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Home / Archive: 03. November 2009
by Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland….
Donovan McNabb and the Eagles stopped the Giants season in its tracks, beating them at home. Next, Dallas comes into Philadelphia. Take the Eagles in their own place.
The Giants next have San Diego in the Meadowlands. Take Mew York at home. San Diego never plays well on these road trips.
Atlanta has Washington at home, in a scrimmage week for Atlanta, as they will win this game easily.
Green Bay will go South and beat Tampa Bay in Tampa with no problem. This is a no brainer kind of pick.
New England shows everyone who the AFC East team to beat is, by crunching the Dolphins into fried tuna in New England.
Jacksonville is at home against Kansas City. Is this win number two for Kansas City? Can Jacksonville ever play well? Aw, heck, I’ll take the home team.
Here is the Houston Texan’s biggest stage ever. Go into Indianapolis and knock off the division leader and undefeated Colts and show the world you can make the playoffs.
I will take the Texans. Be the man, Matt Schaub.
Baltimore gets the Bengals in Cincinnati after a big game last week against Denver. I like the Ravens to get this one on the road.
Arizona goes into Chicago feeling very good, for this time of the season. The Arizona defense has stepped up, and I am confident Warner can get this one done.
Seattle finally gets another win against Detroit at home. Seattle is once again, toast. They are 3-5 with this win and going nowhere fast.
New Orleans will try to stay undefeated at home against Carolina. Carolina does not have enough weapons to keep up with Brees and company. Take New Orleans.
The Forty-Niners have the dangerous Tennessee Titans in a game that shouts “upset, upset, upset.” They are in San Francisco. I will take the Niners.
Pittsburgh rolls into Denver and will win. Denver is a pretender, and this game will expose them for just an ordinary team.
I will be right around 76-39 for the season right after week eight concludes.
Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland.
by Stephen Brotherston… For those who have watched Raptors’ head coach Jay Triano in the recent Raptors TV programming and in post game interviews it should have become clear that the team’s defensive game plan is to protect the paint first. And for the most part, the Raptors are doing that.
The second half of this plan is to run out on shooters. But Triano has stated that getting the second stage of this defense implemented will take some time.
For those who like to follow our friends in green, this is what the Boston Celtics have run the past couple of years with some success. Unless of course they are facing a hot outside shooting team like Orlando, then this style of defense can get into trouble.
On Sunday the Raptors seemed to be beaten by the long bombs from the Magic and an apparent inability to stop anything the Magic were running. But was this really the case? Or was it just an impression created by an early large but unsustained lead the Magic had built up in the first five minutes of the second quarter?
The largest lead the Magic had at the start of any quarter was 10 points.
From the score and the shooting percentages attained by the Raptors during the game, the Orlando Magic were unable to stop anything the Raptors ran during the game for long.
As a team, the Raptors shot 54 percent from the field, 59 percent from three, and made 35 trips to the charity stripe. The Raptors scored four more baskets and even out-rebounded the Magic. The Raptors had more blocks too.
In contrast the Magic shot just 44 percent from the field and 53 percent from three with 41 free throw attempts. The Magic won this game with 10 more made free throws, not by out-shooting the Raptors. The made free throw differential exceeded the difference in the score.
The normally reliably bad 60 percent free throw shooter Dwight Howard went 14 of 16 in this game providing at least four totally unexpected points.
Toronto’s 98 percent free throw shooter Jose Calderon clunks two and the normally 80 percent Bosh misses six free throws costing the Raptors at least four or five expected points.
A game that never felt close despite being within four points with less than four minutes left in the game was in fact very closely contested throughout the fourth quarter.
And it should have been even closer.
With 5:12 to go and the score 107-111 Magic, Jay Triano continued with his two point guard rotation to close out games and for the second game in a row he got the same result.
Jose Calderon replaced Antoine Wright shifting Jack to the off guard spot. Jack rewarded this move with a critical turnover and zero points.
Jack did not have a particularly good line on this day. Five points, two assists, and four turnovers are reflective of his contributions. It was his second unit that gave up the 18-4 run by the Magic to start the second quarter. But in the fourth quarter, he was once again providing effective backup point guard minutes.
It is hard to see exactly what benefit playing Calderon and Jack together at the end of games has been. It is easy to question can Jarrett Jack play shooting guard on the Raptors?
