The Show.: 2011

Bitter

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

I write before you a bitter, distraught, disappointed, confused and morally afflicted sports fan. I, like many sports fans throughout the world, like to believe that somewhere, in a land far, far away, reside mythical creatures that we call the "Sports Gods." These Gods govern the world of competitive athletics, dictating the outcomes of games, the performances of players, and ultimately, the well-being of fans everywhere. Over the course of my career as a fan I have often resorted to praying to these Gods, cursing these Gods, and many times (being a Philadelphia sports fan) questioning the ways of these Gods. Through times of joy and triumph the Sports Gods earn due praise and appreciation for their significant role in a team's success. Of course, more times than not, there are times of despair for the loyal sports fan. However, through these times it is always comforting to think that even though times are difficult, the Sports God will eventually - maybe not the next year, maybe not in the next ten years, but eventually - make things alright, and will give loyal cities and fans that which they deserve. However, after the events that unfolded in this year's Stanley Cup Finals I am thoroughly convinced that the Sports Gods do not exist.

I have often found comfort in the idea that sports dominance is somewhat cyclical, and that cities and fans will someday experience "their time." There is no better feeling as a fan than to be able to confidently say, "this is our time." These instances are supposed to be few and far between, which is what makes a team and city's "time" that much sweeter. However, an unusual and disturbing trend has been taking place in Boston that makes me question this theory. Boston's "time" has gone on for way too long, and for that simple reason I figured the Vancouver Canucks had to win the Cup this year. Boston is host to a spoiled fan base that has gotten way more than they deserve. Is it their fault that their teams have dominated for the past decade? Of course not. Do I hate them for it anyway? Absolutely. I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm not bitter because I am, and I have been for years. Those who know me know that I'm passionate about Philadelphia sports teams and nearly just as passionate about cheering against any and all teams from Boston. However, to my dismay, custody of some of the most coveted prizes in sports has been monopolized by Bostonians in the midst of a reign of terror that has undoubtedly bestowed the title of 'America's Premier Sports Town' upon their shoulders.

I know it must hurt to read this - imagine how painful it was for me to write it. I hate Boston as much as anyone but I can't let my hate for them skew my perception. In other words, I can't sit here and bash Boston and talk about how much their teams suck, because they don't. I'd like to but then I'd sound like an idiot. All I can do is be bitter about the onslaught of victories that continually pour into the undeserving laps of Boston residents, as well as question the powers-that-be for letting this happen. Just to clarify I'm not calling Boston fans undeserving because they're apathetic or not passionate. Sure, they have plenty of bandwagon fans who didn't even know they had a hockey team 3 months ago, but this happens in any city. I call them undeserving because in a 10-year span they've gotten enough championships to last them 100 years. There are cities throughout North America that are far more deprived and deserving than Boston.

This brings us back to the Sports Gods. If they were real, Cleveland would've won a championship at some point in the last 46 years. If they were real, the Stanley Cup would be in Canada where it belongs. If they were real the Cubs would've won a World Series at some point in the last 100 years. If they were real, NASCAR would not be considered a sport, and perhaps most importantly, if the Sports Gods were real, the city of Boston would not have 7 championships in the last 10 years. It just wouldn't work like that. So, maybe I'll be the only sports-atheist around or maybe some people will agree with what I'm saying. Either way, the only way I'll ever be persuaded from this thinking is if the city of Boston experiences a drought of 60 or more years. So go ahead Sports Gods, if you're out there, prove it.

Labels: boston, stanley cup

The Passing of the Cup (2011)

Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

"Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals" - there may not be a more beautiful combination of words in all of sports ("The Miami Heat lose," "Chase Utley will be in tonight's line-up," "We will not be going Inside The Glass with Pierre McGuire tonight," "Shut up Jeff Van Gundy," and "Jon Gruden will not be on this morning's edition of Sportscenter" are all close though.) Tonight, someone will hoist the Cup, and the honorary passing of the Cup will then ensue. This tradition is perhaps overlooked and under-appreciated in the world of sports, yet its significance and symbolic value cannot be emphasized enough. It is customary that the captain of the winning team is handed the Cup first, and what he does with it from there is extremely telling. In many sports we'll see a team surround a championship trophy and then pass it around in an unorganized, blatantly random fashion. In hockey the ceremony is a little different. The captain selectively chooses who to pass the Cup on to, and this exchange says a lot about whoever is on the receiving end. It's an honorary exchange often provided to seasoned, championship-deprived veterans or heart and soul players, without whom the team would crumble.

There are times when the Cup's first recipient is obvious, for example when Ray Borque, who had gone 22 seasons without hoisting the Cup, won with Colorado in 2001. Other times it isn't so easy to guess, and with that being said, it's time to place some bets:

If Vancouver wins the Cup,

I would have a hard time seeing captain Henrik Sedin passing the Cup to anyone but his twin brother and partner-in-crime Daniel Sedin. Might there be more deserving recipients? Perhaps. Guys like Kevin Bieksa, Manny Malholtra, and even Ryan Kesler could all be considered candidates, but we're talking about his bro. They've literally been together their entire lives and although some others on the team may be slightly more deserving, I don't see it happening. Brothers don't shake hands. Brothers gotta hug (name that movie.)

If Boston wins the Cup,

the first thing that'll happen will be me bursting into tears and breaking my TV. Then Zdeno Chara will get the Cup, and after he lifts it up and accidently scrapes it on the JumboTron, he'll then, in my opinion, hand it to none other than Tim "Not So Slim" Thomas. I would guess Mark Recchi because he's almost older than all the players on his team combined (he is 43 and has played in the league since 1988) and could very well be in the midst of his last year in the league, however he has won two Cup's already, one with the Penguins in the 1990-91 season and one with the Hurricanes in the 2005-06 season, so with that being said I don't think he'll get it first - he'll probably get it third though. Tim Thomas has carried this team and if they win it will be because of him. He has never won a Cup, so between that and the fact that he is the heart and soul of this team, I can't see it going to anyone else. Also, I hope Brad Marchand gets it last.

