Sometimes viewing greatness on television even in high def does not do greatness justice. It has to be witnessed in person. Such was the case with the Rangers 5-0 stomping of the Capitals in Game 7 on Monday. Seated about 15 rows up behind the Rangers cage, I got a bird's eye view for 2 periods of how the best plays his position. For each challenge, Lundqvist was in perfect position to make the perfect play on the frustrated Capital forwards. It was not so much the need to make the cat-quick save, although he certainly could do that, as it was the precision in body positioning that always covered the maximum net with the minimum of effort.
Lundqvist's efforts were augmented by superior shot blocking. In game 7, the Rangers blocked 27 shots - nearly as many as made it through to goal. In fact, many would be scoring chances were defused by a Ranger stick or shin pad. There is no question that the Rangers commitment to Team Defense was a major factor.
No Capital was probably more frustrated than Alex Ovechkin. For any number of shifts, OV did all he could to position himself to score. He was flying all over the ice doling out hits and trying to rally his team. In end, Ovechkin said it best himself:"In my mind, it was Lundqvist. They have great team, no doubt about it, but Lundqvist was unbelievable. Just unbelievable.From where I was sitting, it was hard to argue. Congratulations Rangers on a dominant Game 7 and a Series Win over a good Capitals team.
I hope all the moms out there had a great Mother's Day...We all know the MILF's did! Mother's Day...Shit, it should be called 'Dad get the kids out of here so Mom can be a lump all day!' I'm kidding, I'm kidding...I love all you moms out their....Especially my wife and my mom...Just remember ladies...Remember the lengths we go to on Mother's Day...Because it seems like when Father's Day rolls around, it gets blown off....Restaurants aren't booked solid for Father's Day...There isn't a big hoopla...A steak and a blow job should be the minimum requirement!
So, any big news stories this week....Oh yeah, THIS big story in the Cleve of course...I wrote that the night it broke...But after that I left the story alone...One of the reasons I left it alone was the Charles Ramsey angle...They guy was an instant media hit...Yes he did the right thing...But I was watching all his interviews, and then I heard his 9-1-1 call...I heard stuff that I expected, like him swearing...You could tell in some of the interviews he was fighting to keep certain words back...But the thing that bothered me was how his story changed in slight details, and how his 9-1-1 call didn't match with some stuff he said...Then there was the interview where he said, "I'm not a hero, I'm the definition of a man."
NOT SO FAST CHUCK...Yeah, you did the right thing...You along with another guy who got no love because he doesn't speak English...But Charles Ramsey has himself a hell of a record...Including 3 convictions for domestic violence and some unpaid child support...So while Charles Ramsey helped Amanda Berry break out of that door, and all of Cleveland is thrilled to have found these 3 young women alive, calling yourself "the definition of a man" is bullshit...Charles Ramsey may have changed his ways, but I don't think he can wear that label.
And right after the story broke people seemed quick to bash the police...Yeah, the 9-1-1 operator was an asshole...I think most people agree on that...And yes, police and the courts should have gone after this Castro bastard harder on stuff in his past...Like maybe when he beat the hell out of his ex-wife, busting up her shoulders, ribs, face, and causing a blood clot on her brain....Oh, and taking their kids and not returning them...Threatening to kill her...Yeah, people should have looked at this guy harder...But you can't blame every cop this...Especially when every time the city is in a budget crunch, they layoff Cops...The system is broken, not the police...
See, this is why I started light, with the MILF crap...because I knew this shit was gonna get heavier...
Well, may as well keep it heavy for a bit longer...Former Notre Dame Fullback, Asaph Schwapp died this past week after a long battle with cancer...He was 26 years old...Too damn young...
-So last week I brought up the NCAA Lacrosse Tourney...So here's what shook out this weekend...UNC beat Lehigh 16-7...Yale beat Penn State 10-7...Notre Dame beat Detroit Mercy 9-7...Denver beat Albany 19-14...Cornell beat Maryland 16-8...Ohio State beat Towson 16-6...Duke beat Loyal (md) 12-11 in double OT...and Syracuse beat Bryant 12-7...Action will pick back up Saturday...
-As for Hockey...The Rangers are killing me...There may not be enough beer in this house to get through Monday night's game 7 with the Capitals...Both teams have held their ground at home...So the Rangers have to break that Monday...Both Goalies have been amazing...5 of the the 6 games were won by won goal...Each goalie has a 1-0 victory...Braden Holtby is becoming an elite goalie right in front of our eyes...He's going toe-to-toe with Lunqvist...And the two superstar goal scores...ALexander Ovechkin, and Rick Nash have been shut down...It's the gritty, role players getting it done...
