A Look at the 2008 NHL Draft

March 10, 2009

by Aaron Neely… Every June the consolation prize for being terrible is captured.

Teams file into ice-less arenas and fill tables and talk about hockey players who still have to ask their parents if they can go out on a Friday night.

On the opposite side of things, 18-year-olds file into ice-less arenas hoping that they have done enough to capture the eye of men old enough to be their grandparents.

June is a month where the worst teams get to show off their teams future. They call names and no matter what the future holds, for that day, the player they chose will be an all-star.

But what if we could go back months later and change the order of the draft? What happens if we could watch the play of these young rookies and change the draft order based on actual NHL play, rather then junior hockey where they dominated so much.

Well, unfortunately for teams like Ottawa, who thought Alex Daigle was No. 1 pick worthy, this cannot be done.

Fortunately, as fans…Why not give it a try?

I am going to look at the top 10 players taken in this years draft and change the order based on play this year. Where should they have gone based on progression thus far?

Let’s find out.

  1. With the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft…The Tampa Bay Lightning SHOULD have taken Drew Doughty from the Guelph Storm.

    This guy is the complete package: Physical, highly skilled, a great skater whose poise from the last row makes him guy look like a 10 year NHL vet.

    Through 65 games the 19-year-old rookie has posted four goals and 17 assists for 21 points. Oh and by the way, he is averaging the most minutes played by any rookie playing in the difficult travel schedule of the west coast.

    This guy should have gotten tired and fatigued about two months ago and began to make those “rookie mistakes.” But with 17 games remaining, I’m still looking for those mistakes to come.

    His teammates rave about the poise this guy has and his opponents can’t stop but seeing a young Scott Neidermayer.

    He already has a patented head fake move that leaves checking forwards with a face full of the end boards. And he pulls off the spin-o-rama with ease.

    It was debated in June and it will be debated now. However, what is not debated is that this guy can play.

  2. With the second overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft the Los Angeles Kings pick, from the Sarnia Sting… Steven Stamkos.

    A character almost built for Los Angeles, the match would have been perfect. An elite forward for his entire hockey career Steven Stamkos is going to be a guy that kids idolize.

    In his final year in Sarnia, Steven posted a solid 58 goals and 102 points. Highlight-reel goals were just as frequent as the sun coming up in the morning.

    However, he simply does not have the build right now to play in the NHL.

    His struggles were well documented at the beginning of this year and his coach called him out. Barry Melrose publicly said that he was not ready for the NHL and that another year in the ‘O’ might be the best thing for him.

    That doesn’t usually sit well with an 18 year old.

    Expectations were so high for this guy that the phrase “Seen Stamkos?” was being used literally for his on ice play.

    The talent is there, the future numbers are going to be huge. But No. 2 is where this guy should have gone.

  3. With the third pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, the Atlanta Thrashers pick, from the Kewlona Rockets… Luke Schenn.

    To put it simply, this guy is a rock. At 6′2″, 220lbs, this guy is not moved easily and is going to do damage to opposing forwards in his own zone on a nightly basis. How did Atlanta not see this!?

    Once again, the management of Atlanta did not make the best choice for their franchise. In previous years, they let Marc Savard go, traded for Keith Tkachuk and now missed out on Luke Schenn.

    However, this is what should of happened, so here it goes…

    Luke Schenn would have solved problems in Atlanta that are more obvious then the fact that Ilya Kovalchuk is the next superstar to leave town. As I said earlier this rock on defense comes from the WHL who have been known to make NHL-ready defensemen.

    Thought at the beginning of the season to not be NHL ready, he came into camp and amazed anyone and everyone who cared to take a look.

    Coach, Ron Wilson said that he would have to come in and show he can be a top four defenseman.

    Well, Ron…Looks like he can be your No. 1.

    Through this year, I cannot look at the Leafs blueline and say that anyone has been significantly better. Kaberle is alone in his own zone, Kubina has the brain of a goldfish and Jeff Finger has injured everything but his Finger.

    Luke Schenn has been amazing. Plain and simple.

    His highlight reel shows plays of him dismantling NHL superstars like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby along the boards. Should I remind you that he’s 19!?

    Now, think quick at the most amazing part of that last statement…Is it the fact that he is dismantling these guys or the fact that he is playing against players like these guys every single game.

    The Human Eraser, as TSN analyst Pierre McGuire calls him. His nickname fits the bill. People compare him to Adam Foote but I see something greater.

    Never will he put up numbers like Doughty, but at the same time never will Doughty be such a defensive asset like Luke. This year many announcers have dubbed him “Cool Hand Luke” for his poise under pressure he has shown countless times.

    First passes are crisp, hits are bone rattling and Atlanta passed up on him.