Also, for those wondering, I have Vancouver winning 4-2 tonight. The power play is going to come to life tonight, Bobby Lu is going to play ok, giving up 2 goals on 27 shots, and the city of Vancouver is going to burn to the ground. Take it to the bank.

Love it? Hate it? Did I miss anything? Any feedback is great so drop a comment below or email me at kyle.mountain@hotmail.com and let me know!

Labels: boston bruins, game 7, playoffs, stanley cup, vancouver canucks

What Up Wednesday (5.25/6.1)

Monday, May 23, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

Here for another edition of What Up Wednesday, but we have the best of the past 2 weeks for this one. Last week I couldn't log into Blogger for some reason so I had to push some of last weeks What Up's to this week. Anyway, today we got Ray baby Ray, Caboosethecool, Chase Utley, Tom Brady, Kyle Singler and the Gusher kid.

What Up Ray Baby Ray -

Crap, he's on to me. Upon hearing about the potential NFL lockout I just became so furious, so irate, and so bored that I figured the only logical thing to do on future Sunday's would be to commit what we call "the crime." I actually thought about it and there's literally nothing else to do on Sundays. Can't go to church, can't go shopping, can't go to the movies, can't watch anything on TV, can't read a book, can't eat, can't hang out with my friends, can't do anything - according to the laws of physics there are only two things a person can do on a Sunday - watch football, and commit what we call the crime. With no football, society will be in shambles. I think people are taking this about as seriously as they took the Rapture.

What Up Tom Brady -

Wow that chick is HOT. Wait...

What Up Caboosethecool - This has nothing to do with sports but it's pretty awesome. I was on YouTube a couple days ago listening to some music and I came across a Deadmau5 song. I started listening to it and naturally I scrolled down to check out the comments and came across this golden nugget of intelligence:

What Caboosethecool meant to say was, "Deadmau5 is the Beethoven of the 21st century," but it came across as, "This guy whose song I'm listening to, whose name I misspelled is in huge letters on the top of the page, is like that really old guy I've heard of a couple times that people say was good at music and stuff. I'm dumb."

What Up Chase Utley -

You came back to me, just like you said you would! You're the best Chase. And in your first game back you went hitless and the Phils scored 10 runs - just imagine if you actually felt like getting a hit or two!

What Up Kyle Singler -

Hey guess what? Buckets.

My little brother is a basketball player and I constantly make fun of him for how basketball players always say "buckets." So when he showed me this video I thought it was hilarious. Buckets.

What Up Gushers Kid - In-depth candy analysis has arrived. With analyzation like this I think this kid needs a spot on CNN or ESPN. It's tough because when I'm buying fruit Gushers, I just never know which kind to get. Luckily, our friend is here to sort things out for us. I really needed this video - if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have known that all the juice comes out when you bite into one. Who would've thought that upon eating a fruit Gusher all the juice would come out? These are definitely a buy.

Love it? Hate it? Did I miss anything? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Labels:

What Up Wednesday (5.18)

Monday, May 16, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

Its been a while but What Up Wednesday is BACK. I will spare you more delay and get right to it:

What Up Houdini -

This is unbelievable. With the recent crackdown on those stupid enough to take the field during a game, it's safe to say that this guy is braver than most. Now, bravery isn't all this guy has, because bravery mixed with stupidity is a dangerous combination (if you disagree or need an example click here.) However, this guy isn't stupid at all - he's clearly a man with a plan. It's clear that this guy mapped out his escape route and he executed it to perfection. This is like Shawshank Redemption, The Italian Job and The Bourne Identity all mixed into one. Plus, this guy had the pressure of thousands of screaming fans watching his every move. I'll tip my hat to this guy, hopefully he has made it to the border by now.

What Up Vin Mazzaro -

Vin is not getting a What Up because he gave up 14 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings Monday night. He's also not getting a What Up because he put on one of the worst performances in pitching history. In fact, the reason why he's getting a What Up doesn't really have anything to do with baseball. I know that everyone is focusing on his tough outing but I'm thinking about something else completely. What I'm pumped about, and the reason he's getting a What Up, is because if there's ever a 'Billy Madison 2' Ms. Vaughn will definitely ask Billy to spell Vin Mazzaro on the chalk board.

What Up Baseball Jousting - This is just so damn cool, that's all I really have to say about it:

What Up Mikael Granlund -

This goal is obviously one of the most impressive we've seen in a long time. However, what makes it even more impressive are the circumstances under which the goal occurred. This goal came in the semi-finals of the IIHF World Championships in which Granlund's Team Finland defeated Russia 3-0. This was the first goal of the contest and would prove to be the game winner before Finland would move on to win the gold medal game 6-1 against Sweden.

What Up Bryce Drew - Turns out Valparaiso's men's basketball team needed a new basketball coach, so they turned to none other than the man who hit this shot for the Crusaders back in the day:

I guarantee that on his first day on the job he's gonna walk in and address his new team by saying this and exactly this:

K guys, on my team we run one play and one play only. We're gonna chuck it up the court and whoever catches it is gonna drain a 3 bomb. Then he's gonna dive on the floor and we're gonna jump on him. 60% or the time it works every time... Questions?

