The Show.

I feel like there's a big flaw in baseball's All-Star voting system. Every season, as we get closer and closer to the Midsumemr Classic, we see fans scramble to get as many players from their team in as possible. Of course at first glance this seems like the right thing to do, because after all, the All-Star Game is for the fans as well as the players. The reason I have a problem with it though is because in baseball the All Star game actually means something, which is a another issue all in itself, but we'll just stick with the voting issue today.

Keeping in mind that the MLB All-Star Game counts for something - the league that wins receives home field advantage in the World Series - presents a serious problem when it comes to the voting system of the game itself. If I'm a fan of an NL team, I want the NL to win so in the case that my team makes it to the World Series, they'll have home field advantage. So, wouldn't it make sense for me to vote for AL players who are perhaps not deserving, thus allowing my team a better chance to win? Now, I'm not one to actually do this - I rarely vote at all because of my opposition to the system - but you have to believe that there are people out there that will do this as an attempt to unlevel the playing field, which isn't fair to the players. Does anyone remember the 2007 NHL All-Star voting campaign? The same, "fan-only" voting system that is employed in the MLB also exists in the NHL, and in 2007 a sort of, "ballot box stuffing" incident occurred in which Rory Fitzpatrick - a Vancouver Canucks defenseman with 1 point in 22 games - was in second place for votes amongst West Coast defensemen when the preliminary votes were announced. This sort of thing isn't right for a number of reasons. For one, Fitzpatrick wasn't deserving of an All-Star spot, yet his campaign could have worked because the system is flawed. Luckily, Fitzpatrick was not named to the All-Star Game, but it's easy to see that fan-only votes can result in undeserving players being selected, and when this happens it's unfair to the players who deserve it. It's a big deal for a player to make an All-Star Game if hes paid his dues, and to have it spoiled because of a flaw in the system isn't fair.

Another issue with baseball's All-Star Game voting is this whole, "player campaigning" disgrace. In baseball's current voting system there is a one-player fan-vote after the 33-man roster is selected. Last year Shane Victorino was one of the five NL players up for this final spot, and a frenzy amongst Phillies fans ensued. Whether or not Victorino was deserving of the final spot was disregarded because the fans only cared about getting as many players from their team in as possible. Now I'm not criticizing Phillies fans because this happens with nearly every team, but in the current system all it comes down to is the pride of a fan, and with that he'll vote in a player based on the jersey he wears, as opposed to the numbers he produces.

Of course people are going to argue that the All Star Game is about what the fans want to see, and I agree that they should have a say, but shouldn't fans get the best game possible? One of two solutions would best solve that problem: 1) Limit fan voting to 1 vote instead of 25. That way, a fan has to weigh his choices a little more, and he can only vote for his favorites once. 2) Make it a "funnel" vote, for lack of a better term, in which the fans select say the top 5 at each position, then the managers and/or players and/or owners vote amongst those 5 for the starters. This way you have the fans voting in their favorites while the ultimate selection is left to those who know the game best, which in turn will lead to the best game possible.

Fans should certainly have a say in who gets to play in an All Star Game, but when the game actually counts for something the stakes are a little higher, and when this is the case it should be done right, and a popularity contest is not the right way to do it. Of course, if Major League Baseball wasn't dumb enough to actually make the All-Star Game count for something as big as the World Series, we wouldn't have this mess, but like I said before, that is another issue for another time.

For the third straight year Marian Hossa will be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, but if the Blackhawks manage to win it will only be his first Cup. For the last two years Hossa has found himself on the losing end of the championship series. In 2008 as a member of the Penguins his team lost in 6 games to the Red Wings. Hungry for a championship, he signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings the following year, but lost in Game 7 of the Finals - to the Penguins. So is this guy cursed? Or is it just a coincidence?

Most people are favoring the Blackhawks to beat the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals. They have a very balanced team, a lot of depth and size, and their goalie has been on fire all playoffs. But should Hossa have Hawks fans worried? Hossa has struggled to score in the playoffs, tallying just 2 goals in 16 games. Last year with Detroit he only scored 6 goals in 23 playoffs games. If Chicago wants to win, they're going to need Hossa to score. He does have 11 assists in this year's playoffs, but he's capable of scoring more goals, and they're going to need him to do that if they want to win.

