The Jumpshooting Hockey Team

Here comes a game seven folks, and I must admit I am a little nervous. Afterall, my job as a bartender at Detroit's Anchor Bar kindof depends on the Wings. Here are my thoughts on the last game and the game 7 coming up.

First - A lot of complaints in regards to the officiating this series have been voiced on Valenti and Foster. Certainly there were some missed calls, and the officiating could be more consistent. I was not thrilled with a lot of calls and more importantly a lot of non calls. However, in regards to the game last night, I don't think the officiating really cost the Wings the game.

Second - Last night, one team clearly wanted it more than the other. Once team clearly had more jump in their step. Once team clearly beared (did I spell that right?) down and won the little battles. And that team was the Ducks. The Wings looked sluggish, tired, and listless. Their passes were not crisp, and their shots missed the net. I don't know if it was laziness, arrogance, or if it just was one of those nights, but they sure did not look good. Most troubling to me was how little they crashed the net. Once again, they peppered Hiller with shots, but they were easy shots to stop. Instead if creating traffic, blocking his vision, and getting garbage goals, they're shooting the hockey equivelant of jump shots. Just like how if you don't get to the line in basketball you're not going to get far, the same goes with hockey.

Third - the Wings two homegrown horses have got to pick it up. Hank and Pavel have been noticebly quiet this series, and that has to change. I know the Mule has played great, but theres a reason your big guns are your big guns. For Stanley to to come back to Detroit this year, our two best players must start playing like they're our best players. The Defense is handling its business. Two goals is not an insurmountable amount, but you can't win if you start scoring and getting pressure on with 5 minutes left in the third period. I think the first period of game 7 will be key to deciding which Red Wings team shows up, and who advances to the next round.

Quick Hits - Just watched Curtis Granderson hit a triple then induce Twins pitcher Jesse Crain into a BALK. Curtis Granderslam (I think that should be his nickname, its punchy and is a good play on words) is my Tiger, and has come through in the clutch twice the past couple weeks. While I was in a really good mood after seeing that, I had to watch one of those stupid Lady Janes commercials right afterwards. Not wicked awesome at all.

Great series for the Tigers

I cannot imagine watching a more confidence-inspiring series than the one that the Tigers just played in Cleveland.

Think, in general terms, about what happened this weekend. The starters allowed 1 run in three games (20 innings). The ace of the staff pitched a 2-hit, 11-strikeout, complete game shutout. The bullpen was solid, except for a hiccup from the closer, who was pitching in a non-save situation on back-to-back days. The offense was far from spectacular, but provided timely hits and just enough run support. The prospective gold-glove centerfielder was outstanding, especially with an otherworldly, game-saving catch. Throw in that the series was on the road, against a division rival, and there really isn't much more that you can expect from a baseball team hoping to compete for a playoff spot.

I feel great about the Tigers. The pitching and defense are leaps and bounds ahead of last year and although the offense has struggled, the fact that the Tigers can win in spite of it just give me more confidence. The leaders (Verlander, Cabrera, Granderson) are out front, and this team is coming together.

I'm Back and the Wings are too

Sorry it's been so long everybody (and by everybody I mean the four people that might actually read this). You can attribute my long break from writing to forgetfulness and laziness. From now on I'm going to try to keep my posts shorter, as opposed to writing the 6 page anti-Bettman manifestos that make up my previous work.

First - gotta talk about the no goal call. I was so mad I couldn't sleep for hours, but after some thought and watching the replay in the morning, I'm not as upset. The ref was in the right position, and made the right call to blow it dead. What really burns a hole in my pantyhose is that the call was not reviewable. The other on ice official should be able to overrule such a call if he had a better angle, and all those cameras should have been put to use in Toronto. I still think hockey is the most difficult game to officiate, so much respect to the refs. However they're human, they make mistakes, and they should be able to review goal calls like this (for the love of God though, do not use replay for penalties and other stuff, just goals.)