What Up LeBron -

You did it, LBJ. After years and years of hard work. After so many doubted you. After so many criticized you. After so many called you a fraud, a sell-out, a quitter. After so many said you could never seal the deal. After so many said you'd never be truly great unless you won a championship, you finally proved them all wrong by winning your first NBA title against the Boston Celtics. As tears of joy and relief streamed from your eyes after the victory, all I could think was, "Wow. After all he has been through, he has finally done it." Wait.. what'd you say? That wasn't the championship you won? Then what was it? Oh, just the second round? So wait, you cried because you made it past the second round? Wow that's embarrassing...

Love it? Hate it? Did I miss anything? Drop a comment below and let me know!

Labels: baseball jousting, billy madison, bryce drew, houdini, lebron james, mikael granlund, vin mazzaro, what up wednesday

Backpackin' With K.D.

Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

UFO's, Stonehenge, Atlantis, the ending of LOST - these are some of the world's most perplexing mysteries. While the vast majority of man has accepted the fact that many of these mysteries will never be solved, man's quest for answers still persists, and perhaps always will, because such efforts are never in vain if an answer is out there. Many who seek such answers are well aware of the joy, relief, and awe that are spawned if their efforts are rewarded, and such joy is being experienced first hand this very second because one of these answers has recently been discovered. Thanks to those who dared to ask the hard questions and struggle through grueling amounts of research, speculation and frustration, we now know the contents of Kevin Durant's backpack.

Conspiracy theorists have speculated about the bag's purpose for some time now, and their speculations were as diverse as those who suggested them. Some say there was a parachute inside. Some said he carried his team in it. Others thought he just carried Nate Robinson around in it. I personally thought he kept either the hopes and dreams of Seattle basketball fans or Delonte West and Gilbert Arenas' firearms. However, all such conspiracies have been laid to rest because Durant spilled the beans on what's in the pack. Apparently he keeps his iPad, headphones, Bible, and phone chargers in the bag. So, now that the bag's mundane and boring contents are well-known, one question remains: why does he carry it around? I'll tell you why, and the reason is genius - but first, I need to explain something:

In our society, mothers seem to have obtained the responsibility of being the dividing barriers which separate good from bad, proper from improper, and nice from not nice. For example, many people say you should never be hanging around with a girl that you wouldn't bring home to Mom. Or, that you should never say anything that you wouldn't say in front of your Mom. My Mom happens to have a very keen sense of what is acceptable and unacceptable, so it's no surprise that KD is one of her favorite athletes. Ask her why and she'll say it's because he's a, "nice boy." I can't speak for every Mom out there, but I think it's safe to say that most Mom's like "nice boys." (By the way, that picture is supposed to be a nice boy... I guess...) I asked my Mom what makes a, "nice boy," and some of the qualifications are: 1) players that keep their mouth's shut, 2) players that keep showboating to a minimum, 3) players that do their job, 4) players that put the team before themselves, and of course 5) players that produce. There are still athletes who attain such qualities, which is why my Mom also loves guys like Jameer Nelson, Placido Polanco, and Larry Fitzgerald. At the same time, we're constantly plagued by players who severely lack these qualities, which is why my Mom can't stand guys like LeBron James, Paul Pierce, and Brett Favre. You might be asking where I'm going with this, and that's where the backpack comes back into play.

I think the backpack is absolute genius. When we see a maturing sports star, we're used to seeing a steady progression towards conceit and arrogance that grows right alongside their growing talent and fame. We've seen Kevin Durant grow and mature immensely on the court over the last couple years, however you wouldn't know it by watching him in a press conference. In fact, you'd think he got lost on his way to math class, especially if he's accompanied by a spectacle-donning Russell Westbrook. As I said before, we're used to athletes becoming more and more cocky and arrogant as their fame grows, however I'm not seeing this with KD. Based on the way he plays, the numbers he puts up, and the money he earns, he could easily get away with being one of the cockiest guys in the league, but he's not. He's about as humble as they come. He's respectful, he smiles, he takes blame when he or his team underachieves, and when he plays spectacular he credits the team. No excuses, no ego - nothing but respect and class, and I think that's exactly why he carries the backpack. It's for the image he's portraying. People look at him, especially when he looks like a nerdy high schooler with his backpack on, and they see a non-threatening kid who just loves to play basketball, and I think that's exactly that he wants them to think.

This is why my Mom loves the guy. I mean, have you ever seen Chris Pronger in a press conference? (If you answered no to this question, please click here.) Being a Philly sports fan I love Chris Pronger, and I always find it entertaining when he talks to the media. However, many people dislike the guy because he can be a jerk to the media, and while that isn't always the case it certainly does happen from time to time. Plenty of guys will pull moves like this which isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's always refreshing to see a world class athlete who's extremely humble, genuine, sincere and polite. Plus, when my Mom sees him being interviewed with his backpack buckled across his chest she thinks it's, "absolutely adorable." Not sure that's what he's going for but if he is he's doing a great job.

My Mom and I always joke about how one of these days we're going to find out that KD has been involved in gambling, drug and sex scandals, but until then I'm going to enjoy the guy because at the moment he's one of the most likable guys in sports. And although he supposedly revealed what's in his backpack, I don't think we'll ever know for sure, and I know that because the thing is always buckled up across his chest. I didn't think there was a single person in the world who actually used that buckle, but KD proved me wrong. Looks like the guys got something to hide if he's using that buckle, right? Or maybe he's just cautious - safety first!

Labels: backpack, kevin durant, nerd, russell westbrook

My Letter To Sportscenter

Saturday, April 23, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 4 comments

Dear Sportscenter,

It's not me, it's you. I'm a good sports fan and I don't ask for much. I only ask for a few things when I turn to you in the morning while I eat my breakfast: 1) highlights, 2) scores, 3) news, and 4) a top 10 list of some sort. While I must admit that you reliably provide these things to me day in and day out, you've recently picked up some rather troubling habits that are slowly tearing us apart. At first I thought these things were minor phases that would fade with time as long as I remained patient and gave you some space, however, with my patience only came more frustration as you not only refused to change back to the way you were, but even proceeded to grow into something I can barely even recognize anymore.

