the Group of Death, featuring the Nos. 2nd, 5th, 16th and 52nd ranked clubs in the world. The Irish will be displeased to learn that France has a relatively easy ride to the second round in Group A, as South Africa only qualified for the tournament as a host nation. Argentina should also be pleased after barely qualifying despite having an absolutely-loaded roster. They should make Round Two with precious little sweat.
Germany and Serbia are your Group D favorites, with Group E looking tricky. First look would think the Netherlands and Cameroon would move on, but Denmark is a tricky club and the Dutch have struggled in big-time competition, especially when favored. Italy and Slovakia would be the favorites to advance from Group F, though contending with the style of Paraguay should prove challenging.
Group H is a quietly vicious group. Expect Spain to come out alive, but any one of the other three could advance. Honduras is the type of team that will step on your throat to get the ball, while Chile has both flash and panache. Switzerland isn't flashy, but you can't sleep on them.
Any questions, Email: nick@wgr550.com For live, in-draw thoughts, head to twitter.com/NicholasMendola. This is my favorite time for sports.
Let's find some Bills truths
So I'm developing some things we actually know about the Bills, but I need the help of everyone. I'm going to put down some simple facts about what the Bills have and need, and you tell me what to change. My hope would be that by the offseason, we can feel pretty confident about what we want the new guy in charge to do.
Before we begin, does anyone have a respectable site that keeps NFL players under contract per team we could link here? Something like the almost incomparable NHLnumbers.com?
1. The Bills need to get a No. 1 quarterback in the offseason.
2. The Bills need to get a left tackle in the offseason.
3. The Bills need to get two new starting linebackers, or one and a respected veteran No. 4 (Let alone if they make the switch to 3-4. Goodness, me).
4. The following starters can absolutely continue to start next year (if they stay 4-3):
CB- Terrence McGee
S- Jairus Byrd
DT- Marcus Stroud
DT- Kyle Williams
DE- Aaron Schobel
CB- Leodis McKelvin
RB- Fred Jackson
G- Eric Wood
G- Andy Levitre
C- Geoff Hangartner
RT- Brad Butler
WR- Lee Evans
TE- Shawn Nelson
K- Rian Lindell
P- Brian Moorman
LS- Garrison Sanborn
5. The following starters or contributors are probably fall too far down on the "priority to find someone better" list:
LB- Kawika Mitchell
LB- Paul Posluszny
WR3- Josh Reed (UFA)
TE2- Derek Schouman
DT3- Spencer Johnson
6. If the Bills had better linebackers, or even a relatively healthy corps of linebackers, this defense would be adequate against the run. So start there in free agency.
(Linebacker is my favorite position -- during freshman football at Kenmore East, I wanted to be Chris Spielman or Chris Slade (seriously) -- so let me opine here. I really wanted the Bills to sign Demeco Ryans, but the Texans offered him Top-Five linebacker money in February and he declined. He's had a not-so-elite season this year. The list of free agent linebackers is extremely respectable/intriguing: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/fa/lb.html).
7. Time to say goodbye. You don't have to leave the league, but you gotta get out of here (via trade, release or walking). Good luck:
CB- Ashton Youboty
OL- Seth McKinney
QB- Trent Edwards
RB- Marshawn Lynch (Fine for the field, not for the locker room)
(EDIT NOTE: There has been a lot of reaction to this Lynch comment, so I'd love to clarify. I've loved Lynch as a running back up until this year, where he's been inconsistent. I used to love his personality, which was considered private and quirky up until some incidents made him look like private is just cold. He's still young (23), but is he good enough talent-wise to get past the fact that he's one mistake away from being suspended for a half-season or worse? Those are the things worth talking about. I don't understand for a minute the sentiment that Jackson is more talented, or that Lynch wouldn't run for 1,250 yards somewhere else. He's better than McGahee, and Willis put up 1,438 total yards and eight touchdowns his first year in Baltimore. You can navigate a bad offensive line as a QB. Not-so-much a RB).
LT- Jonathan Scott
WR- Roscoe Parrish
DT- John McCargo
8. FYI: Potential UFAs: DE Ryan Denney, OLB Chris Draft, S Todd Johnson, OG Seth McKinney, WR Terrell Owens, WR Josh Reed, S-LB Bryan Scott.
Potential RFAs: OLB Keith Ellison*, TE Derek Schouman, OT Jonathan Scott, S George Wilson*, CB Ashton Youboty*.