And Glen Sather looks like a genius for trading Marian Gaborik...Derrick Brassard has flourished with the Rangers, and has been one of their 3 best players in this series...John Moore, the young d-man has stepped right in, and shown he's an elite skater, with great hands, and loads of potential...And Derek Dorsett has played great in this series as well...One thing bothering me, is calling up Chris Krieder and giving him hardly any minutes...They refused to trade him in the Nash deal...He gave them great energy late last season...He has great speed...He's a play maker, and a goal scorer...Your team is struggling to score...He needs to be on the ice Torts!
Sunday night's game ended with some chippieness...Green and Ribero from the Capitals pulled a couple of cocksucker moves late in the game, and when the horn sounded at the end of the game...After the Ranger 1-0 win, the well composed unit let the Caps know they weren't forgetting about it...And the Caps were trying to get in their head for game 7...Monday night's game should be fun...But I'll be sure to have my blood pressure meds and a six-pack sitting next to me...
The Boston Bruins will also be in a game 7 Monday night...Some how they let the Maple Leafs back in, and all the sudden the Leafs are giving them fits....WOW! Who would of thunk it!
Well, Spring has sprung...It reached over 60 degrees in the Cleve Sunday...The Indians home opener is set to kick off...So, based on past history, it will either rain, snow, have heavy fog, or the city will fall into Lake Erie...But no matter what, Clevelanders will be out in full force, getting shit-faced, and many will have no idea what happens in the game...Because let's be honest...Opening day is just fake holiday type of thing...Like Valentine's day! But it gives people a reason to take an extra day off and pound beers..."America, FUCK YEAH!"
I took my extra day off Friday...The wife and I had some things to take care of in the morning, and it was nice to have an extra day with the kids while they were on Spring Break...Minutes after I got home from work Thursday, the UPS man showed up with 3 large boxes...When I ordered bunk beds for my daughters, I didn't expect them to show up in this many pieces...
I got them about 97% done in about 2 hours...Then I took a long break...Friday afternoon I finished them up....
Then we just had to wait for the mattress for the bottom bunk to show...It showed up at 7:00AM Saturday morning...I wasn't pleased about that timing...But Molly and her big sis love their bunk beds...
We spent plenty of time hitting a few parks this weekend, with the touch of Spring we had...We also stopped for a bite to eat, where Molly hammed it up for the camera, and people around us...
The wife took the older two to see Jurassic Park on the big screen, while Molls and I watched baseball and napped...The new bed is comfy...
-So far I have found myself getting into the baseball season much easier then normal...Maybe it's the fantasy teams that have me watching closely...I've been battling my impatience with guys starting slow...and the occasional guy starting well, who is going to tank in a month...I've been all over the waiver wire, looking for the next great break out player...And seriously, Chris Davis, calm down and save some for July...Holy fucking hot start batman! Dude is making a bunch of us look stupid!
The Indians will enter their home opener at .500...They have 4 with the Yankees, 3 with the White Sox, and 3 with the Red Sox on the home stand...They better take advantage of the Yankees...The Tribe has already shown a Jekyll and Hyde side...The Rays 4 and 5 starters shut them down in back to back games, then Sunday the Tribe shredded Cy Young winner David Price...Hey, if this sorry team can go .500 all year, that's a step in the right direction...Oh, and while it's early...That off season trade, sending Choo to Cincy, and bringing the Indians Stubbs and Bauer, looks fucking awful...Stubbs blows...I don't care how much speed the guy has...It doesn't matter if he can't get on base...And Bauer, looked like the head case his ex-teammates described him as...
-Last week we saw the NHL trade deadline lead to a frenzy of activity...Like the Penguins getting Brendan Morrow and Jerome Iginla...Morrow has looked horrible and lost...Shocking for such a heady, steady player...Iginla said he wanted to do what was best for Calgary...SO he said no to an offer from Boston, that would have been better fro the Flames, then the deal Pittsburgh made...Why should we be surprised? He hasn't looked that great out there...
So Boston settled for old man Jagr...I was shocked they didn't go after some one who was more then a rent-a-player...So far he has been okay with the Bruins, but the guy is old, and can't put up the minutes...