  4. With the fourth pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, the St. Louis Blues pick, from Russia with Love… Nikita Filatov.

    Simply put…This guy can light the lamp, and do it in a fashion that leaves you breathless.

    Anytime a projected Russian Superstar is so highly ranked people have questions because of the agreement between Russian hockey and the NHL.

    However, this guy clearly stated his wanted to play in the NHL now.

    Being 6′0″, 172 pounds soaking wet with all his clothes on…including a winter jacket. This guy is not going overpower anyone. But who needs to when they can make d-men look like pilons. Or simply make them look bystanders. The kid can fly.

    In eight games in Columbus he scored four goals. He got his first career hat-trick and was only sent down because he had not fully adapted to the North American ice surface.

    When talking about Russians it almost becomes an obvious statement to say that they can score goals. Just look at Alex the great, Kovalchuk, Kovalev, Malkin etc…

    But what you don’t expect from a guy like this is captain qualities. He captained the world juniors, took the initiative to take English courses all through his childhood in aspirations of making it to the NHL and enough of an impact in eight games on Mike Peca, for him to say that he sees him with the C on his chest within five years.

    St. Louis took a quality defensemen, when they could have had an all-star forward.

    I see 50 goals from this guy sometime within his first 3 years as well as a major upset when he steals Rookie of the Year honors from John Tavares and Victor Hedman in 2009.

  5. In the fourth pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft the Toronto Maple Leafs pick, from the Peterborough Petes… Zach Bog-g-g-g-g-g-g-gosian.

    Seeing as Toronto, cannot pick the biggest steal in the draft in Luke Schenn… They would have taken Zach Bogosian.

    At 6′2, 200 pounds this kid has some growing to do. His body size and strength do not fit the style of hockey that he plays.

    In juniors he was use to going against the biggest and strongest players, however in Atlanta this year that went against him when he hurt his knee early in the year taking a hit.

    If any one of the top five would have benefited most from another year in junior, this is the guy. Although his play has been respectable and on a feeble Thrashers team is putting up the third best plus/minus with a plus 6. He is not fit for the speed and size of the NHL just yet.

    Seen as an all around d-man, he has incredible hockey IQ a huge shot from the point and will be a beauty in a couple years.

    He will never put up points like Drew Doughty and will never be as stable defensively like Luke Schenn. He will do both of those things well and that is something not many blueliners can say.

    Once he gets fit in the NHL he will be a 50+ point guy, however playing on an Atlanta Thrashers team that has as much skill as Paris Hilton… Let’s hope this kid gets to that point.

  6. With the sixth pick in the NHL entry draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets pick, from Brampton… Cody Hodgson.

    Canadian Olympic Gold medal: check.

    World Under 18 Gold medal: check.

    World Junior Gold medal: check

    …Winner at every level, captain at every level and the perfect Canadian hockey player…

    Let’s just say Columbus is going to be hockey crazy in a couple years.

    If you watched the world junior hockey tournument you saw Cody Hodgson become a victim to the hockey world wanting to hype up John Tavares by making him MVP.

    Everyone knows they got that wrong and Hodgson led that team.

    He plays in every situation, will take your big time face-off and will make d-men look silly.

    Growing up in Markham he played junior hockey with guys like Pietroangelo, Stamkos and Del Zotto among others however in his final year of minor hockey he player as a 15 year old with his 17 year old brother on the midget AAA squad - not on the heavyweight team led by Stamkos (who played against his own age)

    The Columbus Blue Jackets would have looked back in 5 years on this day and wondered how they could have ever picked anyone else. This guy just might be better then every player drafted in this draft but because he is not exceptional at one thing—this is where he should have gone.

    Put him on Columbus’ second line with Vorachuk and you have two lines in Columbus that are going to rival any top six in the NHL.

    He could captain any NHL team and is absolutely the smartest hockey player in this draft.

  7. With the 7th pick in the 2008 nhl entry draft, the Nashville Predators pick Colin Wilson.I know, I know… They actually DID pick Colin Wilson, but I simply could not go against their pick.

    This guy is an absolute monster. His build makes him look more like a linebacker then a hockey player and at the combine, he made the bench press look easy.

    At 6′1, 215 Colin Wilson is far from done growing. Scouts at the time of the draft figured that he still has a lot of room to add muscle and once his body changes into what is known as a “man’s body” he should be pushing 230 and about 6′2.

    At the combine, scouts said that he was one of two MAYBE three guys who were NHL ready. However, he had promised his parents he would attend University.

    Once he gets to Nashville things are going to get good quick for this guy. Jason Arnott who is what Colin Wilson wants to be is the first line center. If Colin Wilson is number two, Nashville should have two of the most imposing centerman in the NHL

    Not only does he have all the skill required to make it to the big show. He also has all the commitment it takes as well. One of the most obvious facts that proves this is his production in his second year at Boston University.