You've changed, Sportscenter, and not for the better. I don't enjoy your company like I used to and I can hardly stand it anymore. I know we've had this conversation before, but you refuse to even acknowledge my claims, so maybe I should just spell them out for you.

Priorities - Sportscenter, you are WAY too into some sports. Like, if football were a girl, you'd be totally smothering her. You'd be giving her way too much attention and she'd be sick of you by now. It'd be like you taking her on a date, holding her hand the ENTIRE time, texting her non-stop even though she'd be right next to you, all while whispering sweet nothings in her ear - all night. Meanwhile hockey would be observing from a distance, bitter at the lack of attention you give her. "Football doesn't even like Sportscenter" says hockey, "and Sportscenter is like, wayyyy too into football." And don't even get me going on March Madness - you'd be talking to her on the phone till 4 in the morning every night in like October, when she shouldn't even be in the picture!

Sometimes, don't you think it'd be better to just play the field? I mean, there's no need to be in a committed relationship. There's plenty of time for that down the road. Instead, why not have a little of this and a little of that. I guarantee you'll learn to love all your options. Plus, is something happens to go wrong with one of your options (cough lockout cough) you'll have others to turn to.

Over-Analyzation

- We get it, Sportscenter, you know a lot about sports. Congratulations. But is it necessary to flaunt it and rub it in my face every morning? As I stated before, I only ask for a few things from you, but a film session is not one of those things. Watching you on a Monday morning during football season is like walking into an NFL training camp. For some reason you find it urgent to explain to me the defensive schemes of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and why they need to blitz more if they want to beat the Broncos next week. You find it urgent for me to religiously keep up with the ever-changing mock drafts that Mel Kiper and Todd McShay constantly drool and bicker over, as if I really care about who the Miami Dolphins are going to pick in the 4th round.

Wait, you say it's important for me to learn about a basketball team's zone defense because it could lead to fewer points in the paint for their opposition? No, for a normal sports fan, like myself, that is not important. What is important to me, however, as I'm half awake eating my Coco Puffs in the morning, is seeing every single one of Blake Griffin's dunks over and over again. That's pretty much all I care about. And when I talk to my friends about the previous night's games, I usually don't say, "hey, did you guys see the way the Clippers utilized the trap last night to cause the Grizzlies to turn the ball over excessively, thus allowing Blake Griffin to become isolated leading to some easy buckets?" No. It's more like, "YO MAN BLAKE GRIFFIN IS SOOOOOO SICKKKKK DUUUUUUDE OMGGGGGG!!!!!!" That's about as in-depth and analytical as I like to get, so with that being said let's just tone down the intellect a bit, put the text books away and just watch sports.

Jon Gruden's QB Camp -

First of all, WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY!? And why is he joining me at breakfast!? I don't like Jon Gruden - he is scary looking and annoying, and on top of that he's trying to teach me how to be a professional quarterback. Sportscenter, you know I'm not trying to become a professional quarterback, and neither are 98% of the people watching you every morning - we gave up that dream a long time ago. However, I feel as if I'm being assaulted every morning with information about defensive schemes, wide receiver routes, throwing techniques, and blitz reads, among other things. These things are not important to me, especially in the morning. At first I didn't say anything because I thought it was just a phase, but it has escalated to the point that I literally pray, every night before going to bed, that an NFL team will hire Jon Gruden so I don't have to analyze three-step drop's with him over breakfast. Is what he does useful for quarterbacks? Absolutely. I, on the other hand, gain nothing from it. In fact, even if I wanted to learn something from Jon Gruden - which I DON'T - I would have a very hard time paying attention to what he's saying because looking at him makes me cower in fear.

Stupid Stats -

Listen, just because a stat is a stat doesn't mean it's important or worthy of being mentioned. Knowing that teams who have been down 2-1 in a playoff series have won 43% of game 4's after losing game 3 if said game 4's fall on a weekday as opposed to only 27% of game 4's on a weekend does not really fall under the category of useful knowledge worth knowing (note: the previous stat was completely made up, however if I hadn't told you that you probably would've thought it came directly from Sportscenter.) Meaningless stats are very frustrating because, more times than not, they're complicated and they make me think hard, and by the time I actually figure out the stat I realize it was not at all worth thinking about because it is completely irrelevant. Perhaps we should go over an actual stat Sportscenter might use, to the surprise of none. Let's say the Oklahoma City Thunder were playing, and Sportscenter wanted to talk about how clutch Russell Westbrook is. They just might tell us this: in clutch situations this season, which are defined as being in the last 5 minutes of a 4th quarter or overtime where neither team is up by more than 5 points, 75% of Westbrook's shot selection's are jump shots, and of those jump shots, 14% are assisted and 6% are blocked. And, from this hardcore analyzation, Sportscenter would then be able to deduce and confidently proclaim to all us sports fans that: if the Thunder encounter a clutch situation and Russell Westbrook is to take a shot, the shot will most likely be a jump shot that may be assisted and will probably not be blocked. AWESOME STUFF SPORTSCENTER!!! (The previous stats were actual facts that I'm ashamed for having looked up.)

When it comes down to it, I don't want to break up with you Sportscenter, because quite frankly there's no where else to turn. You've effectively monopolized the realm of sports entertainment, but now you're taking your power and abusing it. You do some things great - your top 10 lists are awesome, the not top 10 in particular; it gets me everytime!! Your commercials are always very funny and I'm very grateful to have them in my life. Some of your anchors are cool and funny sometimes. However, I guess what I'm trying to say is that more isn't always better. You don't have to impress me. Just be yourself. I just want to go back to the way things used to be. Is that so much to ask?