(courtesy Pro Football Weekly)
Order of importance:
1. Reed
2. Schouman (provided he's healed right. Scary injury).
3. Draft (depth)
4. Denney (depth)
Anyone else is debatable. There is nothing universal about discussing Owens' potential role in 2010.
9. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick is an acceptable back-up quarterback.
10. (Your comment here)...
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Before we begin, does anyone have a respectable site that keeps NFL players under contract per team we could link here? Something like the almost incomparable NHLnumbers.com?
1. The Bills need to get a No. 1 quarterback in the offseason.
2. The Bills need to get a left tackle in the offseason.
3. The Bills need to get two new starting linebackers, or one and a respected veteran No. 4 (Let alone if they make the switch to 3-4. Goodness, me).
4. The following starters can absolutely continue to start next year (if they stay 4-3):
CB- Terrence McGee
S- Jairus Byrd
DT- Marcus Stroud
DT- Kyle Williams
DE- Aaron Schobel
CB- Leodis McKelvin
RB- Fred Jackson
G- Eric Wood
G- Andy Levitre
C- Geoff Hangartner
RT- Brad Butler
WR- Lee Evans
TE- Shawn Nelson
K- Rian Lindell
P- Brian Moorman
LS- Garrison Sanborn
5. The following starters or contributors are probably fall too far down on the "priority to find someone better" list:
LB- Kawika Mitchell
LB- Paul Posluszny
WR3- Josh Reed (UFA)
TE2- Derek Schouman
DT3- Spencer Johnson
6. If the Bills had better linebackers, or even a relatively healthy corps of linebackers, this defense would be adequate against the run. So start there in free agency.
(Linebacker is my favorite position -- during freshman football at Kenmore East, I wanted to be Chris Spielman or Chris Slade (seriously) -- so let me opine here. I really wanted the Bills to sign Demeco Ryans, but the Texans offered him Top-Five linebacker money in February and he declined. He's had a not-so-elite season this year. The list of free agent linebackers is extremely respectable/intriguing: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/fa/lb.html).
7. Time to say goodbye. You don't have to leave the league, but you gotta get out of here (via trade, release or walking). Good luck:
CB- Ashton Youboty
OL- Seth McKinney
QB- Trent Edwards
RB- Marshawn Lynch (Fine for the field, not for the locker room)
(EDIT NOTE: There has been a lot of reaction to this Lynch comment, so I'd love to clarify. I've loved Lynch as a running back up until this year, where he's been inconsistent. I used to love his personality, which was considered private and quirky up until some incidents made him look like private is just cold. He's still young (23), but is he good enough talent-wise to get past the fact that he's one mistake away from being suspended for a half-season or worse? Those are the things worth talking about. I don't understand for a minute the sentiment that Jackson is more talented, or that Lynch wouldn't run for 1,250 yards somewhere else. He's better than McGahee, and Willis put up 1,438 total yards and eight touchdowns his first year in Baltimore. You can navigate a bad offensive line as a QB. Not-so-much a RB).
LT- Jonathan Scott
WR- Roscoe Parrish
DT- John McCargo
8. FYI: Potential UFAs: DE Ryan Denney, OLB Chris Draft, S Todd Johnson, OG Seth McKinney, WR Terrell Owens, WR Josh Reed, S-LB Bryan Scott.
Potential RFAs: OLB Keith Ellison*, TE Derek Schouman, OT Jonathan Scott, S George Wilson*, CB Ashton Youboty*.
(courtesy Pro Football Weekly)
Order of importance:
1. Reed
2. Schouman (provided he's healed right. Scary injury).
3. Draft (depth)
4. Denney (depth)
Anyone else is debatable. There is nothing universal about discussing Owens' potential role in 2010.
9. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick is an acceptable back-up quarterback.
10. (Your comment here)...
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Immediate Reactions, Wk13
For more international in-game thoughts, head to twitter.com/NicholasMendola.
I'm going to type this while watching Oregon State try to complete its "upset" of Oregon in the hopes of watching entertaining football.
Hey! Did you know this game was in another country?
-- This game tried so hard to make me hate the National Football League, and when it wasn't doing its best to make me hate that, it made me hate the fact the Bills have home games in Toronto. Wow. Thank goodness for the Saints, Colts, Vikings, Eagles, Chargers, Bengals and college ball. That's really about it.