    In his first year, through 37 games he posted a respectable 35 points. This year through 34 games he already has 46 points.

    Along with all of this, he also has represented the USA at the world juniors. This year, he teamed up with Jordan Schroeder (2009 prospect) to combine for one of the most dynamic duos in the draft.

    Nashville does not have a future all star, but they do have a future. Colin Wilson is a major part of that all ready.

  8. With the eighth pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, the Phoenix Coyotes pick, from the Niagra Ice Dogs… Alex Pietrangelo.

    For starters, the chances of this ACTUALLY happening on draft day were about as good as Chris Brown and Rihanna going through round 2.

    A right-handed, puck moving, big, mobile defense man simply is not suppose to drop till the 8th pick. However, you also are not suppose to have six of the top 10 players in the draft to play significant time in the NHL.

    The point is, there are far to many people in this draft who are just as good if not better.

    However, this guy is still everything I listed above. He is big, strong, mobile and right handed shot and he can move the puck with the best of them.

    If there can be a knock on this guy, it is that he does not use his big 6′4, 210 pound body well enough. If you are looking for a player to lay guys out, this is not your guy.

    The year started well for him as he played his first eight games in St. Louis but it all came crashing down one night in Toronto. Ryan Hollweg decided that it was necessary to drive this rookie from behind into the boards.

    However if Phoenix could have gotten this guy it would have done their club wonders in the long run. They would have gotten their defense man that they need so badly, as well as someone to get their elite forwards the puck.

    A top four defense man with potential to become a top guy. Phoenix can only dream.

  9. With the ninth pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, the New York Islanders pick, Josh Bailey.

    Similar to my thoughts about the Atlanta Thrashers, the New York Islanders are going downhill fast.

    If anyone in the entire hockey world can tell me why the worst defensive team within the past 10 years would trade their 5th overall pick which turned out to be Luke Schenn for the ninth pick to get a future top 9 forward, then please speak up…figured.

    The Islanders are a complete mess.

    However, this is not about the Islanders, this is about the fact that no matter what anyone does or thinks they should have done, Garth Snow was not going to be denied the right to draft Josh Bailey.

    Josh Bailey is not what is wrong in this situation, he is actually going to be a nice shinning light for this club. He is a 6′1, 200 pound speedster who will never stop working.

    He goes to the net, uses his body well and can finish when given the opportunity. Never will he be compared to a guy like Steven Stamkos or Cody Hodgson but he will be a guy that people mention when they talk about this draft year.

    Is he the answer to the Islanders problem? Absolutely not.

    In his final year with the Windsor Spitfires, he only picked up 16 penalty minutes so you can tell right away that he is not the most physical guy. People also said that he should be a Lady Byng away finalist sometime throughout his career. However, that is the same award that Alex Mogilny dubbed, “the softest player award.”

    What is going to make this guy stick in the NHL is his ability to play both ends of the ice. He is similar to Michael Peca, just without the physicality. He can win face-offs and should be a great penalty killer.

  10. With the 10th pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, the Vancouver Canucks pick, Todd Bert…I mean… Kyle Beach.No joke… This guy is a monster.

    In the actual draft, the Canucks somehow landed Cody Hodgson.

    However, he is already gone leaving none other then the meanest player in major junior hockey. Last year he recorded 222 PIMS and 60 points. What!?

    Many people wondered about his attitude but that was deemed a none issue once the interviews were finished.

    Like I said earlier, this guy is a complete monster. He fights, hits, scores and has a bit of Sean Avery in him in the sense he is seriously hated by anyone who plays him.

    At 6′3, 210 pounds he would have worked perfect on the wing with the Sedin twins.

    Im sure Vancouver would have debated heavily between him and Boedker but I just can’t see them passing on Beach.

    He is the perfect western Canadian hockey player and will bring back memories of a young and self controlled Todd Bertuzzi and will put Vancouver at the top of the Northwest once again.

    Simply a M-O-N-S-T-E-R

Will any of these players one day be able to accomplish what Nik Lidstrom has accomplished as captain of the Stanley Cup Champions is a different story.

But all of these guys, has the skill set and potential to do something big. They have all the tools and they have all the resources, but all these guys know that the draft basically means nothing.

The work that they put in after the draft and the breaks they get over their career will one day either put them in the Hall-of-Fame or put them in the book of worst draft picks ever.