Triano also tried some end-of-game offense-defense substitutions following free throws that didn’t work out as planned. But like in Memphis, having Jack on the floor at the end effectively eliminated a potential scorer and didn’t improve the team’s defense.
Although it may have seemed that Toronto was beaten by the long ball and neither the coach nor the players adequately adjusted to Orlando’s play, Jay Triano’s game plan was working.
The Raptors did effectively protect the paint and held the Magic below 45 percent shooting on the day. A shooting percentage usually good enough to produce a Raptors’ win. The Raptors were in Sunday’s game throughout the fourth quarter with a chance to win while playing against superior opposition.
The Raptors lost to unexpectedly good free throw shooting by Howard and unexpectedly poor free throw shooting by Calderon and Bosh. Triano’s choice of substitutions at the end of the game didn’t help either.
And a note to all the Jose Calderon haters out there who seem to get into a feeding frenzy every time an opposing guard has a good game. Jose Calderon had a plus-minus of ZERO on the afternoon. No long scoring droughts or unanswered opposition scoring runs occurred while he was in the game.
The Raptors backup point guard cannot make this claim. It looks like it’s time Triano lets Jarrett Jack work out his game as only the backup point guard for now.
by Bryan Thiel… In Theoren Fleury’s book Playing with Fire , Fleury goes on record saying that he would’ve liked playing in Toronto, except for one thing.
The media.
According to Theo, and this is very apt, the media always keys on a low-point for the team. They could have won 16-straight and there would be something to find a problem with.
So, with the team at an all-time low, why not look for a few positives? And what better time than after they’ve gotten out of a putrid month?
1. The Power Play
Currently, the power play for the Toronto Maple Leafs is the top-ranked in the league, which is kind of surprising as they’ve had a few problems scoring (14 of their 30 goals have been on the power play this year).
Whats even more impressive is that they’ve actually been better on the road with the man-advantage, clicking 30 percent of the time.
2. Put the Puck on Net
Granted bad shots don’t get you many places in the league, but they can sometimes get you somewhere. So far, that hasn’t been a problem for the Leafs.
Currently ranking 12th in the league in shots-for (395), the Leafs are at least getting pucks to the net in hopes that one day an opposing goalie has a John Gosselin-sized breakdown.
3. The Record Can’t Last Forever
When out-shooting opponents, which has occurred in seven of their 11 games, the Leafs are 1-4-2.
If they keep putting the pucks on net and they eventually start going in, then the record will follow.
4. The Play of Jonas Gustavsson
It’s fairly safe to say that Gustavsson is the most athletic goalie to play for the Leafs since the Felix Potvin/Curtis Joseph era.
In watching Gustavsson, he moves laterally very well, he’s quick, and he’s flexible—in other words—exactly what the Leafs need.
5. The Return/Arrival of Phil Kessel
Leafs’ Nation is finally going to reap the rewards of their biggest offseason acquisition just over a month after the season has begun.
With a slew of final tests today, Kessel is awaiting word on whether or not his shoulder has reached playing strength. If it has, the Leafs will have another player to put the puck on net.
Hopefully he’s as good as he was last year, because the sky will fall if he isn’t.
Remember that girl from high school? The one you continually bothered for a date and never got it. Then when you suddenly got it, you were over the moon. Well from there it goes two ways: Either you lived happily ever after until three weeks later the girl from California transferred to your school, or the date went terribly, you blogged about it, and you sulked in disappointment over the next four years.
Either way, the wait is over and the date is at the door.
6. The Play of Tomas Kaberle
After tallying 10 assists and 12 points over the past four games and receiving the NHL’s First Star of the Week award, all of the sudden Kaberle is back in the saddle after a slow start to the season and an injury-riddled campaign last year.
Granted, the 116 point pace won’t be kept up for much longer, but for a defense that needs a scoring presence, Kaberle is the one to keep that going strong.
7. The Goal Scorers
Even though they’ve struggled to score goals as a team, the guys who are paid to do so are doing so.
With 11 combined goals, Alex Ponikarovsky and Niklas Hagman are leading the team offensively, and it’s a matter of the rest of the team catching up to them.
These aren’t flukes either—last year they combined for 45 goals and Hagman wasn’t even healthy for the whole year.
8. Winning Faceoffs
While the Leafs aren’t leading any categories in faceoffs, there is one positive:
They’re currently one of just seven teams in the NHL to not feature a player in the top-30 in shorthanded faceoffs lost—a small victory for a team 25th in the league in overall faceoffs won.