The Minnesota Wild landed one of the top guys out there, in Jason Pomminville...This guy plays bot ways...Has great hands...A great shot...Good speed...Total game...The Wild can smell a run, and they struck...They gave up their goalie of the future in Matt Hackett and another top prospect Johan Larsson...Buffalo getting Hackett may be a sign of things to come for Ryan Miller...He's been the face of the team, and he's a top tier goalie, but they are a small market team trying to catch lighting in a bottle with a young, deep team that won't send them to bankruptcy again...
The trade that shocked many was the New York Rangers dumping sniper, Marian Gaborik...Not so much that they moved Gabby...That writing was on the wall...He's gotten lazy many times in his career...And if you don't play by coach John Tortorella's rules, you're gonna be gone...The shock was that the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have quietly crawled into the playoff hunt, made the deal for Gaborik...They gave the Rangers Derrick Brassard, who in his first game at MSG had a goal and 3 assists...They also got Young defenseman John Moore who was a top prospect for the Jackets...He had a goal in his Ranger debut...They also got Derek Dorsett who is injured, but adds some grit, and balls the Rangers have missed...
Based off of the youth and talent of Moore, and Brassard, I see this as a win for the Rangers...But for Jackets fans, who saw the team trade their star Rick Nash to the Rangers last year for not much, this had to be nice to see...The team fighting for the playoffs, and they trade some youth for a proven 40 goal scorer...If nothing else, it shows Columbus fans the team really is heading in a new direction...
The Rangers also added size, strength, grit, and talent, when they traded some draft picks to San Jose for Ryane Clowe...As far as the score sheet, Clowe has been awful...But he does all the little things too...And that makes him perfect for Torts...And he fit right into the Rangers system...In is first game with the Rangers he had 2 goals and an assist...His first two goals of the season...Saturday he added another assist, and is seeing more ice time...The change of scenery is paying off...
I was pissed about the NHL lockout/strike, but to be honest, I've really liked this shortened season...It has actually made the regular season count for something....The games seem more intense...The NHL doesn't want to talk about cutting down the season, but it may be something they should look at...
-Before I go...Why not close with a classic tune from my youth...Perfect for the Indians home opener!
In many ways, Spring Training is like a breaking down, brightening up the night that is the bleak winter months. It signals the coming of baseball and a summer full records, pennants, and underdogs.
With just two weeks remaining in Spring Training, the reality of the regular season is upon us and we begin to look forward to Opening Day. However, there is still the matter of some housekeeping to be done before spring can officially give way to the boys of summer.
- The Cincinnati Reds are apparently not ready to make a decision on Aroldis Chapman's role just yet. Mark Sheldon at MLB.com is reporting that despite Chapman's desire to continue closing, the club is still considering moving the fireballer to the starting rotation. The team will have to decide soon on how to deploy him, as Chapman's role directly impacts Mike Leake as a candidate for the rotation and Jonathan Broxton at the closer role. Broxton was inked to a 3-year, $21 million deal this winter to hold down the 9th.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers has a big hole at shortstop, not that Hanley Ramirez will be out of action for the first two months with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Ramirez was injured while playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic final after diving for a ball. Dee Gordon seems to be the likely recipient of added playing time, although the Dodgers will almost assuredly look for an upgrade over the light hitting Gordon.
- Jon Heyman over at CBS Sports is reporting that the San Francisco Giants and catcher Buster Posey are beginning the process of exploring a multi-year extension, one which would buy out the last remaining years of arbitration for the young catcher and the first two years of free agency. While I applaud any team that goes through the steps of locking up their young stars, the ghosts of Joe Mauer's mega deal with the Twins ring as a precautionary tale in my mind. That holds doubly true when you are talking about a National League team that won't have the ability to stash him in the DH slot should his body start breaking down after years of catching. A 10-year deal, which is the idea being floated at the time, may be a huge risk to take by the Giants, but one which they will have no other choice but to take.
- The Texas Rangers are still trying to decide what to do with baseball's top prospect, Jurickson Profar. The young shortstop got a taste of the big leagues in 2012. The Rangers, however, do not have a position for him, as they have a solid young shortstop in Elvis Andrus and second baseman Ian Kinsler has shown an unwillingness to change positions. Peter Gammons quelled rumors of a Profar for Oscar Taveras trade with the Cardinals, but it would solve needs for both organizations. Texas seems unwilling to part with Profar and rightfully so, at least in a straight-up deal. Still, if you aren't going to play him and you aren't going to trade him, shouldn't the announcement of his starting the season in Triple-A have already been made?