TEN YEARS IN HOGTOWN

March 10, 2009

by Murray Crawford… In the decade of the Toronto Rock’s existence there has only been one constant.
It’s not the championships, those dried up four years ago. It’s not the logo, they weren’t even a Toronto based team ten years ago. The only thing that has stayed the same is their goalie, Bob Watson.
Coming into the season the goalie, affectionately known as Bob “Whipper” Watson, was on all of the Rock’s championship teams and was the league’s goaltender of the year twice, including the first year the award was ever handed out. But more importantly was his play in the 2003 Champions Cup Final, where he was named game MVP, backstopping the Rock to a league title.
“Playing in front of 15,000 people, it’s what every kid dreams about,” Watson said. “2005 is always a fond memory.”
The Whipper nickname is a reference to the old Canadian Wrestler “Whipper” Billy Watson who would shed his blood and sweat for fans the world over.
Bob Watson’s sweat still pours out of every vein and his blood still get pumped up when the whistle goes.
Now he is the elder statesman on the team, being 38 he is also one of the more veteran players in the league.
“We’re rebuilding, we needed more offense,” Watson said. “We’re throwing up good numbers offensively. We’ve just got to shore it up from the goaltender out.”
After a 25-10 shelling at the hands of the Buffalo Bandits he still carried himself into the rink and still stood up and took his position facing the same Buffalo Bandits.
This time he played in one of the more competitive games of the Rock’s season. A seesaw battle that saw the teams exchange as many blows as they did goals.
In the end it was not meant to be as Watson allowed the overtime winner on a point shot, just another day in his office for the whipper.
“We’re just taking it one game at a time right now,” Watson said. “My goal is to play until I’m 40. But I said once I stopped achieving a high level that I’d get out.

BARTENDER WARS

March 10, 2009

To vote for your favourite bartenders, be sure to comment as to who you want to win this month’s Bartender Bars.

  1. THE DIZZY DOLLS (The Dizzy offers an all-star line up of draught beers and a grand slam selection of whiskeys. Daily televised events at the Dizzy include great sports such as NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, Nascar and international soccer.
    305 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-538-8484)
  2. AXIS DREAM TEAM (Axis Gallery and Grill is a friendly Junction watering hole offers casual dining. Live music is played three to four times a week, including Derek Downham hosted weekly Tuesday nigh Jam. Sports is shown on three HDTV screens.
    3048 Dundas Street West, 416-604-3333)Tell me something most people don’t know about you?
    • Gratia - I have a tail.
    • Shannon - I swallow… Gum!
    • Terri - I can hotwire a skidoo
    • Jo - I’m not a “real” blond

Mid-Major Stars Won’t Be Going Dancing

March 10, 2009

by Jameson Fleming… Stephen Curry has carried the Wildcats on his shoulders for an entire season. The only remaining chance his teammates will get to repay the favor will now be in the NIT after a disastrous performance by both Curry and his teammates against Charleston in the Southern Conference Championship Semifinals.

The Cougars knocked off the ‘Cats to advance to the finals of the Southern Conference Championship, sending Stephen Curry and Davidson’s weak resume packing for the NIT. With only a win against West Virginia and tough losses against Duke, Oklahoma, and Purdue, Davidson doesn’t stand a shot to make the tournament with an at-large bid.

Curry faced double-teams and aggressive hedges all game to knock the superstar out of his rhythm. The junior connected on just two of 11 three-point attempts, needing 18 field goal attempts and eight free throws to tally his 20 points. Besides struggling to shoot the ball, Curry also only contributed three assists, tying his season low (discounting the one game he left early injured).

Stephen Curry is legitimately a one-man team in 2009. A one-man team that dazzled the young and the old with his jaw-dropping moves in the paint and toughness to boot. A one-man team that won’t get a shot to knock off the Georgetown’s and Kansas’s of the game. A one-man team with a little left to prove in Charlotte.

But Curry isn’t the only mid-major superstar that lost his chance to put on his dancing shoes.

Tennessee-Martin put together an incredibly athletic group of players that posted a solid 22-9 record overall as well as won 14 league games. A potential NBA draft pick because of his superior athleticism, Lester Hudson spurred the Skyhawks’ attack.

But in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Tennessee-Martin couldn’t knock off the one OVC team the Skyhawks couldn’t beat in the regular season. Morehead State didn’t contain Lester Hudson, the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, but shut down the rest of his teammates to stamp UT-Martin’s ticket to the NIT.

Hudson is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, dropping over 27 points per game. He just doesn’t score either. Hudson recorded a quadruple-double last year reaching double-digits in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

The senior took his one-man act into the conference semifinals and put on a show to be talked about in the Ohio Valley for years. After scoring 42 points in the quarterfinals, Hudson never stepped off the court against Morehead State, tallying 34 points, seven three-points and 10 rebounds. Hudson failed at out-scoring the Eagles, but succeeded at dominating his teammates who only scored 21 points.

Since Tennessee-Martin won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, the NIT awards them an automatic bid.

