Category: Hockey

Epic Bat Flip

When it comes to home run show boating and bat flips… this is pretty close to the best ever.

The game was tied in the top of the seventh. The Rangers had a runner on third. After a pitch, the catcher went to throw the ball back to the pitcher and the throw hit the batter’s bat and rolled down the third base line. The runner on third scored to give the Rangers the lead. Weirdest thing I’ve ever heard of in a baseball game.

Then in the bottom of the seventh one Ranger’s player (sorry for not being up on the names, I’m doing this from the slightest bit of memory) made three (3) THREE! errors to load the bases. A single brought in the tying run. Then…

Jose Bautista destroyed the ball and drove it into next month, stood at home plate to watch it go out, then gave the meanest, angriest, most pissed off bat flip ever in the history of ever. Obviously the Rangers were pissed and the benches cleared.

Normally I am on the side of act like you’ve been there before and don’t show boat, but in this case? Following the dumbest play in the history of the playoffs? You flip that bat, Jose, and you suck it up and deal, Rangers.

Now, to change the subject, I should probably wait until tomorrow to mention this, but three of the division series have ended and the team I picked won all three. If the Dodgers win tonight I will be perfect in picks for the post season.

Obviously I just jinxed it though, so if you’re a Met’s fan… you’re welcome.

Oh yeah, and the Bruins won last night! Can you believe it? The standings as of this moment: The Patriots have four wins with 12 games to go, and the Bruins have one win with 78 games to go. It’s gonna be close!

Does Don Sweeney Deserve a Honeymoon Period?

Question for Boston Bruins fans:

Does new GM Don Sweeney deserve a honeymoon period where we lay off the major criticism for a while?

For me?  No.  He doesn’t.  In fact, I already have him on the hot seat.  Doug Hamilton, gone and not replaced.  Not even close.  Milan Lucic, gone and not quite replaced.  We’ve got some new forwards to try and fill his skates, but does anyone really believe we won’t look at that trade and wonder what could have been?  And what did we get in return?  Three first round picks (yay!), none of whom passed the conditioning test on the opening day of training camp (boo!).  Also, Zac Rinaldo… because what the team that can’t score or play defense really needs is a goon.

Remember the start of the baseball season when Red Sox Manager John Farrell tried to tell us that the Sox had five aces when everyone with even the smallest brain could see that we actually had five fifth starters?  Was I the only one who kept thinking of that statement as I watched the Bruins roll out six sixth defensemen last night?  When Torey Krug is getting 20+ minutes of ice time, something is seriously wrong.  Now I know we’ve lost two legitimate top pairing guys to injuries, but the depth is clearly terrible.  Isn’t it then the GM’s job to build up that depth and replace the missing pieces?  How did Sweeney react to the Siedenberg and Chara injuries?  Well, he didn’t.  He failed to supply a roster that could compete in an NHL game.

I suspect we’re going to see a lot of games like last night’s over the course of this season.  Even after Chara and Siedenberg (I’m spelling that wrong, aren’t I) come back.  I suspect Tuukka Rask is going to set a new league record for most shots against in a season.  Is he good enough to be the only line of defense on the ice?  Not nearly.  No one is.

I know last night was only game #1 of the Sweeney regime, but given the performance so far, I can’t imagine his job isn’t in jeopardy already.

Game Six

I really don’t want the Stanley Cup Finals to end tonight. I haven’t watched very much, but I’ve been following everything. Chicago is up three games to two and I hate the Blackhawks after they beat us in the finals a few years ago.

Tampa Bay in seven. Please.

Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

Don Sweeney

The Bruins named Don Sweeney as their new General Manager today.  This may be the first time a player I regularly used while playing EA Sports NHL games on play station has become a GM, but maybe not.  I do expect, however, that he is now the NHL GM with the highest voice.  Finally a soprano sits in the big chair.

All kidding aside, Donny.  Let’s bring my team back to glory, okay?

Still Bad

I was bad again last night.  Not as bad as I was on Tuesday, but not good.  We got take out.  I had been very good all day so I got what was probably the least awful thing on the menu.  Or at least the least awful thing Mr Robert the Picky Eater can stomach.  Unfortunately my step son got exactly the same thing and barely ate any of his… so I polished it off for him.

Woops.

It’s going to be easy to cheat this weekend too.  There’s Mothers Day, and someone I know is having a birfday.  If the weather cooperates though I hope to get out and do some yard work.  That will count for exercise.  It seems to be the only exercise I get.  Well, that and two hours standing up during band practice.  That counts, right?

On the upside, the Montreal Canadians and the New York Rangers are both one loss away from their off seasons.  I am quite the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals fan right now.

Hockey Hate

The two NHL teams I hate the most, the New York Rangers and the effin’ jerkwads the Montreal Canadians are both losing in their second round playoff series. Wouldn’t it be something if they both got bounced in the same round.

It wouldn’t make up for the lack of post-season Bruins, but it would be pretty sweet.

Oh, and the Red Sox just took the lead in the bottom of the third.

I’ll enjoy all of this while I can.

Rules for Predicting NHL Playoff Results

For years I have been following one rule when making my NHL playoff predictions. That rule is: Never Pick San Jose after the 2nd round. Time after time I picked them to either win the West or win the Cup and they always, always, always choked. I can pick them in the 1st. I can even pick them in the 2nd. Never, though, can I pick them after that. That is rule number one.

After yesterday I now have a rule number two: Never pick St Louis in the first round. They are incapable of winning a first round series so I don’t have to worry about any other round. Three years in a row they go out in one when they should have advanced. My days of picking the St Louis Blues have officially come to an end.

NHL Thoughts

I had a couple of stray, random thoughts while following* the first night of the NHL playoffs.

  • No Bruins… I have a grand total of zero craps to give about everyone else.
  • Oh sure, Ottawa… Now you fricken lose! Jackasses!

And that is about it.

*When I say “following” I mean that I checked the scores at about 8:30, and then again around 10:00. I saw that the Ottawa/Montreal game was close and almost over so I listened to the last couple of minutes. Friggen Ottawa.

The First Shoe Drops

The Boston Bruins have relieved Peter Chiarelli of his job as General Manager.

That’s one.  What other moves will follow?  Let’s hope the search for a new GM is a short one.  We have a couple of months before the draft.  We’ll need someone in place by then.  I would imagine that Claude Julien’s days in Boston are numbered as most GMs would want to have their own coach in place.

As for players, Greg Campbell and Dan Paille were both told during their exit interview that they would not be resigned.  Both of them have had shining moments in a Bruins uniform, but it’s probably time for them to move on.

We will have to wait for a new GM before the big player questions are answered.  Lucic?  Chara?  Eriksson?  We’ll see.