Second - glad to see the Wings finally show up and start playing hockey again for three periods. I saw glimmers of hope in that third period in game three, but for the first time the Winged Wheelers had their foot on the gas the whole game. They finished their checks, set the tone for the game, and more importantly they crashed the net. During the past couple games, the Wings turned into the hockey equivalent of a jumpshooting basketball team. Sure they got a bunch of shots on Hiller, but they were weak and easy for him to see.

Third - really happy to have Marian Hossa going now. You could see the "about time" look of relief on his face while he celebrated his first goal. In Rod Allen terms, he had been scuffeling all series, and maybe was starting to press a bit. It's good that he got the scoreless in this series monkey off his back, and I hope Datsyuk with his eyes by Dr. Rahmani gets it going soon too.

Quick Hits - So most of the actors from the Mighty Ducks have not gone on to win Oscars, but you still see them around. The Captain Charlie Conway, played by Joshua Jackson, has gone on to play Pacy in Dawsons Creek and now has a part on Fringe. Jesse Hall, played by Brandon Quintin Adams, also appeared in one of the greatest baseball movies ever, The Sandlot (he's the pitcher that throws the heater.) You even see Goldberg in that Castrol commercial where he orders fries and a shit ton of oil falls on his car. However, the imdb connection that stunned me was realizing that my beloved Connie Moreau, played by Marguerite Moreau, grew up to play the call girl Vicky in Mad Men (Season 2, ep. 4, Three Sundays.) Connie got hot.

Baxter signs Foote

The Lions have officially signed linebacker Larry Foote to a 1-year contract. Not exactly an earth-shattering move, but this is the kind of signing that can the lift sloppy drunkard that is the Detroit Lions up off the barroom floor and drag them slowly toward the front door of respectability.

Signings like Larry Foote are what take teams from last place to the playoffs. Obviously, I'm not saying that the Lions are going to make the playoffs this season, but I am saying that veterans like Foote are invaluable to the development of players like Ernie Sims, Jordan Dizon, and Louis Delmas. Rebuilding teams can't be made up completely of "unready" young players, nor can they be made up of only "past-ready" players. In order to rebuild, you need to stock the pantries with young talent and then supplement that with guys who can keep the seats warm until the young guys are ready to take over. Foote isn't going to be a great middle linebacker for the Lions, but he will be good enough to force younger players to the bench, and ultimately aid in their development. Although this one kind of fell into his lap, I've got to give Martin Mayhew credit for yet another surprisingly smart move.

Once again, good boy Baxter.

Since when is Ed Hochuli reffing NHL playoff games?

The NHL needs to do something about quick whistles. For the most part, they are harmless, but when they start costing teams playoff games, something has to be done. In last night's Red Wings/Ducks game, it should have been as simple as going to the replay, which clearly showed that the puck was still loose when the whistle was blown, and then giving Marian Hossa his goal and sending the game into overtime. Watching the replay, it wasn't a situation where play stopped right at the whistle and Hossa scored because everyone else had stopped playing. Everyone on the ice except the men in black and white saw that the puck was still alive and kept on playing.

This error is frighteningly Hochuli-esque. In fact, it's exactly the same issue. The referee made an incorrect call and blew the whistle too early, screwing one team out of a game-altering play. So why can't the NHL just fix this the same way the NFL has? Instruct referees to wait on the whistle until they are absolutely sure that they play is dead. If a goal is scored and there's a question that the puck may have been covered, go to the replay. Like I said before, when a bad rule starts costing teams playoff games, it needs to be fixed. As much as I hate to rely on Gary Bettman for anything (I wouldn't trust that moron to deliver a fucking pizza to my house), it's on him to fix this problem. We're screwed.

The Cure for Rabies

In the past, I have always been a fan of Ryan Raburn, but unfortunately, my man-love for Rabies burns no longer. He needs to go back to Toledo. Now.