-- So... at least the 71 people worldwide who think Ryan Fitzpatrick has a shot to be the future of the Bills now know better, and tell me that offense didn't look Dick Jauron-esque tonight. There will still be time to evaluate who the next coach should be, and if Perry Fewell deserves a look, but I promise you the Bills need better offense before anything else, and that starts with quarterback, not coach. In fact, if I could only select one, I'd rather have a new general manager than a new head coach.
-- He's a horrible off-the-field guy and has been a before the line of scrimmage mess all year long, but it was too easy to forget the talent of Marshawn Lynch.
-- A Twitter gentleman titled "douglasgoodman" Tweeted: "garbage soup." I couldn't agree more.
-- The real rub of this game is it proved -- like the Jacksonville game -- that the Bills aren't all that far from being a borderline playoff team. Quarterback, left tackle and two linebackers are the major changes next year. Seriously, when all under-contract players are healthy (Eric Wood, Leodis McKelvin, Terrence McGee, Brad Butler), this team could be alright with the right general manager calling shots. Maybe a safety beside Byrd is needed, but the pass rush was terrific and the injury-depleted secondary wasn't putrid.
-- If this isn't making sense to you, remember: you got to get drunk and go right to bed. I'm trying to make this game entertaining for you.
-- I know Fewell and Alex Van Pelt poo-pooed the notion earlier this week, but I'm ready to see Brian Brohm. Maybe he deserves an extra week or two to learn the system, but there's no excuse worth keeping him on the bench. I need to know if I need one quarterback or two next year (I still don't hate Fitz on the roster). I also don't need to see Trent Edwards the rest of the way. Each game with a remarkably average quarterback like Fitzpatrick, I'm realizing that Edwards is below even mediocre description.
-- Matt Millen and Bob Papa made Rich Gannon look more intelligent (but still not nearly as irritating). The more I do play-by-play without murdering broadcasts, the more I find the horrible analysts in pro football to be inconceivable. Hire someone good!
-- The bit on Darrelle Revis and how he picked out his cleats really completed the "boring documentary" feel of this game.
-- Another indictment of this linebacking corp: secondary members recorded three of the four top tackle numbers in this game (Wilson-10, Scott-9, Florence-7, Whitner-6). Lest we forget: Scott is a former safety.
-- I'd say Van Pelt should've run more. Fred Jackson was getting nothing done, but Lynch had his two best runs this year (Not of all-time, as a down-on-23 Twitter member remarked).
Stat line I enjoyed:
Aaron Schobel, seven tackles, one sack
-- Even though the Jets victimized him to the outside a time or two, he continues to prove that last year's foot injury is what made him appear washed up.
Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 9-of-23, 98 yards, three sacks, interception
-- His performance could be summed up in one word: Losmanesque.
Game ball:
The defensive line (Schobel,
Lastly...
I still hate that the Bills play any games in Toronto, and I felt like the folks shown on camera in Bills body paint were paid by Canadian Parliament. Canada's a solid place with solid people who would like their own team, but are fine with the CFL. I guess we can find solace in the fact that the Rogers Communications money from this robbery could go to the Bills coaching search.
Next Week:
Snooze fest: KC's defense was better before San Diego exploited them last week, but let's be honest: Ryan Fitzpatrick's accuracy will be the difference between a win and a loss. After last week, I would've deemed the Bills able to win at Arrowhead. After the Jets game... not-so-much. Chiefs 20, Bills 10.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
I'm going to type this while watching Oregon State try to complete its "upset" of Oregon in the hopes of watching entertaining football.
Hey! Did you know this game was in another country?
-- This game tried so hard to make me hate the National Football League, and when it wasn't doing its best to make me hate that, it made me hate the fact the Bills have home games in Toronto. Wow. Thank goodness for the Saints, Colts, Vikings, Eagles, Chargers, Bengals and college ball. That's really about it.
-- So... at least the 71 people worldwide who think Ryan Fitzpatrick has a shot to be the future of the Bills now know better, and tell me that offense didn't look Dick Jauron-esque tonight. There will still be time to evaluate who the next coach should be, and if Perry Fewell deserves a look, but I promise you the Bills need better offense before anything else, and that starts with quarterback, not coach. In fact, if I could only select one, I'd rather have a new general manager than a new head coach.
