The new sports spectacular that is the NFL brings us the draft this week - woohoo!  It is the annual ritual of creating hope for the hopeless and young millionaires out of young men who have never played a down in the NFL.  

(Speaking of millionaires, isn't great to know our Congress can get money to help them get out of DC for the air traffic controllers but no so much for a lot of other things that don't impact them?  As a frequent flier, I am glad the air traffic controllers are back, but it seems like not a very fair situation to me.) 

The NFL Draft has become one of the staples of the spring sports calendar but I really can't see why so many follow this with the focus of an NFL General Manager.  After the first 5 or 10 guys, or even the first round, does anyone know who any of these guys are?  OK, well maybe Mel Kiper does, but who is he?  Actually, I give Mel credit for creating his own cottege industry.  He started it years ago by publishing his annual breakdown of college talent and when ESPN got into the act, Mel somehow got on TV.  You can see why they only put him on once a year - he has a face better suited for radio.  I admit to tracking the Redskins picks over the years because generally they have been in the top 5 or 10...and then they previously picked so poorly, it had entertainment value.  But for people following picks in Round 7, I recommend they seek professional counseling - or better yet, go outside and play catch or hit a golf ball - do something.

So the Chiefs and everyone else fairly well focused on linemen in the first round.  Not too much celebrity power in that! Manti Te'o and Geno Smith did not go until Round 2.  Maybe that was a little bit of a story, but I thought Te'o was crushed by Alabama - it reminded me of Heath Shuler who was mauled in the Sugar Bowl but still got drafted #1 by the Redskins...after his cup of coffee in the NFL, he ended up where?  you guessed it - Congress!  The cycle is complete.

The Redskins drafted sensibly with a CB and a TE...fine by me.  I am sure they are fine young men and I hope they help the team...we shall see what happens.  How did your team do?  Any major observations?  Any Jets fans out there - how do you feel about Geno Smith taking over for the perpetually over-rated Mark Sanchez on the perpetually over-hyped Jets.  (Really, is there any team that gets more undeserving coverage than the Jets?  After Joe Namath, what have they ever really done other than always get picked to do something and then lose?  They have a blow-hard coach and a below average talent team.  Thanks ESPN).

NHL Playoff Time has Finally Arrived!

In about a week and a half, we are going to start to see the first of 8 line ups to shake hands as the first round of the NHL playoffs will be drawing to a close.  In the East we have the 8 teams...Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington & Montreal as the top 4 seeds and then Toronto, both New York Teams and Ottawa to round out the field.  I feel fairly confident Boston & Pittsburgh will be in round 2 no matter who they play.  A Toronto - Montreal match up would be fun just from a nostalgia situation and I guess I am a closet Leaf fan so I hope they would win that series.  It would seem like the Capitals have good momentum, and I will still pick them to eek through to round 2 because I love what Adam Oates has done as a coach...but after 35 years of playoff heartbreak, I am well-prepared for the opposite outcome. 

In the West, will Columbus get in and force out either Minnesota or end the Red Wings run of 21 years of playoff appearances?   Whoever gets in is rewarded with a series with the Blackhawks - go luck with that.  Anaheim, Vancouver and St. Louis round out the top 4 in the West and they will be going up against LA, San Jose and then two of the three aforementioned teams.  Again, it would be hard to believe Chicago and Anaheim won't push through into the second round, although I will be watching how Bruce Boudreau does with Anaheim.  He really struggled coaching in the playoffs in DC.  I like Bruce, so I hope he does well.  Beyond that, the other two California teams would seem to be dangerous foes - San Jose and the defending champ Kings are my picks to rounds out the west.

Bryce Harper at 20... Maybe the Best 20 Year Old Ever

Do yourself a favor and watch a couple of Nationals games or at least catch a few of Bryce Harper's at bats.  This kid is really something special.  The kid is 20 years old and here is his April line:

AVG: .363

HR:  8

RBI: 16

OBP: .440

SLG:  .750

Those are almost unbelievable...consider he was hitting .400 in Spring Training.  He is the closest thing to The Natural that I have ever seen and I am lucky enough to see him play every night.  I am going to the game tomorrow and since Dan Haren is pitching, the Nats are going to have to hit to get a win.  I hope to see a little more of the Bryce Harper Legend just like I did on Opening Day.   The kid plays ball with passion - I love it!

