Saturday, May 26, 2007
Ducks Vs Senators
The Anaheim Ducks have finally made it to the Finals. They started the regular season as one of the favorites to win it all, and now they are in contention to win the Stanley Cup. The Ducks have never won a championship and are excited to bring the cup to Anaheim. They will be facing the Ottawa Senators who have played exceptionally well through out the post season. The Senators have won all three series in five games with out trailing once. The Ducks have not been as consistent as their finals opponent. The Ducks will have to rely on Teemu Selanne hot hand heading into the matchup. Jean-Sebastien Giguere must also play well defending the net in order for the team to have any success. It should make for an exciting series for Southern California sports.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Ducks defender will miss game 4
Ducks defensemen, Chris Pronger, suspended for crushing Thomas Holstrom Tuesday. The Ducks were outplayed on Tuesday against the Red Wings and Pronger let it be known that the Ducks were going to fire back physically. Isn’t hockey supposed to be a physical sport? Apparently the NHL allows checking and fighting, but when does it go too far? When a player maliciously slams another player into the glass? In other words, checking is not allowed any longer. At least, it is not allowed when victim spills blood.
Hockey is an interesting sport. When a team is losing, it must flex some power by playing physical. This is how every game turns out. If it is a blow out, expect to see fireworks! The replay clearly shows that the two Duck defensemen were merely checking Holstrom into the boards. They were playing physical, but I did not see malicious intent. Take a look at the video: (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/news/story?id=2872561 ). I still have a hard time seeing the elbow, but it’s a playoff game. Expect it!
Hopefully the Ducks can use this incident to gain some momentum on their side to tie the series. As of now, they are down 2-1.
Hockey is an interesting sport. When a team is losing, it must flex some power by playing physical. This is how every game turns out. If it is a blow out, expect to see fireworks! The replay clearly shows that the two Duck defensemen were merely checking Holstrom into the boards. They were playing physical, but I did not see malicious intent. Take a look at the video: (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/news/story?id=2872561 ). I still have a hard time seeing the elbow, but it’s a playoff game. Expect it!
Hopefully the Ducks can use this incident to gain some momentum on their side to tie the series. As of now, they are down 2-1.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Western Finals
In the quest to win the Stanley cup, the Ducks are now just four wins away from reaching their goal set at the beginning of the season. The post season play by the Ducks has not been spectacular on the offensive side of the ice, rather their success has come from their defense. The Ducks have the highest save percentage of the final four teams remaining. Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been the MVP of the Ducks team with a .952 save percentage. Giguere will need to continue his success in order for the team to beat the Red Wings. Six of the Ducks' eight playoff wins have been decided by one-goal margins (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=270503025).
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Raiders Mini Camp
The Oakland Raiders have a tremendous fan base in southern California. Therefore, discussing their amazing draft weekend is relevant.
There have been reports praising JaMarcus Russell’s presence in mini camp. He practices with intensity. He has a strong arm and has great footwork and the new coaching staff is excited. Lane Kiffin has also made a presence in the mini camp by running a tight ship with quick fast paced practices. Not only is Kiffin getting the team back into shape, but he is earning their respect as well. Some Raider players have even compared Kiffin to John Gruden.
Jerry Porter is coming into the season with a new attitude and a new number. He is now the number one receiver after the dismissal of Randy Moss. Porter is paying tribute to his mentor and Raider legend Tim Brown by switching to number 81. His new image and new attitude is what all the Raider players need
adjust.
The Raiders are in a process of turning things around. It is good to see a new coach and a new attitude from the players. The Raiders might even be turning some heads and reaching the 8-8 mark in 2007.
There have been reports praising JaMarcus Russell’s presence in mini camp. He practices with intensity. He has a strong arm and has great footwork and the new coaching staff is excited. Lane Kiffin has also made a presence in the mini camp by running a tight ship with quick fast paced practices. Not only is Kiffin getting the team back into shape, but he is earning their respect as well. Some Raider players have even compared Kiffin to John Gruden.
Jerry Porter is coming into the season with a new attitude and a new number. He is now the number one receiver after the dismissal of Randy Moss. Porter is paying tribute to his mentor and Raider legend Tim Brown by switching to number 81. His new image and new attitude is what all the Raider players need
adjust.The Raiders are in a process of turning things around. It is good to see a new coach and a new attitude from the players. The Raiders might even be turning some heads and reaching the 8-8 mark in 2007.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Penny pitched well in win against Marlins
Aside from parking problems, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking good so far this season. Dodgers improve to 19-13 as Brad Penny pitched a great game. Penny had 14 K’s and no walks to improve to 4-0 on the season. Tonight Jeff Kent came through with a Home Run and scored twice, Penny and LaRoche batted in two runs each as well. Dodgers win easily, 6-1.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Season Over for LA
Another Lakers season ends in disappointment. The Suns, once again, dominated in game 5. 
Nash did not play his best, but the Suns played like a solid team. Stoudemire played well, Barbosa was huge off the bench, and Marion played his game. The Lakers came out soft. They looked defeated before they even tipped off. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom came to play, but that was about it. Defense was lacking and the Suns took advantage. Bryant and the Lakers complained on every call which frustrating me. I am sick of seeing the players complain, especially when they have to get back on defense as fast as possible with the Suns running offense. It was a disappointing end to a frustrating season.
One can only hope the Lakers organization makes many personnel adjustments. Kobe needs another by his side or the Lake show is going to be in the same place next year. Phil's last season better end well or he might be gone and the Lakers may collapse with Mitch Kupchak in the front office. Jerry West is available...maybe a West/Laker reunion?
Nash did not play his best, but the Suns played like a solid team. Stoudemire played well, Barbosa was huge off the bench, and Marion played his game. The Lakers came out soft. They looked defeated before they even tipped off. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom came to play, but that was about it. Defense was lacking and the Suns took advantage. Bryant and the Lakers complained on every call which frustrating me. I am sick of seeing the players complain, especially when they have to get back on defense as fast as possible with the Suns running offense. It was a disappointing end to a frustrating season.
One can only hope the Lakers organization makes many personnel adjustments. Kobe needs another by his side or the Lake show is going to be in the same place next year. Phil's last season better end well or he might be gone and the Lakers may collapse with Mitch Kupchak in the front office. Jerry West is available...maybe a West/Laker reunion?
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The Awakening
The last few weeks have been depressing. I have not been able to maintain my writing because of it. I was so sick to my stomach; the last thing I wanted to think about was the terrible play of the Los Angeles Lakers. Tonight, the Lakers have awakened which in turn created an awakening in me as well. Discussing the past would be pointless. The new team that emerged tonight was the team that has been on the side of the milk carton since late December. The deep and impressively ranked team that dominated has returned from hibernation. Kobe Bryant dropped 45, Lamar Odom threw in 18 points and grabbed 16 boards, and Kwame Brown had several crucial dunks in the 3rd quarter to add to his 19 points in the game. More importantly than the scoring from other players other than Kobe, the team defense is what allowed the Lakers to get back in this game. Holding the Suns to 89 points is incredible. Success in game three was crucial to shift the momentum.
Game four will be equally as important. In order for LA to win, they must continue to have balanced scoring and great team defense. I look to see Luke Walton come out and have double figures and Smush Parker will be looking to break out of his slump. Parker had some crucial fourth quarter minutes in game three that will boost his confidence for the rest of the series.
Game four will be equally as important. In order for LA to win, they must continue to have balanced scoring and great team defense. I look to see Luke Walton come out and have double figures and Smush Parker will be looking to break out of his slump. Parker had some crucial fourth quarter minutes in game three that will boost his confidence for the rest of the series.
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