Sincerely,

Your Long Lost Love

Agree? Disagree? Did I miss anything? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Labels: blake griffin, football, hockey, jon gruden qb camp, march madness, mel kiper, russell westbrook, sportscenter, todd mcshay

NHL Playoff Predictions 2011

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

Bearded and mulleted men (and women?) around the world rejoice - it's playoff time. You all know what this means so we'll get to predictions right away:

East

Capitals vs. Rangers: Capitals in 6
The Rangers will be able to hang around a little bit in this series, especially if Henrik Lundqvist gets hot. However, the Capitals are just better. Everyone keeps talking about how the Capitals are way tougher than they were last year. I'm not too sure about that but I think they're at least good enough to get through the Rangers.

Flyers vs. Sabers: Flyers in 6
Two things are key in this series: 1) if the Flyers can get Chris Pronger back and if they can stay healthy, and 2) Ryan Miller. Pronger eats up a ton of minutes in the playoffs but coming off an injury he may not be able to log as many as usual in the first round. However, simply having him in the line-up will cause the Sabers to have to account for him in their game plan, so if he dresses it won't hurt the Flyers.
Ryan Miller is the other key in this series. If he plays well Buffalo is really hard to beat. I'm sure he'll play well but I'm not sure if he can play well enough to win a series against all the fire power the Flyers have.

Boston* vs. Montreal: Boston in 5
This is probably the most intriguing first round series in all the playoffs because of the history these teams have with each other, both recent and distant. These teams hate each other so it'll be real playoff hockey, however just because this rivalry is so heated doesn't mean it's going to be a close series. I hope it goes 7 games as much as the next guy but I just don't think the Canadians can hang around for too long unless Carey Price stands on his head. Boston is just a complete team, and that starts with Tim Thomas who has been lights out this season. I can see every game in this series being really close but I think Boston will come out on top.

Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay: Pittsburgh in 5
I think the Lightning are kind of this years Capitals. They're good but they don't strike me as a playoff team. Analysts are making a huge deal about Crosby being out but the Penguins have been great without him, and they have a lot of guys with a lot of playoff experience which accounts for a lot. Plus, Marc-Andre Fleury can win games 2-1 and 3-2, so if Pittsburgh has a hard time scoring without Crosby in the line-up they still have a chance.

West

Vancouver* vs. Chicago: Vancouver in 5

Chicago is not the team they were last year and Vancouver is ridiculous. The Canucks lead the NHL in just about every category you can think of which tells me they're a complete team. Of course statistics don't guarantee wins but if the Canucks can maintain the way they played in the regular season through the playoffs they should be just fine against the Hawks.

San Jose vs. LA Kings: San Jose in 7

This could - and I say could because when you're talking about San Jose and you put "will" and "win a playoff series" in the same sentence, you could be in trouble - be the year that the Sharks win a playoff series. Whether the snake comes back to San Jose to bite the Sharks or not remains to be seen but I have faith that they can pull off a series win. The Kings don't do a whole lot for me. They have a good penalty kill but the Sharks had the second best power play in the league this year. If Niemi plays decent, the Sharks will win, although I don't think it'll come easy for them.

Detroit vs. Phoenix: Detroit in 6

This will be a good series. Phoenix has become a really good team but it's really hard to go against the Red Wings with the weapons and experience they have. These teams played each other four times this year and each team won a pair in the series, and what's more is that three of the games were decided by a goal, the other was decided by two. If there's going to be an upset in the West I think the Coyotes could pull it off, but I think the Red Wings will take the series.

Anaheim vs. Nashville: Anaheim in 7

Not having these games nationally televised should be a crime. If you're a hockey fan you understand what a good series this should be, however those who don't know the game assume it will be boring because these teams aren't marketed very much. You've got the strong defense of Nashville up against the fire-power of Anaheim and this series will be a battle. I like both of these teams but I think the edge goes to the Ducks. They've got one of the best offenses in hockey with guys like Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf. If you can watch this series do yourself a favor and do it!!!

*I'll do predictions by round, however for those wondering I do have a Finals prediction: I'm going with the Canucks out of the West and the Bruins out of the East.

Labels:

Depth

Thursday, March 31, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

There's a perfectly good reason why the Washington Capitals lost in the first round of last year's NHL playoffs. Despite finishing the regular season with 121 points (best in the league and 18 above the Devils who were the East's next best team), winning their division by an unprecedented 38 points, being one of three teams in the NHL to win 50 games, and having one of the most threatening and electrifying players in the league, they weren't able to muster enough to beat the 8th seeded Montreal Canadians. In hockey, there's an amazingly significant difference between what it takes to win in the regular season and the playoffs. Teams like the Caps and the Sharks have been known to dominate regular seasons in recent years, yet they find themselves out of post-season play early. The reasoning behind these disappointments is not a slump or upset - it's a lack of depth that can be of little detriment during the regular season, but in the playoffs it becomes exposed and taken advantage of, thus leading to some major disappointment. Being a great regular season team doesn't always make you a favorite to win a championship, however... this year it might.

Some of the league's top teams this year - teams like Vancouver, Philadelphia, Detroit and Boston - are teams that are built for the playoffs. We saw it last year with Philadelphia getting into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. On paper a 7th seed isn't supposed to go deep into the playoffs, however, as previously stated, a team's regular season success doesn't always equate with postseason victories. The Flyers barely made the playoffs yet marched all the way to the Cup Finals - they were simply a playoff team. This year the Flyers have been controlling the East, and it seems as if their style of play will lead to postseason victories. The same can be said for the teams I mentioned earlier, and the reason they have a chance at playoff success is because they have depth.