I am really going to have to be on my toes next week as I will be reporting from Ireland.  A traveler has to go where a traveler has to go.  And a Top of the Mornin' to You, Laddy!

So...

Josh Hamilton goes to Texas...

And he gets booed...

And...

The former Angel Torii Hunter goes to Anaheim...

And he gets yayed...

Wait a sec here...

The got it wrong...

Texas should be yaying...

Cus Hamilton is stinking...

And...

Anaheim should be booing...

Cus Torii is playing lights out...

So...

What makes a crowd decide to boo...

And another crowd decide to yay...

Did the booing crowd wake up on the wrong side of the bed???

Was it a bunch of women PMS-ing???

And the yaying crowd...

They are so happy their “hero” came back to town...

What are those people smoking???

Aren’t you supposed to boo the guy on the other team???

He’s the bad guy, you know...

Who borrowed the handbook on when to booo and when to yay???

And then sometimes a boo isn’t a boo...

It’s a Cruuuuuuzzzz...

Or in hockey...

It’s a Luuuuuuuuuuc...

Does this bug the “uuuuuuu” people???

Or do they know their fans are really happy to see them???

They have no one to blame but themselves...

And their parents...

Mommy and Daddy shouldn’t have given them an “uuuuuuuu” name...

I don’t boo much...

I prefer cute little clever lines...

Like when the announcer announces Chase Headley...

I say...

"Hedd-lehhhhh"...

Just like Harvey Korman did in Blazing Saddles...

Or when Junior Felix came to bat...

I’d yell “Hoon-yur”...

And always embarrass my brothers...

And then not too long after “Hoon-yur” retired...

My brother Scott told me Junior Felix and his wife had a baby boy...

And named him Junior Felix, Junior...

Can’t wait until he gets to the majors...

“Hoon-yur, Hoon-yur”...

And there was always Greg Gagne...

I would always respond...

“With a spoon!!!”

=====

So...

Whatever you do...

If you yay...

Or you boo...

Have fun at the game...

Then toodle-uuuuu...

dvt

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http://www.friarhood.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Headley-HR.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoM-ZC7uNnc

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http://geraldscarpenter.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/img_0978.jpg

http://www.blingcheese.com/graphics/love/slang/gag-me-with-a-spoon.gif

Steve's just hoping they don't take Te'o and his fake girlfriend...Unlike the real hottie above!

(Because of some technical issues I'm posting this for Bandit...Should have teh problem cleared up today)

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where as much as we want to see justice for our people in Boston we all want to see justice work the way it supposed to.

First off…our national anthem

http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs

If you don’t have either a tear or goosebumps you have no pulse.

NBA: Handicapping the playoffs

Well the chaff is gone, and as close as they came to folding the Lakers recovered enough to not only make the playoffs on the final day of the season but scramble to a 7^th seed in the west avoiding the defending conference champ and #1 seed Thunder. Without Kobe Bryant one has to wonder how much a force the Lakers would be against the Spurs who stumbled badly down the stretch but still have the #2 seed. The Lakers found that they had made the playoffs before taking the court for their season finale against the Rockets as the Jazz played an absolute dog of a finale ekeing out a paltry 70 points in Memphis and getting hammered by the playoff bound Grizzlies who were nailing a franchise best 56 wins in an failed effort to snatch the #4 seed away from the Clippers. With the playoff berth secured, the Lake Show dawdled through most of the game rallied late to pull ahead get tied on a buzzer beater but pull out the win in OT. The NBA and the media conglomerate are quite happy. You have both teams from the NYC area both teams from LA as well as Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and Houston (all huge markets) in the postseason and the little guy franchise markets are well represented with Indy, San Antonio and OKC with strong playoff teams. Now who does your humble scribe have meeting in June? Same as I said in October, I see a finals rematch but this time Kevin Durant brings the trophy home this time to create a real rivalry and give the Heat some pause on their dynasty talk.

NHL: Is the end?