-- He's a horrible off-the-field guy and has been a before the line of scrimmage mess all year long, but it was too easy to forget the talent of Marshawn Lynch.
-- A Twitter gentleman titled "douglasgoodman" Tweeted: "garbage soup." I couldn't agree more.
-- The real rub of this game is it proved -- like the Jacksonville game -- that the Bills aren't all that far from being a borderline playoff team. Quarterback, left tackle and two linebackers are the major changes next year. Seriously, when all under-contract players are healthy (Eric Wood, Leodis McKelvin, Terrence McGee, Brad Butler), this team could be alright with the right general manager calling shots. Maybe a safety beside Byrd is needed, but the pass rush was terrific and the injury-depleted secondary wasn't putrid.
-- If this isn't making sense to you, remember: you got to get drunk and go right to bed. I'm trying to make this game entertaining for you.
-- I know Fewell and Alex Van Pelt poo-pooed the notion earlier this week, but I'm ready to see Brian Brohm. Maybe he deserves an extra week or two to learn the system, but there's no excuse worth keeping him on the bench. I need to know if I need one quarterback or two next year (I still don't hate Fitz on the roster). I also don't need to see Trent Edwards the rest of the way. Each game with a remarkably average quarterback like Fitzpatrick, I'm realizing that Edwards is below even mediocre description.
-- Matt Millen and Bob Papa made Rich Gannon look more intelligent (but still not nearly as irritating). The more I do play-by-play without murdering broadcasts, the more I find the horrible analysts in pro football to be inconceivable. Hire someone good!
-- The bit on Darrelle Revis and how he picked out his cleats really completed the "boring documentary" feel of this game.
-- Another indictment of this linebacking corp: secondary members recorded three of the four top tackle numbers in this game (Wilson-10, Scott-9, Florence-7, Whitner-6). Lest we forget: Scott is a former safety.
-- I'd say Van Pelt should've run more. Fred Jackson was getting nothing done, but Lynch had his two best runs this year (Not of all-time, as a down-on-23 Twitter member remarked).
Stat line I enjoyed:
Aaron Schobel, seven tackles, one sack
-- Even though the Jets victimized him to the outside a time or two, he continues to prove that last year's foot injury is what made him appear washed up.
Stat line I didn't enjoy:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 9-of-23, 98 yards, three sacks, interception
-- His performance could be summed up in one word: Losmanesque.
Game ball:
The defensive line (Schobel,
Lastly...
I still hate that the Bills play any games in Toronto, and I felt like the folks shown on camera in Bills body paint were paid by Canadian Parliament. Canada's a solid place with solid people who would like their own team, but are fine with the CFL. I guess we can find solace in the fact that the Rogers Communications money from this robbery could go to the Bills coaching search.
Next Week:
Snooze fest: KC's defense was better before San Diego exploited them last week, but let's be honest: Ryan Fitzpatrick's accuracy will be the difference between a win and a loss. After last week, I would've deemed the Bills able to win at Arrowhead. After the Jets game... not-so-much. Chiefs 20, Bills 10.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
We're all the same (and maybe better)
Here types a very frustrated man pondering this question: What is celebrity really like? With high-profile secret prostitutes and the apparent kinship between those lucky enough to squeeze themselves in front of a television or movie camera, I have to wonder if Hollywood and professional sports aren't quite literally in another dimension, like "Lost." Where else can some waste who brings her boyfriend on a reality show to try and save their relationship end up shacking up -- allegedly -- with one of the world's most famous men?
Yes, Tiger Woods reportedly shared the same high-society "dating partner" as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Hey! It's the Boys Club. What a treat for a lady to be wanted by famous people!
Woods also has allegedly -- thanks, US Weekly! -- carried on a three-year relationship with a girl who appeared on "Tool Academy." Wait, does that mean the ruthless manchild she brought on VH-1 to save her relationship was all an act? Oh my! Scandalicious.
All of the sudden swearing after a bad shot seems like a four-year-old earing Play-doh. Whoops.
I wanted to type an article about the supposed death of fidelity, and how much it disgusts me that cheating has slipped down the moral reprehensibility pole, right near road rage and spanking your children (perish the thought). I've heard enough guys over the years drop that, "For every hot girl you see, there's a guy tired of her garbage" to know that I'll just be looked at as a "starry-eyed newlywed" for thinking a vow is something worth attempting to see through. It seems most folks are much more concerned with the fact that Woods could cheat on "such a hot broad" as opposed to the fact that he was cheating at all (Cause we all know if she was a Chubbs McGrubbs, it would be totally understandable).