9. Points are Points
I’m the first to admit that the Edmonton Oilers of 2007 proved that overtime losses and single points are no way to make the playoffs. Sure they help, but you need to win along the way.
If the Leafs can start to win though, they would have been able to get themselves a few points over the last few games.
After that 6-3 win over Anaheim, the Leafs rattled off three straight extra-frame appearances and counting against Dallas, Buffalo, and Montreal.
Is it monumental? No. But it’s a start.
And every great story needs a beginning.
10. Sticking It to Montreal Canadiens Fans
Three minutes and 55 seconds to go with a two-goal lead, the always-boisterous Montreal fans started bidding the Leafs adieu.
Then Alex Ponikarovsky struck.
And then? The aforementioned Kaberle.
Troublesome month or not, a moral victory is a moral victory.
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… Was he really recovering from off-season rotator cuff surgery, or was Phil Kessel’s debut delayed because he was finishing off his classes at the Vatican? After all, the way Leaf fans are talking, Kessel is Toronto’s Savior, a Savior that has great expectations.
Kessel, who was signed as a free agent by Toronto Maple Leafs general Manager Brian Burke, will suit up for the first time for Toronto tonight, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While Kessel was sidelined, the Leafs managed to scrape together a record of 1-7-4, good enough for last place in the NHL standings. Clearly, Kessel is coming into a tough situation, a situation that he will be given the challenge of fixing.
As the saying goes, “the only way to go is up” and, with the addition of Kessel to the lineup, that’s exactly what management and fans alike expect. Given the fact that Burke gave up two first rounders (2010/2011) and a second rounder for Kessel, failure is not an option.
Question is, are the expectations being thrust upon Kessel too high, or can Kessel deliver at the level that is expected?
Kessel is a talented player. As a member of the Boston Bruins in 2008-09, Kessel lit the lamp 36 times, which put him in a tie for 12th overall. It should be noted that Kessel had the benefit of having Ultra-slick Marc Savard as his centre in Boston, a player that posted 63 assists, which ranked him sixth overall.
Kessel will not have the same benefit in Toronto. The money is on Matt Stajan, a player that registered a career high 40 assists in 2008-09, to lineup as Kessel’s centre, at least for now. That said, all this could change if Stajan and Kessel are unable to find some chemistry early on.
All in all, Kessel is arriving in Toronto at a good time. The Leafs are coming off a five game road trip which saw the Leafs post a 1-1-3 record. On the surface, that doesn’t look very encouraging, but, seeing as the Leafs started the season 0-7-1, it’s a start, certainly something to build on.
Defenseman Tomas Kaberle is hot. Kaberle registered two goals and eleven assists in his last five games and is coming off a four point night in Montreal on Saturday night. Kaberle’s penchant for passing the puck should serve Kessel well on the power play, they are bound to make sweet music together.
On the injury front, the Leafs finally have goaltenders Jonas Gustavsson and Vesa Toskala back, which seemingly solidifies their goaltending. Other than defenseman Mike Van Ryn, who is out for the season, there are no other injuries to report at this time, which bodes well for the Leafs going forward.
Much like October, November will be no easy ride for the Leafs, but there are, what many like to call, some “winnable” games against the Minnesota Wild (Nov, 10th), Ottawa Senators (Nov, 17th), Carolina Hurricanes (Nov, 20th), New York Islanders (Nov, 23rd), Tampa Bay Lightning (Nov 26th) and the Florida Panthers (Nov, 28th).
The Leafs are averaging a paltry 2.50 goals per game (24th overall). Kessel should add another dimension to the Leafs offense, but don’t expect him to come out gangbusters as, outside of a few practice scrimmages, he has not played an NHL game since the conclusion of the 2008-09 NHL playoffs, so he will need to shake off some rust.
Looking at tonight’s matchup, the Lightning are coming off a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last night and are 0-4-1 on the road this season. Steven Stamkos has goals in six consecutive games and has been the Bolts best player to date.
Vincent Lecavalier, once the face of the franchise, has struggled to find his game and, with just one goal, nine assists and a minus -8 rating, will need to pick up his game if the Bolts have any chance at making a playoff run.
If the Leafs are to be successful this evening they will have to contain Stamkos and get off to a fast start. The Leafs have been abysmal in first periods this season, scoring the first goal would go a long way in attacking the Bolts fragile confidence.