To beat a good team in the playoffs it's all about neutralizing the team's weapons, but if a team has something to fall back on after their top lines are taken out they become an extremely dangerous threat come post-season play. With just under 10 games left in the regular season, the Flyers have two 30 goal scorers, six 20 goal scorers, and two others with 19 goals. Vancouver has four players with over 50 points and two more who are just a few points away from reaching that mark. The Bruins and Red Wings also boast four 50+ point scorers. These are all great stats for the regular season, but now let's talk about stats that actually matter in the playoffs:

The Bruins have eight players who are a 20+ rating or better so far this season. The Canucks have the best face-off percentage and most effective penalty kill in the league (although with Malholtra out for the season their face-off percentage could see decline). When the Flyers are leading after 2 periods this year they're 37-1-4. Vancouver and Boston have the two best goalie tandems in the league, while the Flyers have also proven that more than one tender is capable of getting the job done. Detroit has an immeasurable amount of veteran presence with players like Nick Lidstrom, Mike Modano, Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, and many others who have won Stanley Cup's. Vancouver, Philadelphia and Boston are the league's best teams for collective +/-, and all four teams are in the league's top 5 for goals on the road.

These are stats that matter. It takes more than a goal scorer or two (which all of these teams happen to have, among other things) to win in the playoffs, and these teams have what it takes.

Of course, there is always the chance that they get taken out. Numbers like these don't ensure playoff success because at the end of the day nothing ensures playoff success. However, I will say that if these teams are able to play in the playoffs the way they have in the regular season, they will be extremely hard to beat, and I personally can't see these teams getting knocked out unless it's by each other. There's always a chance that I'm wrong, but I'd put my money on one of these teams to bring home the Cup.

Labels: boston bruins, depth, detroit red wings, NHL, nhl playoffs, philadelphia flyers, vancouver canucks, washington capitals

America And Butler, Sittin' In A Tree...

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

Screw the Cowboys - America has a new team. Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but if you ask me I'd say the Butler Bulldogs epitomize what it is people love about a sports team. Once again they've been able to state their presence as one of the best college basketball teams in the country despite a deceiving and perhaps unfair rank in the NCAA tournament. This time around though, I don't think it has surprised us like it did last year. This year, it was almost instictual for fans to think that if a lower seeded team were to make it to the Final Four, Butler would probably be that team. It's clear why people want this team to win, and if you're not one of those people you better take a closer look.

People love this team because they're a team. It was fun to see BYU make a run this year because they're not one of the usual heavyweights we're so used to seeing, but we all knew that the reason they won was because it was the Jimmer show, and when they lost it was because the Jimmer didn't show. Butler is a team with a star in Matt Howard, but even with such a star they're still a team. They get contribution across the board instead of one player constantly accounting for half of the offense every night. Plus, they've got a coach in Brad Stevens - who looks like he got lost on his way to his 9th grade math class - that, though diminuitive in size and stature, is an unbelievable leader, and if you don't believe that, just look at how this team plays. They play smart, they buy into a system, they're unselfish, they're poised, calm - nothing seems to rattle them. They sacrifice their bodies. They come from behind and win. They believe in each other. Play like this doesn't just spontaneously appear from nothing - it comes from a leader, and their leader happens to be their 34 year old coach who has shocked the college basketball world with what he has been able to produce over the past couple years, and together, Butler has become the most lovable team we've seen in a while. They're not a heavyweight team that's been a powerhouse since the dawn of time. They're a team that discreetly approached us from a state of utter anonymity, and now they're all we can talk about.

The beauty of this team is that they just win. It's not always pretty, it's not always conventional, but honestly, who cares? At the end of the day they don't ask how. Every one of their games in the NCAA tourney has been a nail-biter decided in the final moments, but that's how they do it. Their players thrive in pressure situations. They hit their free throws, they play smart, they stick to the system. They wear teams out. They're an American team! They work, they sweat, they're gritty, they keep their mouths shut and they want to win. All they want to do is win. They don't care about points, stats, highlights or anything that many players and teams stress about. They care about winning. And yes, they killed my bracket. They took it, put it in the middle of the street and ran it over with a bus, but I don't care at all because I love watching this team play and win basketball games. I'm cheering for them the rest of the way and I know that doesn't surprise anyone because I'm in the majority when I say that.

This years Final Four is divided between "heavyweights" and "mid-majors" as ESPN "experts" like to call them. The national championship is going to be a game between a traditional powerhouse versus a Cinderella in the eyes of many, but I am not reluctant to call Butler a heavyweight. They play harder than any team I've seen this year, and they play smarter than any team I've seen. If that doesn't make them a heavyweight I don't know what does.

Labels: brad stevens, butler bulldogs, byu, final four, march madness, matt howard, ncaa

What Up Wednesday (3.9)

Sunday, March 6, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

Its been a while but What Up Wednesday is back with a pretty solid lineup this week feat. the month of March, Dion Phaneuf, Jarome Iginla, Kleenex tissues and baseball.

What Up March - The month of March is simply the best to a sports fan. The weather starts to get nice, baseball is back, the NHL and NBA seasons are winding down with playoffs around the corner, and March Madness starts. It doesn't get much better... Or does it!? That's right: the 2011 Old Dominion Spring Sieger Dog Show is March 19th-20th! It's being held in Chesterfield, VA and The Show will be sponsoring a carpool service for all who want to attend. Vans will be available so all you dog-show enthusiasts can enjoy the multitude of festivities without having to worry about the drive! Spots will fill up quickly so contact us!!