Instead, I kinda want to use this space to thank Woods for another reminder: he's not Tiger, he's a human being. Maybe worse than that, he's a celebrity, which seems to lend itself more towards the dirtball side of being a dude than the Tim Tebow-side. And there's a huge flaw in my argument right there. Why should I assume that Tebow's example is worth even a sniff? What's worth believing? Isn't his crystal-meth confession and hate of all things holy sure to come? Forget if he can throw a football far enough for your professional liking.
I think the bigger issue here is people like to think there are those who are "larger than life," but Nelson Mandela doesn't do reality shows and Gandhi was assassinated. So we take guys like Woods and try to present them as Jimmy Stewart: classy gentlemen whose quirkly illegal moments involve smuggling a supposed yeti out of India in his wife's luggage. We like to think there's a gulf of difference between Woods and John Daly, but maybe it's all in presentation. It's Hooters versus Nike, 84 Lumber versus Buick. Which corporation is going to be better suited by a public persona, not the man underneath?
I've been around sports long enough to know that what's reported is often just an iota of the real story. Your favorite centerfielder in an 1-for-23 slump? Well, he maybe just got dumped by his wife because he thought the word "road trip" meant "bar room bordello," or maybe he's dropping his shoulder on contact (with the ball, during an at-bat. Sicko.
Maybe the way to take things is to just do what Dan Hager says: just watch the game and ignore whether or not these guys and gals are doing anything other than eating and sleeping off the court/field/box office. Maybe, or perhaps a better lesson is to realize these folks are all the same. Some of them just make a lot more money than us, and forget -- if they ever knew -- that we all live on the same Earth.
Who cares if Mr. Woods talks? Unless this is all proven wrong, he's lost significant standing with me. Like long-admired actors and short-admired running backs with cool nicknames, he's just another talented human being. Another person who simply can't be content with what he's been blessed -- a terrific life with a beautiful young family.
I don't think anyone should have to share their private life as long as they aren't doing anything wrong, but if Woods wants to start his reconciliation with society, as embarrasssing a necessity as that is for our society, he'd do well to come clean. At least come partly clean, and admit frailty. He's no longer the picture of the American Dream, but inasmuch, he can become more a human being. As The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie so eloquently sang in "Now the Struggle Has a Name":
"Now, the apology done
Applause can begin
Now, the apologies done
Applause begins
If it bleeds, it leads
If it cries, it flies
If it feeds, a need
If it dies, it dies...
Now the struggle has a name
We are the same, it hasn't changed
I still feel the same."
In my understanding, the more human we are, the more we connect. The more "above-it-all" we act, as in Mr. Woods' case, the more you just look like a jerk. It all comes clean in the wash, right? Mike Robitaille just asked Howard Simon why we weren't talking about the 30,000 soldiers slated to head to Afghanistan after President Obama's speech last night.
Why would we? Some guy we like might be a jerk to his wife.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Yes, Tiger Woods reportedly shared the same high-society "dating partner" as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Hey! It's the Boys Club. What a treat for a lady to be wanted by famous people!
Woods also has allegedly -- thanks, US Weekly! -- carried on a three-year relationship with a girl who appeared on "Tool Academy." Wait, does that mean the ruthless manchild she brought on VH-1 to save her relationship was all an act? Oh my! Scandalicious.
All of the sudden swearing after a bad shot seems like a four-year-old earing Play-doh. Whoops.
I wanted to type an article about the supposed death of fidelity, and how much it disgusts me that cheating has slipped down the moral reprehensibility pole, right near road rage and spanking your children (perish the thought). I've heard enough guys over the years drop that, "For every hot girl you see, there's a guy tired of her garbage" to know that I'll just be looked at as a "starry-eyed newlywed" for thinking a vow is something worth attempting to see through. It seems most folks are much more concerned with the fact that Woods could cheat on "such a hot broad" as opposed to the fact that he was cheating at all (Cause we all know if she was a Chubbs McGrubbs, it would be totally understandable).