To all Leaf fans, I preach patience and understanding. After all, Kessel may be able to part defense’s, but, unlike Moses, he cannot part the sea. Miracle maker? No. Great player? We’ll see…
Until next time,
Peace!
by Laura Bridgman… With training camp scheduled to begin in mid-November, the Rock look forward to the 2010 season under the leadership of 2009 NLL Coach of the Year, Troy Cordingley. Over 135,000 fans watched the Toronto Rock at Air Canada Centre in 2009, a number that is surely to increase as a new and revived Toronto Rock hit the turf come January 2010.
Tickets can be purchased for any of the Rock’s eight regular season home games through Ticketmaster by phone at 416-872-5000, online at www.ticketmaster.ca, or in person at the Air Canada Centre box office. The entire 2010 Toronto Rock schedule can be found online at www.torontorock.com.
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SINGLE GAME TICKET PRICE
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Adult
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Seniors
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Youth
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Platinum
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$73.90
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$73.90
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$25.00
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Gold
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$57.90
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$49.50
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$25.00
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End Gold
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$47.90
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$40.50
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$25.00
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Red
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$47.90
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$40.50
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$25.00
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End Red
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$45.90
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$39.50
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$25.00
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Upper Bowl
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$27.00
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$22.50
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$14.00
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All prices include all applicable taxes/charges.
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Season tickets for the entire 2010 Toronto Rock regular season are still on sale. The package includes tickets to all eight home games, a ticket for the first potential playoff game at the Air Canada Centre, a voucher for an additional ticket on opening night, and a voucher for a ticket to any other additional home game of choice.
In addition to the single game and season tickets there are a number of other ticket package selections available to accommodate every fan’s need for choice and flexibility. The Rock offer a 10 ticket flex pack, a four game pack and gondola suite packages. To take advantage of these packages contact the Toronto Rock office at 416-596-3075.
The Toronto Rock start the 2010 season on the road on Saturday, January 9 for the first part of a home-and-home series with the Boston Blazers. With the Blazers in tow, the Rock open their home schedule the following weekend on Friday, January 15 at the Air Canada Centre when they host Boston at 7:30 p.m.
by Jeremy Visser… The day has arrived, Leafs Nation: Phil Kessel makes his debut in blue and white tonight and the team transforms from having lost 11 of 12 to start the year to the top team in the NHL. Brian Burke is a genius!
The 22-year-old, who Burke picked up from Boston for first and second rounders in next year’s draft and a first in 2011, will be in uniform tonight against Tampa Bay at the ACC after missing the first month of the season while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. However, just when you thought the cure to all the ails the Leafs had arrived, the realist in Kessel linemate Matt Stajan knocks you back down to earth:
“You won’t see 36 goals tomorrow night,” Stajan said after practice yesterday. “He’s a skilled guy, but one guy won’t turn it around for a team.”
Really? He’s not going to score 36 times tonight? And the Leafs aren’t instantly the best team in the league? Oh come on Matty, life is hard enough on Toronto sports fans — give us a little hope!
Either way, Kessel is a much-needed boost. The young man potted 36 last year in Boston (albeit not in one game) and will be skating with Stajan and Jason Blake tonight. The Leafs and Lightning get it going at 7:30.
by Ian Hunter… Alex Anthopoulos has a plan for the Toronto Blue Jays. The problem is that he can’t reveal the full details just quite yet.
He’s been in the midst of attempting to rebuild this team, solidifying the coaching staff last week. Now the next thing on Anthopoulos’ agenda is the players.
Last week on Primetime Sports , Paul Beeston assured us that fans would have a better idea of what kind of expectations to have when it comes to total payroll by the end of this week. It looks like he and AA just might deliver in time before next week’s general managers meetings.
Anthopoulos dropped a few sound bites about particular free agents and whether or not they would return next year. John McDonald, Rod Barajas, and Marco Scutaro were names that he mentioned and could not say whether or not they would be back next year.
My suspicion is that at least two out of those three players will leave via free agency, with Johnny Mac almost certainly out the door. It simply doesn’t make sense to pay McDonald over $2 million a year to play 30 games at shortstop
Of course, the giant, glaring elephant in the room that Anthopoulos needs to address is what to do with Roy Halladay. Whatever happens with this team in the next three to five years basically hinges on whether or not Doc is traded this offseason.
The longer that time goes on and the more and more Halladay sees his former teammate A.J. Burnett pitching in the World Series, perhaps he’s developing a little bit of resentment towards the organization that has failed to make the playoffs the past 16 years.