While Stephen Curry and Lester Hudson are a one-man show, two brothers have set a multitude of records together. Twins Chavis and Travis Holmes have combined to score over 3,700 points and in the process turned the Virginia Military Institute into a Big South power.

VMI plays an up-tempo style of play that ranked first or second in pace each of the past three seasons. That tempo has produced some incredible scoring totals. The fast pace creates more opportunities to score, but talented players must be in place in order to cash in on all those chances.

Travis and Chavis Holmes can score from all over the court, in the half-court set as well as in transition (which is the overwhelming majority of the time). Together they contribute over 40 points per game this year and almost seven steals. The fraternal duo dropped 46 points against Kentucky in their season opening upset win.

Immediately the country knew that the Holmes’ boys could beat anybody, anywhere. Unfortunately the Keydets’ swagger began to fade, eventually losing three consecutive Big South games.

VMI righted its ship (well tank in its case), looking to take down top-seeded Radford in the conference championship game. The Holmes’ twins didn’t have their best games, Travis scored 12 points and Chavis notched 21, but sophomore star in waiting Austin Kenon scored 34.

The Keydets also forced the tempo and forced Radford into 27 miscues. But unlike the first matchup between the two teams which VMI won, the Keydets couldn’t turn Radford’s 6′11” Belarus center Artsoim Parakhouski into a non-factor. The Big South Player of the Year, Parakhouski scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to end VMI’s season.

Radford legitimately ended VMI’s entire season. An NIT bid won’t likely be waiting in the wings as VMI doesn’t have a very good RPI and didn’t win the Big South regular season title. A postseason berth may only be in the waiting if the NIT wants to raise its ratings.

This year’s NCAA Tournament won’t have a mid-major behemoth like Chris Kaman who led Central Michigan in 2003 to its first NCAA Tournament win since 1975. There won’t be a Speedy Claxton torched the nets in 2000 as a member of the Hofstra Pride.

There won’t be a high scoring duo like Loyola Marymount’s Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. The Lions are probably the only team that could out run the Keydets.

At least for the first time in awhile the NIT will be worth watching for all college basketball fans since it will be the last chance to view the greatness that is Stephen Curry, Lester Hudson, and the Holmes’ Twins.

Crosby Vs. Ovechkin: Youth and Young Manhood

March 10, 2009

by Heather Parry… The recent Pittsburgh-Washington games have dragged up the overdone yet always entertaining Sidney Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin debate.

The media loves nothing more than to pit these two against each other, and the fans gladly follow, because it’s fun.

What’s striking me lately is not how different the two are, but how similar they’re becoming. You only had to see Crosby’s laughable attempts to rough up his Russian counterpart a couple of weeks ago, and the subsequent snub from the latter, to see how the rivals are rubbing off on each other.

Yet, there still seems to be one defining difference between them: how they deal with their age. At 21 and 23, its obvious to all—including themselves—that they’re still growing as players.

Together, they may well have achieved more than any pair of youngsters in the show has managed to, but the fact still remains that they are still kids. Yet, one seems to see youth as his enemy, whereas the other sees it as his friend.

Watching Ovechkin play is always an exercise in how to be young.

With the energy of a 4 year old, and a recklessness only found in those young enough never to have injured themselves, he makes every other player in the league look like Chris Chelios, not to mention the fact that every goal he scores could be his first. At the occurrence of a goal, his happiness is extremely intense.

He embraces his youth and is loved for it. Would a more mature player have convinced Evgeni Malkin to dress him up like an idiot on ice for the All-Star skills competition?

No.

Despite all the fevered joy of his game, it’s his immaturity that’s keeping him from moving forward.

He’ll be the kid of the Caps until his game gets more serious and his highs and lows plateau to a more comfortable but much less exciting consistency.

Crosby, on the other hand, is mature enough for the both of them.

The youngest team captain in NHL history, “Sid the Kid” has been a serious game player from his first game—a situation that probably arises from having the expectation of Canada on his shoulders since he was 14.

It makes him a solid player rather than a thrilling one, and ensures that we’ll probably never see him falling out of a shady club with a skinny blond in the postseason.

Yet for all this, he’s still only just old enough to drink in the U.S.

In all respects, then, his age works against him—he wants to be much older than he is.

Like everything repressed, though, when it sneaks out, it comes back with a vengeance.

His inability to take a hard hit, his abject despondency at losing games, and his infamous complaining to the officials are all a result of his otherwise well-hidden youth breaking free from its cage of false maturity in sporadic bursts and vandalizing his reputation as much as possible.

In time, however, Crosby’s control over juvenile outbursts can only get stronger, allowing his game to become ever more stable.

It’s Ovechkin’s youthful vitality, then, that seems destined to wane, leaving his future uncertain and his fans somewhat nervous.