It should be interesting to see whether he can finally get that elusive ring, or if he'll have to wait even longer. If he doesn't win this year, he'll have to continue his luck with Chicago because this is the first year of a 12 year contract, and seeing as he's going to be 43 when that contract is up, it's hard to believe that he'll win one at all if he doesn't win it in Chicago. So while Marian and Blackhawk's fans pray that the third time is the charm, you know that every fan in Philly is hoping the curse will prevail.

The NBA Lottery is about chance, which makes part of the Draft about chance. Tuesday night we saw 14 teams lend their futures to the hands of fate and luck, and after seeing the outcome defy the odds and chances, it becomes clear that this is the way drafts should be in every league.

Most leagues don't distribute their draft picks by luck-of-the-draw. In most leagues, the worse the team, the higher the pick. Why should it be that way though? Why should teams be rewarded for being the worst? I understand that it's an attempt to balance the playing field, but I think there should be a little more excitement, a little more chance, and a little more effort, because that's what sports themselves are all about. Now this is for my open-minded friends if they're out there: in my ideal sports world, teams would compete for higher draft picks. Take the 6 worst teams in a league and play a round-robin. Of course, most people would say, "The worst team would lose all their games though," to which I would respond with a few handy statistics and some logic. Let's take the NBA for instance - this year, the Nets were the worst team in basketball by far. They won 12 games. This is common knowledge for most, but what a lot of people tend to overlook are some of the quality wins New Jersey had this year. They beat San Antonio, Boston, Chicago twice and Charlotte twice. These were all playoff teams, so it's not like the Nets were incapable of winning a tough game. With that in mind, let's say we took the 6 worst teams in the NBA this year - the Nets, Sacramento, Washington, Minnesota, Golden State and Philadelphia. Have them play a round-robin where the winningest team gets the highest pick. A lot of people would think that it's be unfair to the worst team, but why not make a team earn a high pick? Plus, now that they actually have something to play for, the results and effort might be a little different than you'd think. I think the fact that the Nets had nothing to play for pretty much all year explains some of their losses, but in a system in which they have something to play for, you might see a different team.

Now for all the nay-sayers out there, don't get too upset because this would never happen. I'm just trying to prove a point. I think teams should have to earn their picks if they're that desperate to get better. This is partly why I think the NBA Draft Lottery is a great thing - it doesn't guarantee that the worst team gets the best pick. Why not adopt a system like this in all sports drafts? I think it's great that the Nets didn't get the first pick - now we'll see if the organization has what it takes to deal with what they've been given in their attempt to rise from the ashes. We're never going to see a system in which teams have to earn a pick unfortunately, but the next best thing would be lending their futures to chance - that seems fair enough. Chance plays such a big part in sports - when you watch a game it's full of players and coaches taking chances, taking risks, and the uncertainty makes the games exciting! So why not extend the excitement to the offseason. Make it so a terrible team has to deal with the cards they've been dealt, rather than being handed the pot.

It's that time of year again, and we're down to the final four teams in the NHL. In the West we have the #1 seed San Jose Sharks up against the #2 seed Chicago Blackhawks, while in the East it's the #7 Philadelphia Flyers against the #8 Montreal Canadiens.

WEST MATCHUP: Sharks vs. Blackhawks

This is going to be a really offensive series. Both teams have some really big guns on offense, but it should be interesting because both squads have good goalies as well. The Blackhawks have been challenged more to this point and I think they're better off for it. They're also getting big time production from their big time players: Toews, Kane, Sharp and Hossa have combined for 59 points in 12 games. The Sharks are getting production as well, but I think Chicago has more weapons. I give the edge to Chicago because of their weapons offensively, and I think they have a slight advantage in between the pipes as well.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks in 6













EAST MATCHUP: Flyers vs. Canadiens

No one would have guessed that a 7 and 8 seed would be playing for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, yet here they are, and deservedly so. The Canadiens took down the #1 overall seed in the first round and the defending champs last round in 7 games. They're getting a ton of production up front - Mike Camalleri is scoring at will as he has 12 goals and 18 points in 14 playoff games. The Canadiens have 4 players with over 10 points, and Jaroslav Halak continues to dominate. Through 14 games he has a 2.42 GAA and a .933 SV%. However, in a series against Montreal it counts a lot to have home ice advantage. The Flyers will benefit from the extra home game. Defensively the Flyers have played very strongly. They lead the playoffs with the least goals against average while also scoring over 3 goals a game. Their offense is surging, and getting Simon Gagne back in the line-up proved to be the difference in their series against Boston. If the Flyers keep playing this dynamic, all-around game I think they'll come through and make it to the Finals.