What Up Dion Phaneuf - A leader is more than someone who can just give a good pump-up speech before a game. Being a true leader means leading by example; it means showing those who follow you the right way to play; it means going first when no one else will step up. Last Thursday, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf did just that for his soldiers with a huge hit that certainly got the boys going. In fact, he's so passionate about leading that he didn't even wait for the game to start. During warm up's he sent a message to his players and it certainly got through to them as the Leafs went on to beat the Flyers 3-2. Coincidence? Don't think so.

What Up Jarome Iginla - Iginla, who has consistently been one of the most effective players and leaders in the NHL over the past decade, made history this week by becoming only the 10th player in NHL history with 10 or more consecutive 30+ goal seasons. Iginla's Flames are number two in the Northwest division, and while winning the division is out of the question, the Flames are setting themselves up nicely for the playoffs with a strong second half of the season.

What Up Kleenex - Top correspondents from Kleenex Tissue Company have announced some potential interest in moving the corporation's headquarters to Miami, Fl. When asked about the move, one correspondent replied, "It's a great location for a lot of reasons, but knowing that the Miami Heat are going to be right down the street may do wonders for our company. If they keep playing the way they're playing now we could potentially triple our yearly sales, and Chris bosh has been an unbelievable ambassador for our company recently, so it's certainly something we're considering strongly at the moment." The announcement came shortly after two separate crying incidents occurred amongst Miami players as the result of the Heat losing to the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls. Make sure to stay tuned for updates as we closely follow the future of Kleenex Tissue Company.

What Up Baseball - You told me you'd be back, and although a harsh winter made it hard to believe your promise, you stayed true to your word. I'm not going to sit here and say that I actually care about spring training, because I really don't, but it's extremely refreshing to be able to turn on the tv and see some baseball highlights.

Now if you could just make Chase Utley's knee better I would really appreciate it, because I don't particularly enjoy crying myself to sleep every night.

Labels: baseball, dion pahneuf, jarome iginla, kleenex, march, what up wednesday

Heat On The Hot Seat

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

History has been the provider and victim of some of the world's most common misconceptions. For example, the idea of Christopher Columbus being a well-intentioned man with great exploring abilities is nothing but a fairy tale about a vehemently ruthless, corrupt man who got lost. Or perhaps the idea that Napolean Bonaparte invaded and conquered countries because of a vast amount of insecurity he had regarding his stature; the man was actually not that small - he was about 5'6", which was slightly above the average height for a French man at the time of his life. Because these tales and assumptions have engraved themselves into society's perceptions for hundreds of years, they may never be anything but what they are now - misconceptions. However, a new misconception, that has plagued society for only a few months now, may be recognized and, with some luck, rightfully seen as the ridiculously false idea it is, for it is truly astonishing and down right disgraceful that our society may be manipulated into thinking that the Miami Heat are legitimate contenders to win an NBA championship this year.

The Miami Heat have lost 20 games so far this season - 19 of those losses have been against teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today, and 13 of those 19 losses have been against Eastern Conference opponents. Plus, two of their most recent losses included one in which the Orlando Magic came back from 24 down to win 99-96, and one at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, who won by a mere 30 points. This tells me two things: 1) the Heat can beat bad teams and 2) they have a really hard time beating good teams. We're over 60 games into the season which means playoffs are coming up, and there are two questions on my mind: Can the Heat win? and Will the Heat win? They're two very different questions with, in my opinion, two very different answers. The Heat have been a favorite to win this year's championship all season, but when you look at the strength of the NBA - the East in particular - along with the Heat's weaknesses and their record against the league's top teams, it becomes evident that they should be known as anything but a favorite to win a championship this year.

The top half of the Eastern Conference is riddled with parity at the moment. Since the trade deadline, a few good teams became pretty big threats, and although the East may not be as good as the West from top to bottom, they're certainly stacked - and a bit top heavy. The deadline brought Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams east, and these moves, combined with the strength the conference had prior the deadline, will make for some serious parity this year as well as for years to come. With this in mind, it's hard for me to believe that the Heat would be favorites to even get out of the East, let alone win a championship. As I mentioned before, the Heat are having serious troubles with beating quality teams, so their troubles are only magnified by the fact that the East has six teams besides the Heat that are maybe not all contenders but certainly threats capable of beating any team on any given night.

Miami's competition isn't their only problem heading into the playoffs this year. The "team," itself (if that's what you want to call it) is simply not good enough to win in the playoffs. Everyone knows the danger of their top weapons, but beyond that they have very, very little. Wade and James are obviously the keys to this team, averaging over 50 points a game combined. Bosh also chips in nearly 20 a game, so it's no question that they have a lot of firepower up front. However, beyond those three, the Heat don't have anyone averaging double digit points this year. They have, and will continue, to get away with this during the regular season, but when playoffs come around it's simply not going to work. If you shut one of the three down you essentially limit and/or eliminate a third of their offense. In their most recent loss against the Magic, which I mentioned earlier, James and Wade had a combined 2 points in the 4th quarter.

They've been shut down before and playoff series' are all about neutralizing star power. Teams will know how to cover at least one of the three and the Heat won't be able to respond because they're simply not deep enough.

The depth of the Heat - or lack there of - has been ruthlessly exposed against good teams this year. They've lost to Boston and Chicago three times each, Orlando twice, Dallas twice, and New York twice. It's evident that against the league's weaker teams the Heat can do whatever they want, however good teams are able to shut them down. It's no coincidence that nearly 90% of their losses this year are against the league's top teams. This takes us back to the painfully obvious fact that the Heat will have to play and beat only good teams if they want to advance in the playoffs. When things go their way they're very, very good. However, in the playoffs tendencies and strengths are attacked, making it very hard to do things the way you did them during the regular season. The teams that win are the teams that are able to adjust and adapt when their style of play is hindered. The problem the Heat have is that they don't have anything to adjust to. They're a fairly one-dimensional team that is nothing without all three of its star players.