What really sets the league’s best young players apart is their difference in ideals, and while Ovechkin’s love of young might win at the moment, maybe the fact that Crosby strives for young manhood will make him the player of the near future.

Why The PGA Tour Is More Exciting With Tiger Woods Around

March 10, 2009

By Martin Fitzpatrick… Besides being well on his way to becoming the greatest player to have ever picked up a golf club, there are many other aspects of excitement Woods brings to the game other than just his incredible level of talent.

It is always exciting to watch any athlete of superior skill in any sport.  However, Woods’ amazing shots under the most intense pressure are only so exciting for the average golf fan.

What makes watching Tiger Woods more exciting than any other player has more to do with the theatre he provides than with the actual shots he executes.

When Woods drains a long eagle putt on the back-nine of the U.S. Open, he does so to the backdrop of thousands of screaming fans which he sends into a near frenzy with his animated first pumps.

Although there are many people out there who have an interest in the game of golf, as we have seen all too clearly in Woods’ absence, most of them will only tune in to watch a PGA Tour event when Woods is in the field.

The main reason for this is because when we turn on the television, we do so to be entertained, and the theatre Woods provides is entertainment that is unmatched by anyone else on the PGA Tour.

A player like Phil Mickelson is an absolute Houdini around the greens; continually pulling off one miraculous flop shot after another.  However, Mickelson is not in contention nearly as often as Woods and even when he is in contention he doesn’t draw the same massive, loud galleries that Woods does.

Watching Mickelson chip in from what would seem like an impossible lie would be like watching Many Ramirez hit a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of a stadium that is only a quarter full because it’s a Thursday afternoon game.

Sure, watching Ramirez hit a monstrous home run is always exciting; however, it is not nearly as exciting as if he had hit that home run in September at Fenway against the Yankees in front of a packed house; it simply does not provide the same theatre, thus is not nearly as entertaining to watch.

Besides providing an unparalleled level of entertainment, Woods also brings excitement to the game through our desire to see someone actually step up and compete with him.

Tiger Woods could be compared to the Yankees of the late 90s-early 2000s or the Chicago Bulls of the early 90s.

Despite garnering criticism from everyone outside of the New York area for spending absurd amounts of money on a team full of all-stars, the New York Yankees did more to revive the game of baseball in the late 90s than any other player or team of this generation.

The Yankees brought so much attention to the game of baseball because if you were a fan, you loved them and if you were a fan of any one of the other 29 teams in the league you hated them and would anxiously tune in to see if anyone could knock the Yankees off their thrown.

If you were a Chicago Bulls fan during the early-90s, you loved the team and particularly adored Michael Jordan.  If you were a fan of any other team in the league you hated the Bulls and despised Michael Jordan.

Similar to the attention the Yankees drew to baseball, fans from all over would tune in on Saturday afternoons to watch the NBA on NBC to see if the Knicks or Lakers could defeat Michael Jordan and the mighty Bulls.

Fans would tune in by the millions to see if any team could possibly step and challenge these dynasties and, when it didn’t happen, fans still felt entertained because when they watched Jordan drop 50 points in a NBA finals game or Derek Jeter rack up yet another clutch postseason double, they knew that they had just seen something special.

Love the Yankees, Bulls, Jordan or Jeter, or hate them, you would still have to sit back and shake your head when these players and teams came through in the clutch on yet another occasion.

Woods is providing a similar atmosphere in golf.  Many fans are anxiously waiting to see if any of these bright young stars such as Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Sergio Garcia or Rory McIlroy can step up and challenge Woods on a consistent basis.

If they do, it is that much more exciting because they would have faced off against a player who will likely go down as the greatest player in the history of the game.

If they face off against Woods and lose, you still feel entertained because you have watched yet another example of how incredibly dominant and unbeatable this man, Tiger Woods, really is.

Few golf fans would be very interested in seeing Kim beat Padraig Harrington.  Sure, Harrington is a three-time major champion, but beating Harrington would not provide anywhere near the same level of excitement as it would if Kim had stepped up to the mighty Woods and actually taken him down.

Lastly, Woods has become an almost mythical figure, similar to the way Ben Hogan was perceived in his heyday.

Woods shows up, dominates a field of the best 155 players in the world, answers every question in a way that is so meticulous thought out and preplanned it seems as if his mind has been programmed to answer the same questions in the same way every week.

Woods then quickly hightails out of town on his multi-million dollar gulfstream jet.

Woods is such a private man and keeps such a small inner circle that no one really knows too much about him.

Rarely, if ever, do we actually get a glimpse into Woods true personality.  We never know where he stands on any issues of real substance or even how he really feels about his ongoing quest to win more major championships than Jack Nicklaus.