PREDICTION: Flyers in 7












Stay tuned - Finals predictions are soon to come!

We've reached the halfway mark in the NBA Playoffs and we're down to 4 teams. Out of the West we have the defending Western Conference and NBA Champion Lakers who will tip off against the Phoenix Suns. Coming out of the East we have the defending Eastern Conference Champ Orlando Magic who will play the Boston Celtics.


WEST MATCHUP: Lakers vs. Suns
This is going to be a very offensive series. Each team has averaged over 100 points a game in the playoffs they both give up over 95 as well. The Lakers had it easy against a beat up Jazz team, but I think the Thunder proved in round 1 that the Lakers can be shut down somewhat. The Lakers are facing some injury issues - Kobe Bryant hasn't been practicing and Andrew Bynum's knee still isn't 100%. It'll be interesting to see how they hold up, especially if the series goes deep.
The Suns surprisingly cruised through their series with the Spurs, and they're playing great basketball right now. The Suns scored a least 110 points in 3 of the 4 games against the Spurs, despite how many people thought the Spurs had a good chance of making it to the conference finals. The Suns, however, behind stellar play from Steve Nash who's averaging 9 assists per game, as well as Jason Richardson and Amar'e Stoudemire, who are both averaging over 20 PPG in the playoffs, seem poised to make a serious run at the Finals.

PREDICTION: Suns in 7









EAST MATCHUP: Magic vs. Celtics
This is a great matchup between two great defensive teams. These two have the lowest points against average in the playoffs - Boston is giving up 91 a game and Orlando is giving up just 83. Boston did a great job shutting down LeBron towards the end of their series, and they got some amazing offense out of Rajon Rondo. That being said, I can see Boston struggling offensively against the Magic - the Magic are a great team defensively, and they play much better d than the Cavs, who gave up nearly 100 points per game in the playoffs. Offensively, the Magic are perhaps the most dynamic and deep team in the league. Their bench has enormous depth and it seems that even when their starters are out, they just keep coming at you. If the Magic shoot the ball well they're very hard to beat. I think the break the Magic have had will help them throughout the series, and I think their dynamic game will take them to the Finals for a second straight year.

PREDICTION: Magic in 6









Finals predictions soon to come!

Perhaps the greatest tradition in all of sports is currently among us. It's not the carrying of the torch, the 7th inning stretch, or the 4th of July Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest. It's the growing of the playoff beard. It is a tradition that has managed to add an entertaining yet crucial aspect to the intensity of playoff hockey, where every year we see boys become men. Today, in honor of the NHL Playoffs, you will witness and learn about the men of our generation who have donned some of the greatest beards the world has ever seen, and you will learn that it is the beard that makes the champion.

It's early, but we're starting to figure out the identities of most teams in the Bigs this year. We're seeing a lot what we have been seeing in the past couple years - The Yanks, Rays, and Twins sit atop the AL, while the Cards and Phils sit atop the NL. We have seen some surprises though. The Padres have somehow clawed their way out of the basement and they now sit atop the NL West, the Red Sox hold the 4th spot in a AL East despite preseason predictions of them having a top pitching staff in the league, and the Washington National are above .500. That's right, I said above.

But while the people in DC may be cheering, the people of Chicago are once again depressed at the play of their teams as we near the 1/5 mark in the season. So, is it time to push the panic button in Chicago? Or is there a chance to turn things around. At this point in the season, you like to think that anything can happen, but looking at the way things are going for the Cubs and White Sox, it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime soon.