Not only would Halladay be looking for a winning team, but he could also very easily find a suitor that would be willing to pay top dollar for him. Regardless of whether the Phillies win the World Series, many teams have seem the impact that adding an ace like Cliff Lee to the pitching staff can do to solidify themselves as a contender.
Teams like the Dodgers and Angels will be looking for that added insurance to get them over the hump, and Halladay could be that player who gets them over the edge.
We will have to wait and see if that happens under the watch of Alex Anthopoulos or if Doc just walks away via free agency at the end of 2010.
Either way, the gears of change are in motion, and things in Toronto are going to look a lot different next year.
By Louis “King of Roncesvalles” Pisano… I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris after the Lake Erie Monsters played the Marlies last season at the Ricoh Coliseum, and this guy’s attitude and persona will be an immediate fit on any team and even though I would figure he won’t see much ice time, the time he does see will be a quality effort on his part.
A journeyman of the AHL and ECHL, Chris Durno has been riding the bus since 2003 after playing four years for Michigan Tech and after being passed over in the draft.
Durno at 6 ft4 205 lbs has never put up really huge numbers, but is a well rounded player who can take the body, battle in front of the net and in the corners, while possessing the hands to bury or feed the puck when the opportunity presents itself.
His best season in the AHL was 2007/2008 while with the San Antonio Rampage where in 80 games he scored 23 goals and added 26 assists for 49 points while amassing 109 penalty minutes, he followed that up last year while playing with Lake Erie with a 45-point season and 131 penalty minutes and was called up for two games with the Avalanche.
Good luck Chris we’re cheering for ya bud!
by Jeremy Visser… So, how about those Raptors! An incredible start to the season with a win over the Cavs and now…oh wait, they lost to the Grizzlies? Then got pounded at home by the Magic? Here we go again.
It’s early, but I’m frustrated. Sure, anytime a team hits 17 threes (as Orlando did yesterday) it has as much to do with hot shooting as it does with defense, but all indications are this team is as soft as any of the others we’ve trotted out in any of the post-Oakley and A.D. years. Is Reggie Evans going to make that big a difference when he’s back? I’m guessing not.
Anyway, yesterday’s 125-116 loss to Orlando sets Toronto at 1-2, a mark that easily could’ve been expected but is a bit of a letdown after Wednesday’s impressive opener. Still, with a three-game road swing with stops in New Orleans, San Antonio and Dallas looming, those were the games the Raps had to take to keep them treading water early this season. After coming home from the three-game trip for a pair, they head right back out west for four more, including three straight against Phoenix, Denver and Utah. When it’s early and you have a schedule that could potentially bury you, you like to take the ones you should win.
Also, of note in yesterday’s loss, Jose Calderon went 4-of-6 from the line, leaving him with four misses in three games — one more than he had all of last season when he set the NBA record for free throw percentage. Oh yeah, and every other aspect of his game has been nightmarish this season as well. Get it together, my man!
The Raptors are off till Wednesday, when they’re home to face the Pistons.
That’s what I’m saying, guy…
by Jeremy Visser… A ninth inning save situation and Charlie Manuel didn’t call upon Brad Lidge. Surprising? Not this time around, and I could’ve advised him not to go to Lidge last night either. But enough of that — Philly took Game 5 tonight 8-6, clawing back to a 3-2 deficit and forcing the series back to the big city for at least one more.
Allan James Burnett was back in form, coughing up three runs in the first on a Chase Utley bomb and three more in the third, getting the hook after just two-plus innings. Solo homers by Utley and Raul Ibanez made it 8-2 in the seventh, but Philly’s bullpen sans Lidge had its share of trouble, allowing three in the eighth and another in the ninth before putting it to bed. Ryan Madson got Lidge’s assignment and paid tribute by giving up a leadoff double to The Rat and an RBI single to Hideki Matsui, but forced Derek Jeter to ground in a double play and fanned Mark Texeira to end it.
A satisfying win, even though I’m still pretty sure the Phillies aren’t going to end up taking it anymore. Burnett’s performance was a relief — I’d mentioned before the game if he picked up the win he’d likely be the series MVP. I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep for a week if that had been the case.
Anyway, the series is heading back to Yankee Stadium, with Game 6 going Wednesday night. Young Andrew Pettitte (3-0, 3.24) and Pedro “Daddy Yankee” Martinez (0-1, 2.08) have the ball.
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