- The Los Angeles Angels made a big move to acquire Josh Hamilton this winter and make their line-up deeper, but did so at the expense of their pitching staff. Instead, they picked up Tommy Hanson in a trade with Atlanta, Jason Vargas in a trade with Seattle, and signed middling Joe Blanton to an unsightly contract this winter. Now Hanson is hurt and the team has no one to fall back on to fill the void. As Mike DiGiovanna at the LA Times points out, that leaves Jerome Williams and Garrett Richards as the top two choices to step in during Hanson's absence. However, considering the hole the Angels dug last April, is the team prepared to risk digging another one or should they buck up, go all-in, and pursue Kyle Lohse?
- As if the Houston Astros needed to be considered any more of a joke this season, there is talk that the team is still listening to offers, purportedly centered around pitchers Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell. Now, knowing what the Astros have already parted with this winter, one would assume that Norris and Harrell are pretty much the only marketable players left on the roster outside of Jose Altuve. What Astros fans must think of the state of this franchise heading into Opening Day is beyond me. What kind of business model are they actually working off of there?
No, my weekend wasn't this good...Sunday started with me hungover, and three kids, (ages 11, 8, and 2) being loud as fuck...My goal was to sleep until 11:00AM, a rare thing in this house...I made it to 9:30AM...As soon as I showed up in the living room, crabby that my kids were so loud, my wife bolted to the grocery store...After she got back, it was a mad scramble to get everyone ready to go to our friends daughter at Build-A-Bear...One of those special Hell on Earth places...Kids, chaos, and money being spent...Luckily it wasn't mine money being spent...I put my foot down that the kids weren't getting any extras...Unfortunately, our friends dropped a helluva buck for all these bears being built...
Our oldest took home a bear with a girl outfit...Well put together...She likes to shop...The Little Beeze came home with a Camouflaged bear wearing his full military digs...Molly got a Girl Scout bear with the uniform and all...They had fun, that's what it's all about...right?
Saturday night we went to a benefit for a guy I went to high school with...He's a firefighter, so automatically he's getting a certain level of respect...He had an accident, and suffered a serious brain injury...He's rehabbing, and getting better...He showed up briefly, and thanked his family and friends and the nearly 1000 people there...I caught up with some guys from high school, saw some other people I hadn't seen in awhile...Had a couple of those conversations that eventually get awkward because it's been so long...Oh, and I drank beers...
After that the wife and I stopped at the old Fish House...We were going to have some dessert, but they set us up with a bunch of apps, so I had a couple more beers...Then we had dessert...Then I wanted to pass out...But of course, when we got home, 2 out of the 3 kids were still up...The oldest and youngest...Some how I got stuck getting Molly down...Me and her crashed on the couch watching the x-games...She loves the skiing and snowboarding....Especially when they wipe out...That's my girl!
The worst part about getting a night out...having to clean the house like crazy, so your sitter doesn't think you're total pieces of shit...Luckily, when I threw on some music to get started with the cleaning, Molly put on a little show, that made things a little easier...
Now some of you may be asking, where's the sports? Well I've written enough about Manti Te'o....I've beaten that fake, dead girlfriend enough.....What, did you expect a recap of the Pro Bowl? Who watches that? Nobody I know...If you watch the Pro Bowl, the worst version of the NFL...1. you don't need a recap of that boring shit...2. Slap yourself!
I have been slowly getting into the NHL...Seeing Rick Nash skating with Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards for the Rangers is a dream come true...
Seeing this line lighting the lamp has been great...
These three guys are clicking really well, and while their names and salaries mean they should be doing what they are, caring the offense...It wouldn't be a bad idea to put Richards on the second line and put Stepan between the two play-makers...Richards may be able to get the second line going...That's just me doing some armchair coaching...
Now, let's talk "Super Bowl"...As many of you have seen, I've had no problem tooting my own horn for correctly predicted the "Super Bowl" matchup at the beginning of the year...Well lets see just how good I am...Here comes my prediction...As much as the conspiracy theorist in me wants to say the Ravens will win, because it's fixed for the NFL and the media's love affair with that asshole Ray Lewis...I can't...Because when I look at everything, the 49ers just look like a better team...So I'm calling it...San Fransico wins...What, you want a score? San Fran 34 - Baltimore 27...
But the real question my wife wants to know...Who will have the best commercial...I know this...No one will beat this commercial that was made for the "Super Bowl" but got banned...