The Cubs currently sit in 5th place of the NL Central (there are 6 teams in their division) and they're 5 games under .500. The White Sox are in 3rd place in the AL Central and are 6 games under .500. It is of course conceivable to believe that these teams can turn it around, but the trouble lies in the competition within their divisions. The Cubs have to deal with the only 6 team division in baseball (though the Astros don't really count) whose leader is the defending division champ Cardinals. The White Sox on the other hand are currently 5 games out of second place where the Tigers sit, and 8 back of first where the Twins lead. I'm not saying these teams can't manage to rehabilitate after a rough start, but it's really hard for me to believe that they can rehab enough to climb to the tops of their respective divisions.

The White Sox currently have the second to worst team batting average in the league. They're hitting a combined .228 at this point. The Sox hitting does have a slight ray of hope however. Paul Konerko leads the majors in home runs at this point with 13, but it takes more than one guy to have an effective lineup. That, combined with a White Sox pitching staff ERA of 4.72 makes it hard to imagine that they're going to win a lot of games.
The Cubs have been pretty good at the plate so far this year. They're team average is good for 9th in the league, and they have the 11th most runs at this point with 155 through 33 games. Where the Cubs have been struggling though is on the mound. They're staff's ERA is hovering around 4.4, and only 8 teams have given up less hits than the Cubs. Carlos Zambrano, who is usually their horse, has an ERA of 6.49, and without him pitching at his best the Cubs are sure to face some troubles.

Of course, like I said, there is still hope for these clubs. It's still early, and you never know what could happen. I just have to feel bad for the city of Chicago. Cubs fans have it the worst. They haven't seen their squad win a championship in over 100 years, and it doesn't seem like they're going to win one any time soon. Let's also keep in mind that this Cubs team has the third highest payroll in baseball - underachieving should not be an option. The White Sox on the other hand won a championship just 5 years ago, but since then they've seemed to crumble into the depths of the standings as well as the hearts of their fans - the Sox are currently averaging just under 23,000 fans a game in a park that sits over 40,000. So for the time being it seems like the fans of Chicago are going to have to suffer, and yes, maybe even panic. I just pray for the city that the Blackhawks win their series against Vancouver.

This year's NHL Playoffs have been extremely exciting. We saw the #1 overall seed Capitals get upset by a Canadians team which is currently on the brink of taking the defending champ Penguins to a 7th game. We've seen the San Jose Sharks actually get past the first round, and we're seeing a playoff that will not have the Red Wings in the finals. All in all, we've seen some great hockey, but how come we're seeing so many upsets? The 4 teams that made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals were a 4 seed, a 6 seed, a 7 seed and an 8 seed. We've seen some big upsets, but should we be surprised by this? No, we shouldn't, and the answers to why this is happening is simple: softies, grinders, and hot goalies.
Playoff hockey is different than regular season hockey. There seems to be a switch that goes off amongst most NHL teams when they play past the regular season's 82 games. This switch triggers a boost in intensity that makes it hard for some teams to survive - those teams being the ones that don't flip the switch. With this switch, the stakes are higher, the hits are a little harder, the goals are a little bigger, the crowds are a little louder, and the bodies of these players are a little more disregarded than usual. Just ask Ian Laperriere, right winger for the Philadelphia Flyers. In the third period of game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Devils, with the Flyers up 3 goals, Laperriere stepped in front of a Paul Martin slap shot. Fortunately, Laperriere blocked the shot. Unfortunately, he did so with his face. The slap shot hit Laperriere right in the forehead, resulting in a huge gash in his head that needed to be repaired by 60-70 stitches. The best part? He wanted to get back in the game. Now if this man is not the epitome of playoff hockey, I don't know what is. It's players like these that thrive in the playoffs, and as we've seen with the Flyers, not having Laperriere has seemed to hurt them. His brain contusion and mild concussion have kept him out of the Flyer's lineup, and the haven't been the same team as a result.
When it comes to playoff hockey, we see grinders thrive, and in the process, these grinders eliminate the skill players who can't match the intensity needed to win a championship. A perfect example of this instance? The Washington Capitals. The Caps finished the regular season with 121 point. Yes, 121. That's 8 more than the Sharks who had the best record in the West, and 18 more than the Devils, who finished second in the East. Heading into the playoffs the Caps looked like the clear-cut favorite to win it all, but they got upset in the first round by a team that barely even made the playoffs. How did this happen? It's simple. The Canadiens, who finished the regular season with 88 points, played harder, nastier, and hungrier than the Caps. The Caps didn't get enough from their big guns, and they got sent home early because of it. Mike Greene had 76 points in 75 regular season games this year for the Caps. And yes, he's a defenseman. He was 4th on the Caps in points, and averaged over a point a game. In 7 playoff games this year he had 3 points and no goals. He disappeared. He wasn't the only one either. Alexander Semin had 2 points, Brooks Laich had 3 points, and Tomas Fleischmann had 1 point. This is the kind of production that will get your squad on the golf course in a hurry. That, and the fact that at any moment you could run into a hot goalie, ultimately putting your postseason in jeopardy, regardless of your seed.
To the Caps credit, they ran into a red-hot goalie. To say Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak stood on his head would be an understatement, and he currently boasts a league-best .933 save percentage in the playoffs. We've seen a good share of hot goalies in the playoffs. Tuukka Rask played well enough to get his team past Ryan Miller and the Sabres, Chicago's Antti Niemi has a playoff save percentage over 90, and even Brian Boucher has surprised many, reminding us of the way he carried the Flyers during their 2001 playoff run.