Where were you in 1990? Me? I was a smartass senior at Mt. Healthy Senior High School. I had just made my selection of colleges (You don’t know how close I came to being a Bowling Green student) and was marking time till high school was done. I liked Hockey but my team of choice was the Los Angeles Kings, they had Gretzky. I knew of the Detroit Red Wings but they weren’t that good, in fact they were a last place team. At 28-38-14 they had the third worst point total in the NHL at 70 and were one of only 5 teams NOT to make the playoffs in the NHL that year. Fast forward 23 years. Me, two kids the building that I went to High school in is gone and is a parking lot for the football field (the school is now about a mile drive away but 500 yards behind where the old school is.) The NHL saw teams in Hartford and Quebec disappear, teams in Dallas, Phoenix, Nashville, Miami, Tampa, San Jose, Carolina, Columbus, Denver and Anaheim appear and teams in Winnipeg and Minnesota disappear and reappear. But the one constant has been the Red Wings with the longest current playoff streak in professional sports. That streak is in the most jeopardy as it has been in a very long time as the Wings as of this morning sit in 9^th place. They still control their own destiny as they have three games left to play and if they win out would make the playoffs but for this Wings that is the only thing of 1990 that he doesn’t want to be reminded of.

NBA: Is Kobe a fan not wanted?

For the first time in his career, Kobe Bryant is a spectator to a Laker playoff game. 220 Laker playoff games, Bryant wasn’t even in the building to watch the Spurs and Lakers tangle in game 1 in the AT&T center in San Antonio, but he was watching the game and tweeting. His rapid fire comments to the Lakers more or less lackluster play got everyones attention. The Lakers played like they were an overmatched 7 seed not the team that had handled the Spurs less than a week previous during their dash to the playoffs. Bryant was sounding like a fan, imploring the Lakers to get the ball inside to Dwight Howard who was playing like the invisible man. The Lakers played poorly and the Spurs took the game 1 by the easy count of 91-79. Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni looked visibily irritated when asked postgame about Bryants critical tweets during the game.  D’Antoni called Bryant “a fan” Was Bryant throwing his team…and coach under the bus. Well it seems that the tweeter named Mamba wont be offering insight any time soon. Bryant hastily (and huffily) said that he wouldn’t make anymore tweets during games. You have to wonder how much of that game from the coach or front office. I for one thought Bryant’s insight refreshing. Dwight Howard did need to use his ass down low…

Phat Dap/Head Slap

Phat Dap to Manchester United who won their 20^thEnglish League Soccer title The win with four matches left in the season was clinched with a natural hat trick by Robin Van Persie. Folks hate Man U like MLB fans hate the Yanks… but you got to give them credit. They just bloody win…

Head Slap

In two cases where the F word was used appropriately and inappropriately.

To those who were hyper critical of Boston slugger David Ortiz for his off the cuff speech before the Red Sox first game back in Boston after last weeks Marathon Bombing

http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs

I would only correct Papi on this is our country. We are all strong right along with Boston.

But here is where it wasn’t appropriate…rookie weekend anchor was less than 10 seconds in his first broadcast when this happened

http://youtu.be/P_uX1RczgQA

I can understand being nervous but you never curse in a studio, all the years I was in broadcasting you always assume a mic is hot…

That’s the view from the Hoodwood until next post fellow sports fans!

"This jersey that we're wearing today it doesn't say 'Red Sox.' It says, 'Boston.' ...This is our effing city. And nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong."

It's  been a trying week here at the Tavern.  On Sunday, I was visiting beautiful Washington DC on the last day of the Cherry Blossom festival and made a crack about the scene being “the bomb.” (see definition #2).  The next day, I wouldn’t have been so careless with my phraseology.  Things have been tense in the 617 this past week, but as Lanz and Harry among others have demonstrated, Boston is a special place and there’s no place on earth I would rather call my hometown.  Friday was particularly intense - with the entire city of Watertown locked down.