I don't think superstars make a team a legitimate contender to win a championship, however I do think you need at least one superstar to win. The Heat obviously have superstars but I don't think they can win it this year, and they're not the only team that falls under this category. The East has at least three teams that have big-market players but probably can't win a championship this year. Stars can win in the regular season but depth is what wins when it matters.

Labels: boston, chris bosh, dwayne wade, lebron james, miami heat, nba, nba playoffs, orlando magic, san antonio spurs

What Up Wednesday (2.9)

Thursday, February 10, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

This week: Johan "the mule" Franzen, the Philadelphia Eagles, Brent Johnson, ME, and Spongebob. And then me again.

What Up Johan Franzen - "The Mule," as he's known, could easily be classified as an animal after his performance last Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators. Franzen scored 5 goals as his Red Wings claimed a 7-5 win over the Sens. After the game Franzen was quoted as saying, "I'm the best there is, plain and simple. I wake up in the morning and I piss excellence... I'm just a big, hairy, Swedish, winning machine, and if you ain't first, yer last!"

What Up Eagles - Eagles players DeSean Jackson, Jamaal Jackson, and Todd Herremans took time to visit with 13 year old Nadin Khoury, who had been bullied by 7 kids in January. It's amazing to see that athletes are willing to take time and effort to be there for a kid they don't even know. They raised an amazing amount of awareness about bullying by doing this, and hopefully more and more action will be taken to lessen the number of bullying victims. It's easy to see what a sweet kid Nadin is and the fact that this sort of thing happens to kids like Nadin everyday is extremely sad. Hopefully more athletes and people with influence will step up and face this problem.

What Up Brent Johnson - For some reason, people keep calling this infamous fight the, "DiPietro fight." It's probably because people don't know who Brent Johnson is. The back-up goalie for the Pens epitomized what it means to be a team player by doing what he did. DiPietro cheap-shotted one of the Penguin players and instead of sitting back and not doing anything about it, Johnson put himself on the line to defend him teammates. You can tell by how the team reacted how much his efforts were appreciated - things like this go a really long way. DiPietro is currently out with severe cases of embarrassment, humiliation and "I just got one-punched" syndromes. If you haven't seen it:

What Up ME - I'm not looking to toot my own here but I'm clearly one of, if not the, best prediction maker in the land (so naturally, I get Spongebob's #1 hat.) For those of you who saw my super bowl bets, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who missed them, let me fill you in:

- I took the over on the 1:54 time limit for Christina's national anthem, which is no surprise, anyone could've guessed that. My mom told me after that I should've made an over under on how many words she'd get wrong. We knew she was going to be bad, but who knew she was going to be that bad!?

- I guessed the night's funniest commercial would probably be a beer commercial, however I wouldn't know who took the cake. Here in Canada they didn't air the regular Super Bowl commercials so I was stuck watching Dairy Queen and Tim Hortons commercials.

- I picked orange for the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach. I know from experience, orange is a must for anyone in the heat of battle.

- I thought it'd be hard to sit through the Black Eyed Pea's, but I was wrong. It wasn't hard, it was excruciatingly, horrifically painful. However, I'm still not sure if it was the shiny lights or the horrendous sounds coming out of my speakers that made it hard to look away.

- Finally, my pride and joy - I was all but convinced the Steelers were going to take this one but I went out on a limb and picked the Pack, 30-24. Turns out it was the Pack 31-25. Now, I'm no scientist but I'd say that's pretty good.

So like I said, I'm not looking to toot my own horn... but I will anyway.

What Up Spongebob - That's two What Up Wednesday's in a row that I've had a Spongebob reference, so he gets a What Up. And I get another one for having a Spongebob reference two weeks in a row. Boom.

Labels: brent johnson, desean jackson, johan franzen, me, one punch, philadelphia eagles, rick ripietro, spongebob, what up wednesday

Super Bowl Bets

Saturday, February 5, 2011 Posted by Kyle Mountain 0 comments

I'm not much of a gambling man, but if I were I'd probably be pretty good at it. So, here are my picks and probabilities for the big game Sunday. If you're smart you'll take these to the bank.

Coin Flip - Tails

First team to get a penalty - Steelers, #7, 15 yards for violating the leagues conduct policy.

First team to turn ball over - Steelers. Clay Matthews' golden locks with a pick 6.

National Anthem (sung by Christina Aguilera) over/under 1:54 - it'll be at least 9 minutes... so, over.

Chances of me sitting through the entire Black Eyed Peas set - 1.37%

Chances the night's funniest commercial is a beer commercial - 93.45%

Color of Gatorade dumped on winning coach - Orange

Chances Ray Lewis will come out of the tunnel, unannounced, and do his Super Bowl dance - 93.4%

Number of Brett Favre refrences, over/under 57 - Over

Chances Brett Favre will walk on stage during half time show to announce he's coming out of retirement next year - 100%

Chances Brett Favre will be wearing Wranglers during said announcement - 100%

Chances Brett Favre might take off his Wrangles for the ladies during said announcement - 50%

Number of times I'll punch a hole in my TV if Justin Beiber is ever the halftime performer, over/under 45 - Over.

Chances Christina Aguilera's popularity rate will plummet under its current 0% - 100%

Chances the game will be cancelled so a Troy Polamalu vs. Clay Matthews hair-off can take place - 76.4%

And most importantly, the winner of the Super Bowl - My heart says Packers but my brain says Steelers... So I'm going Packers, 30-24

Labels: bets, black eyed peas, brett favre, christina aguilera, clay matthews, gambling, green bay packers, justin beiber, steelers, super bowl, troy polamalu

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011