The aura of mystic surrounding Woods just makes him an even more intriguing character, which, again, adds to the excitement surrounding this athlete and has allowed him to reach almost mythical proportions following his unprecedented win at the U.S. Open on one leg.

Sure, we all know that ratings and attendance figures drop dramatically when Woods is not playing.  But, there actually is a reason behind the massive drop-off in interest when Woods is not around—it’s simply not as exciting.

Boxing News: Tim Sylvia’s Worst Nightmare

March 10, 2009

by Stoker Dafire… In the 1987 Coen brothers movie “Raising Arizona” a former pro boxer named Randall ” Tex” Cobb made an unforgettable appearance.

He appeared out of actor Nicholas Cages sweat-soaked nightmare as a ruthless apocalyptic biker and merciless bounty hunter.

Former pro boxer “merciless” Ray Mercer is 47 years old now and isn’t winning very many acting awards, or fights either for that matter.

In his mid-nineties boxing hay-day however, he put many a big dude to sleep and was considered a very realistic nightmare.

Mercer was one of the toughest heavyweights of his era having fought the likes of “smokin” Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes.

In 1991 he gave a promising heavyweight contender named Tommy “the duke” Morrison one of the most brutal beat-downs in boxing history.

Recently Mercer has tried his hand at Mixed Martial Arts competitions, losing to Akio “Musashi” Mori and Remy Bonjasky; as well as having lost an exhibition MMA bout to Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson.

Now, instead of Mercer going to Mixed Martial Arts, its coming to him in the form of a 6′ 8″ mammoth named Tim “the maine-iac” Sylvia; who would like to try his hand in the squared circle.

Sylvia was once a UFC mixed martial arts heavyweight champion and has an impressive MMA record of 24-5.

My personal opinion is that Mercer has the upper hand here; boxing is his domain and he knows it well.

He has recently returned back home to the familiar boxing ring, where he belongs.

Mercer comes into this heavyweight showdown winning his last fight–a boxing match–against Richel Hersisia last September.

Sylvia however, will be an alien entering an unknown world, a stranger in a strange land.

A rough and “Rocky” place that doesn’t take kindly to newcomers.

Mercer, the former world heavyweight boxing champion and 1988 gold medalist will no doubt put on a boxing clinic against Sylvia.

Sylvia has a decent left jab but lacks knockout power or killer instinct, he has also had very poor showings in his recent MMA bouts.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was able to the weather an early storm against Sylvia and win the fight by securing a choke hold late in the fifth round.

Popular Russian MMA star Fedor Emelianenko who possesses minimal boxing skills but has tons of power and killer instinct was able to put Sylvia away in the first round.

In the past Sylvia has eek-ed out boring decisions in the UFC by using a long lazy jab against fighters with little or no boxing skill.

If Ray Mercer has one ounce of his old killer instinct and boxing skill left, he should have an easy night against this MMA version of big foot.

Sylvia versus Mercer is scheduled to take place on May 30 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J.

Gale: You understand, H.I.? If this works out, it’s just the beginning of a spree to cover the entire southwest proper. And we keep going until we can retire. Or we get caught.
Evelle: Either way, we’re fixed for life.

- RAISING ARIZONA 1987

Newest Leaf Phil Oreskovic

March 10, 2009


by Shane House… The huge Phil Oreskovic made his NHL debut last night in a 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators and I have to say, he played a good game. Even though he was a minus -1 and only played 8:21, he showed what it takes to play in the NHL. He showed toughness, tenacity and used his size well as a defensive defenseman.

But what do we really know about the big defenseman?

The North York, Ontario natve started out playing for the Brampton Battalion in 2003 and played 3 1/2 years with the team before being traded to the Owen Sound Attack for a late playoff run.

After that early exit from the OHL playoffs, Oreskovic joined the Toronto Marlies to help them finish out the season and until last night has spent the past 1 1/2 seasons with the team, posting very good numbers for a defensive defenseman and being a plus player for both seasons.

In 2006, Oreskovic was voted by the coaches of the OHL as both the hardest hitting player and the best defensive defenseman.

He has devastating body-checks, good ability in the corners and is never afraid to get his hands dirty. He is also good at clearing the front of the net, especially in Penalty Killing situations.

So why doesn’t he have a full time job already in the NHL?

Well the thing that is holding him back is his offensive ability. His skating ability is adequate at best and struggles offensively in almost every aspect. He sometimes even has struggles handling the puck in very high pressure situations, which is not allowed in the NHL.

Hockey’s Future Rating - 6.0

Shane House’s Rating - 6.5

Analysis - If he can solve his offensive problems and handle the puck better, Phil Oreskovic will be a solid defenseman in the NHL who can handle playing in one of the bottom defensive pairings while playing on the top penalty kill. But that is if he can overcome his offensive woes.