I worked for the city of Watertown for close to a decade (not in, FOR) - I love the place and her people.  She holds a special place in my heart and I'm happy the deal was sealed a few blocks from my old office.  You won't normally see me cuss here, but I'll rationalize it by way of the fact I didn't actually say the following:

David Ortiz, in the pre-game ceremony Saturday, basically laid it out there: "This is OUR effing City."  You know what I love about that?  This is a guy who lives in Green Bay, is from the Dominican, and he has the moral authority to call Boston his city.  Boston is a place, it's people love her, but being a Bostonian is a state of mind and everyone is invited to be one.  A team that some 70 years ago, had first dibs but refused to sign Jackie Robinson and was the last team to sign a player of color, sends out David Ortiz to honor the city and proclaim it his.  We're a different place now, and I love the city Boston has become.  God Bless Boston, God Bless the USA.  And some phat dap (a term shamelessly pilfered from Black Bandit) for the FCC who is giving Papi a free ride on his expletive.  

Since I drove past M&T Stadium on my way home from DC, I’d like to move forward to the NFL season (August IS only 4 or so months away) and to the 410, from where the Ravens will NOT begin their Super Bowl defense, but will do so in Denver, bucking the tradition that the Super Bowl Champion kicks off the season at home.  Now, in my opinion, every team plays 8 away games so it’s not like they’ve been given a raw deal on that front, but it definitely compromises the ceremony the NFL wants and the Super Bowl Champion has rightfully earned – I mean, you SHOULD start the season where the last season ended.  It’s a great story line, if nothing else, and really robs the game of what it does best – the pageantry.  Growing up Catholic, pageantry and ceremony are important to me. 

It turns out that the Orioles have a game scheduled that day and the details just couldn’t be worked out to make the situation work.  I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Rex Ryan here, but seriously?  The Orioles have 81 home games and 4-months to work out a plan – and it’s not like they should be planning a tough pennant race over there at Oriole Park.  I hope the game is rained out.

M&T Stadium and Oriole Park sit in the same complex, and share parking lots – yes the logistics would be difficult, but you’d like to think someone at some point would’ve considered the idea that the two teams might play at the same time.  With this in mind, I think I might actually root for a deep run by the Orioles just to spite the Ravens.  Of course, Oriole Park was there well before the Ravens Stadium was so this was a consideration the football minds should have taken into account. 

As an aside, I drove past Giants stadium July 2008 and they had made it very clear that THEY were the Super Bowl Champions.  As of this weekend, the Ravens had no such pronouncement outside their home stadium. 

Now, given the Ravens came into existence through the generosity or treachery (depending if you live in Maryland or Ohio) of Art Modell, it only seems fitting then to discuss the current Browns ownership.  Jimmy Haslam owns not only the Cleveland Browns (or more appropriately, Cleveland Whites – I can’t remember the last time I actually saw the team take the field in Brown uniforms), but Pilot Flying J – the very truck stop gas-station at which I stopped to fill up my rental car on my way home from DC.

It seems the FBI has spent a bunch of time compiling a case against Flying J for fraud relating to discounts and credits or what not for diesel fuel.  I had no idea the two were related.  I know three things about the company: 1) the hottest cup of coffee I have ever purchased came from a Pilot station in Drums, PA – if water boils at 212 F, this stuff had to have been 211; 2) There’s a Pilot station at the Massachusetts/Connecticut border that prices its gas at least $0.20 cheaper than any station on either side of the border; 3) Jimmy Haslam, whose family owns Flying J, has apparently not only been screwing the fans of the Browns, but also truckers on diesel fuel.  Other than the good people of Boston, I’ve come to learn there’s few folks you want to screw with less than Truckers and Browns fans and this cat has hit them both.  Dealing with the departure of Phil Dawson will be the least of this dude’s problems. 

Drive down the interstate at night.  There’s no one but truckers out there. You learn the language and you play the game if you do this enough, so you know the rules.  Now, get in the middle lane and run just about the speed limit.  It won’t be long before you have a semi rolling up behind you.  First, he’ll flash lights.  Then maybe a horn.  Then the relationship gets a little more real.  Now, hit your brakes like you have some DB riding your bumper.  Have a guess how that cat responds to that action?  You don’t mess with a trucker. 

Stay strong my Tavern dwellers - grab up some Fred Lite, watch the weeks' sports and remember that this is the best place on the planet.