Raburn doesn't have much talent in terms of raw power, speed, or athleticism, but he was useful in the past because although he didn't bring a whole lot to the table, he never took anything off of it. Quick aside, Rod Allen just quoted MC Hammer, I feel that it is necessary to point this out. Anyway, Raburn is now removing items from the table faster than Wojo (I miss WDFN...) at an all-you-can-eat buffet. He isn't hitting, which would be acceptable if he was providing his usual steady defense in the infield and outfield, but he has been nothing short of atrocious this season on the defensive side of the ball. He has cost the Tigers at least one game so far by simply dropping routine fly balls and in a division that will almost certainly come down to a few games in October, you can't afford to give away games in April. Raburn used to be valuable because of his ability to play in the infield and the outfield, but with Gary Sheffield gone, the Tigers have room to keep both a strong defensive outfielder, Josh Anderson, and a strong defensive infielder, Ramon Santiago, on their bench, which significantly cuts down the value of Raburn's versatility. With his defensive usefullness accounted for by other players (who are both outhitting him by the way), Raburn must earn his keep with his bat. Excuse me for impugning somebody's job performance in this tough economy, but 1/11 with 4 strikeouts is just not going to get it done.

This whole discussion might seem like a moot point, because Marcus Thames will eventually take this spot back when he recovers from his injury, but with so many divisional games coming up in the next couple of weeks, it is absolutely paramount that the Tigers send their best 25 on to the field every night. Until Thames gets healthy, wouldn't Jeff Larish be a hell of a lot more useful for the Tigers? Assuming that he can at least equal the job that Raburn has done defensively, which at this point I think could be handled by a drunk chimpanzee, Larish provides left-handed power off the the Tigers' bench, something that the Tigers really lack with their current team. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Rabies succeed, but that this point, he looks like the definition of a 4A player and somebody who is not capable of helping a big league club.

Wait, that Vinny Del Negro?

Wow. Yes, this blog is devoted mostly to opinions on the sports endeavors of Motown, but today, I feel compelled to make an exception, because that Bulls-Celtics game last night was fucking ridiculous.

Of course, we must first give credit to the players on both sides for this great series. Ben Gordon, Ray Allen, Derrick Rose, and Rajon Rondo have been nothing short of transcendent. But really, we need to give credit for last night's game to one man: Vincent Joseph Del Negro. Yes, that's right, the man who brought Uncle Jessie-style haircuts to the NBA. If anybody but Vinny Del Negro is coaching this Bulls team, this series probably never makes it to Game 6 and Game 6 damn sure never makes it to triple overtime. Derrick Rose could get to the hole whenever he wanted, and for some reason, throughout the series, especially during the overtimes last night, Del Negro refuses to realize that the Celtics cannot stop Rose from beating his man off the dribble and scoring or creating for a teammate. In the first half, the Bulls took the lead because Rose was slicing the Celtics defense to ribbons, scoring and distributing at will. This seemed to work for the Bulls, but for some reason, as the game wore on, Rose ceased to be the focal point of the offense. At first, this made sense, Ben Gordon is the best clutch scorer on the team, of course he should be getting the majority of the offensive touches in crunch time. But then Gordon fouled out. One would think that this would cue the arrival of Rose as the go-to offensive player, but alas, Mr. Del Negro thought that John Salmons (who actually had a really nice game), Brad Miller (ugliest man in the NBA?), and Kirk Hinrich were all better options. How can someone who sees Derrick Rose play ON A DAILY BASIS not realize that there is nobody on the Celtics that can guard him! Eventually, Rose just took it upon himself to ensure victory for Chicago, with his Stretch Armstrong-esque block of Rondo on the Celtics second-to-last possession.

All in all, as much as Vinny has driven me crazy, he has ensured that this series is going to a Game 7 and he was invaluable comedic tool in NBA Jam. You will always have a place in my heart...