Instead, I kinda want to use this space to thank Woods for another reminder: he's not Tiger, he's a human being. Maybe worse than that, he's a celebrity, which seems to lend itself more towards the dirtball side of being a dude than the Tim Tebow-side. And there's a huge flaw in my argument right there. Why should I assume that Tebow's example is worth even a sniff? What's worth believing? Isn't his crystal-meth confession and hate of all things holy sure to come? Forget if he can throw a football far enough for your professional liking.
I think the bigger issue here is people like to think there are those who are "larger than life," but Nelson Mandela doesn't do reality shows and Gandhi was assassinated. So we take guys like Woods and try to present them as Jimmy Stewart: classy gentlemen whose quirkly illegal moments involve smuggling a supposed yeti out of India in his wife's luggage. We like to think there's a gulf of difference between Woods and John Daly, but maybe it's all in presentation. It's Hooters versus Nike, 84 Lumber versus Buick. Which corporation is going to be better suited by a public persona, not the man underneath?
I've been around sports long enough to know that what's reported is often just an iota of the real story. Your favorite centerfielder in an 1-for-23 slump? Well, he maybe just got dumped by his wife because he thought the word "road trip" meant "bar room bordello," or maybe he's dropping his shoulder on contact (with the ball, during an at-bat. Sicko.
Maybe the way to take things is to just do what Dan Hager says: just watch the game and ignore whether or not these guys and gals are doing anything other than eating and sleeping off the court/field/box office. Maybe, or perhaps a better lesson is to realize these folks are all the same. Some of them just make a lot more money than us, and forget -- if they ever knew -- that we all live on the same Earth.
Who cares if Mr. Woods talks? Unless this is all proven wrong, he's lost significant standing with me. Like long-admired actors and short-admired running backs with cool nicknames, he's just another talented human being. Another person who simply can't be content with what he's been blessed -- a terrific life with a beautiful young family.
I don't think anyone should have to share their private life as long as they aren't doing anything wrong, but if Woods wants to start his reconciliation with society, as embarrasssing a necessity as that is for our society, he'd do well to come clean. At least come partly clean, and admit frailty. He's no longer the picture of the American Dream, but inasmuch, he can become more a human being. As The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie so eloquently sang in "Now the Struggle Has a Name":
"Now, the apology done
Applause can begin
Now, the apologies done
Applause begins
If it bleeds, it leads
If it cries, it flies
If it feeds, a need
If it dies, it dies...
Now the struggle has a name
We are the same, it hasn't changed
I still feel the same."
In my understanding, the more human we are, the more we connect. The more "above-it-all" we act, as in Mr. Woods' case, the more you just look like a jerk. It all comes clean in the wash, right? Mike Robitaille just asked Howard Simon why we weren't talking about the 30,000 soldiers slated to head to Afghanistan after President Obama's speech last night.
Why would we? Some guy we like might be a jerk to his wife.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Stop worrying about Ryan Miller and the Olympics
Something hasn't struck me right about the "Don't overplay Ryan Miller, he's going to the Olympics" talk, and today I found a pretty good reason why.
It's knowledge out there for everyone to find, but in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Detroit Red Wings, as former Sabre netminder Dominik Hasek outdueled Arturs Irbe to win a ring.
Well, it appears that in the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, held just a few months before the Cup Finals, Irbe played for Latvia in preliminary round action in Utah, while Hasek manned the pipes for the Czech Republic. That tournament, too, was held in North America.
So, while backup goaltending is a major concern for the Sabres -- and we should see a No. 2 goaltender more often, as I pointed out last month -- there is precedence to keep you with as little worry as a Buffalo sports fan can have.
(To be clear, I prefer a Cup to a Gold. Not sure I made that as clear as I'd like on the air today).
Email: nick@wgr550.com
It's knowledge out there for everyone to find, but in the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, the Carolina Hurricanes fell to the Detroit Red Wings, as former Sabre netminder Dominik Hasek outdueled Arturs Irbe to win a ring.
Well, it appears that in the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, held just a few months before the Cup Finals, Irbe played for Latvia in preliminary round action in Utah, while Hasek manned the pipes for the Czech Republic. That tournament, too, was held in North America.
So, while backup goaltending is a major concern for the Sabres -- and we should see a No. 2 goaltender more often, as I pointed out last month -- there is precedence to keep you with as little worry as a Buffalo sports fan can have.
(To be clear, I prefer a Cup to a Gold. Not sure I made that as clear as I'd like on the air today).
Email: nick@wgr550.com
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