Player Comparison - Cory Sarich

Phil Oreskovic - 1987/1/26 - 6ft3 - 217lbs

check out http://shanegordonhouse.blogspot.com

Ritters Rant

March 10, 2009

by Mark Ritter… Happy 100th anniversary Habs fans, it’s been a hell of a roller coaster season, hasn’t it?    It all started with the online stuffing of the All Star ballots, Habs fans voted with their hearts instead of on the merits of the players, exposing just how flawed fan balloting can be. In the end Hab fans stuffed the likes of Alex Kovalev, Carey Price, Mike Komisarek and Andrei Markov into the All Star game, think they’d like to take a few of their votes back now that each and every one of those players has been exposed as anything BUT All Stars? The Montreal Canadiens organization is a complete mess right now. The players have lost their focus, passion and desire to compete on a nightly basis, the fans have turned on the players, there have been rumblings about players getting involved with Mafia figures, management failed to land a top tier player at the trade deadline, and now head coach Guy Carbonneau has been fired with GM Bob Gainey expected to take over for the short term and rumors of Guy Lafleur or Patrick Roy taking over behind the bench in the not so distant future. This season has been more of a soap opera than a celebration, I bet when the Canadiens wrote out the script for their proud 100th anniversary season this was not what they had in mind! Karma, is a strange and powerful thing, Leaf fans everywhere are giggling like Dolphins….

T.O. in Buffalo? Even after I wrote it out for the first time it just doesn’t seem like it’s real. Hey, I am the first guy to admit that I hate the Buffalo Bills and the city of Buffalo, so I am thrilled that the Bills have brought Terrell Owens, it’s just what the city of Buffalo deserves….. Here’s my prediction, Owens will play well, keep his nose clean and shut up for about 6 weeks, then, without failure, the sideshow will begin and Owens will destroy what is left of the already struggling Bills organization; I couldn’t have written the story better myself! The Buffalo Bills haven’t been “Talk’in proud” for about 20 years, losers attract losers, Buffalo teams in general are all losers, never won a thing, Owens, while talented, is a cancer and is not about to change things for the better in “Loserville” aka Buffalo. Thank you for sending Owens to Buffalo, their is a God, and clearly he’s not a Bills fan!!!

Just putting this out there, wouldn’t it be interesting if the NHL considered making penalized teams leave the players that were on the ice at the time of the penalty stay on the ice for the beginning of the Power Play? Why should a penalized team automatically be given the opportunity to put their Penalty Killers on the ice? Debate amongst yourselves…….

Here we go again. The Toronto Maple Leafs have, for the most part anyways, played better than expected, hell, coach Ron Wilson should get some votes for Coach of the year, who’da thunk that before the season began? I for one am not happy about it, a bottom 5 finish would do wonders for the Leafs future, finishing 20th-24th will still get the Leafs a decent enough prospect, but the drop off can be significant from 6 through 10. The fans were prepared to let bygones be bygones and keep quiet while the Leafs imploded and the Leafs couldn’t even do that right! It seems like the saying is true, Leaf fans have two types of luck, no luck and bad luck…..On another note, is anyone missing Nik Antropov yet?

Head shots and fighting in hockey are being debated this week, which leads me to ask, what exactly is there to debate? Both of these actions put players lives in danger, players should be penalized/suspended accordingly, end of story.

I thought Boston Bruins goaltender Manny Fernandez would be a great option for the Leafs this off season, then I watched Fernandez play against the New York Rangers, never mind…By the way, Sean Avery was in the lineup and the Rangers won the game 4-3, say what we will about Avery, when he is in a Rangers uniform he makes the team better.

The Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and the Anaheim Ducks have 70, 69 and 68 points respectively, the final playoff spot in the Western Conference is within 2-4 points, I had expected all of these teams to be in the playoffs this year, so I ask, what the hell went wrong with these clubs? The Stars recovered nicely from the Avery situation only to fall back due to an insane amount of injuries, Anaheim goaltender J.S. Giguere was inconsistent for the first half of the season and more recently the Ducks have traded away veterans for the future, making a playoff spot difficult for the Ducks to achieve, the Wild suffered through the loss of Marian Gaborik and were unable to overcome the loss os his offense. All three of these teams need a facelift this offseason, my gut tells me the Wild will be the toughest organization to fix.

Keep an eye on the New Jersey Devils games. Martin Brodeur is just 4 wins away from passing Patrick Roy as the all-time career wins leader. Brodeur is back, and he’s never looked better, becoming the all-time winning goalie will be a great boost for Brodeur, giving him the energy to play at the top of his game for the rest of the season and well into the playoffs, it says here the Devils will ride Marty all the way to the Cup final, you heard it here first….

Until next time,

Peace!