A lot can be learned from this year's playoffs, but not much of it is new or surprising. Playoff hockey has always been this way - the teams that want it the most and the teams willing to do anything to win are the ones who survive. Teams that continue to play as they did in the regular season will find themselves behind pace, and in a 7 game series there isn't much room to slip up. So as we continue to watch these playoffs unfold, we should take a lesson from the grinders, a lesson from the underdogs, a lesson from some hot goalies and a lesson from the teams that aren't playing anymore, and as we watch, don't be surprised is we see the leagues most skilled teams going home empty-handed.

Today, Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history as his Oakland A's beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0. This feat is perhaps the most prestigious achievement in all of sports, let alone in baseball, but that fact that Dallas Braden did it on this day makes it even more special than usual.

First off, this came to be in the midst of a whole controversy with Alex Rodriguez after A-Rod walked across Braden's mound during a game on April 22nd. They had some words, and A-Rod disregarded Braden because he only had, "a handful of wins." Now, Braden is the one on top, and despite having a career record of 17-23, he will now go down forever in baseball history, regardless of what his record is at the end of his career.

Another reason this feat is even more significant than usual is because of the fact that he accomplished it against one of the highest-powered offenses in the league. The Rays, who have the best record in baseball, are currently second in the majors in runs, trailing the Yanks by just one, and they have a team batting average just under .260. It's hard to believe that a guy like Dallas Braden, on a team like the Oakland A's, could have such a day against baseball's best team.

But perhaps the most significant aspect of today's perfect game is the fact that it came on Mother's Day, but Braden's mother was not in attendance. Braden's mother died of skin cancer when he was just a senior in high school, and his grandmother, who helped raise him after his mother passed, was at the game today cheering him on. We saw every odd stacked up against him, but despite the obstacles, Dallas Braden not only got a win for his club - he etched his name into baseball's history books.

Brendan Ryan is just not the same without his mustache. And I don't think the Cardinals are the same without it either. Last year when Ryan sported this legendary stache, he was not only the face of an entire organization (well, him and Pujols I guess), but he was the face of an entire GENERATION. This stache goes all the way back to the 1920's, and when he pulls his pant legs up so you can see his striped socks, a combination manifests that simply can't be beat.

Last year's mustache brought with it a lot of success for Ryan. With it, he finished the year hitting .292 in 129 games. This year, Ryan came in without the mustache, and in the first 27 games of the season he's hitting a mere .180. Now, this cannot be a coincidence folks. Last year when I looked at Ryan I saw a swagger that I just don't see anymore.
Now of course a lot of people say it's early, that he'll come around, etc. etc. This may be true, but can someone please tell me a better way of breaking a slump than growing a mustache? We saw Jason Giambi do it a few years back. He started his 2008 season hitting just .191 in mid-May, then he lost the razor and things totally turned around for him. He ended up hitting .247 while belting 32 home runs and driving in 96 RBI's. You can't tell me he would have done that without a mustache.

So even though the Cardinals sit atop their division at the moment, I think they would do themselves much good to realize that their key to success lies right under Brendan Ryan's nose. The Cardinals won their division last year with the stache. Just imagine how far they'd get this year if Pujols had a Brendan Ryan mustache...