The media types may be right that the White Sox and Astros are similar teams, but they took very distinct paths to get where they are now.
As soon as Jason Lane squeezed the ball for the game's final out in Houston's 5-1 NLCS clincher over St. Louis, my dad noted how a wild card team would once again make the World Series. For all the talk of the Cardinals' momentum heading home after what seemed like a sure Game 5 exit, they had enormous trouble with Roy Oswalt. I doubt I'm the only one who believes that his current $5.9 million annual salary is going to look laughable compared to what he commands when he hits the open market. At the same time, I couldn't help noting the enormous lead the Cardinals held over the Astros in the season standings. Are the playoffs really that different an animal than the marathon of the regular season?
Then again, Chicago has been excelling nearly all season long. After getting out to a seemingly insurmountable lead in the AL Central and holding off Cleveland in the waning weeks of the year, the White Sox once again got down to business in the playoff with a shocking sweep of the Red Sox. Despite dropping the first game at home to Anaheim, they rolled with an astounding display of starting pitching and enough power mixed with timely hitting to win in five. One question for posterity: is there any chance reporters will stop talking about Ozzie Guillen? He's seen as a meddler when Chicago loses and a genius when they hit hot streaks. One day, people will realize that baseball managers have only so much control over the games over which they preside.
Sometimes, I wish I had put an idea into print sooner.
I'm totally with Jason Whitlock on this one: the Vikings may be playing terribly, but there's no way they're the only bunch of guys who womanize in their spare time. Singling out Minnesota players for moral depravity, as owner Zygi Wilf has done recently, is both ignoring the football issues and pretending that the recent 'pleasure cruise' constitutes surprising behavior for professional football players. If he believes this, he's wrong on both counts. I also want to congratulate Bill Simmons for the following related piece of wit:
"Only one thing could make Minnesota's week worse: Randy Moss springing for 195 yards and three TDs in this game, then simulating sex toys and yacht captain movements for his touchdown dances."
The Islanders may have spoiled the Rangers spirited start in the last two days, but you can't blame Jaromir Jagr.
I have to admit that I'm a little upset at myself for listening to the ESPN draft kit and taking Ottawa defenseman Zdeno Chara over RW Jagr in the second round of my fantasy draft. Not only has Jagr scored 5 goals in the last pair of games, he's on my favorite team. The Rangers' home and home against their rivals from Long Island netted them a shootout loss (3-2) and an outright defeat (5-4). Still, when the games come down to the wire and Broadway's heroes are able to force overtime to salvage a point, things could be worse. The first game featured a shootout in which only the Isles' Alexei Yashin managed to score, although young Ranger sniper Peter Prucha came awfully close to converting in the first round, hesitating a bit too long to hit the twine. It was difficult for fans of the visiting team to watch the waning moments of the second game, as the Islanders had begun the contest with an almost immediate 3-0 lead, and the Rangers had trouble getting scoring chances down a goal with five minutes to go.
Some general notes on the NHL:
-It's still uncertain how much offense will increase this year, but it seems certain that it will have grown from the 2003-04 campaign. Many times, contests feel more open to quick scoring chances, and rules like minor penalties for flipping the puck into the stands as well as the end of the two-line pass can only help. At the same time, I also believe that hockey's beauty is not necessarily all about goals, but the lack of ties should draw a few more fans to the game.
-Attendance in the first week was quite positive, but experts should be warned that not everything is rosy on the business side. I was rather alarmed to note the following totals for the Washington Capitals' first five home games:
Columbus 16,325
Atlanta 13,021
NY Rangers 10,760
NY Islanders 10,394
Tampa Bay 10,002
Now, I know DC is not the continent's biggest hockey hotbed, but there's no doubt that attendance figures in the ten thousand range are unacceptable from a management perspective. There should be less concern about the Philadelphias and Detroits of the world with their tradition of die-hard supporters, or huge markets like the Rangers possess. Many acknowledge that the NHL has overexpanded, and the salary cap should help some teams stay competitive. Still, it can't be good for the game if some teams routinely average eight thousand more spectators than others.
sports
As soon as Jason Lane squeezed the ball for the game's final out in Houston's 5-1 NLCS clincher over St. Louis, my dad noted how a wild card team would once again make the World Series. For all the talk of the Cardinals' momentum heading home after what seemed like a sure Game 5 exit, they had enormous trouble with Roy Oswalt. I doubt I'm the only one who believes that his current $5.9 million annual salary is going to look laughable compared to what he commands when he hits the open market. At the same time, I couldn't help noting the enormous lead the Cardinals held over the Astros in the season standings. Are the playoffs really that different an animal than the marathon of the regular season?
Then again, Chicago has been excelling nearly all season long. After getting out to a seemingly insurmountable lead in the AL Central and holding off Cleveland in the waning weeks of the year, the White Sox once again got down to business in the playoff with a shocking sweep of the Red Sox. Despite dropping the first game at home to Anaheim, they rolled with an astounding display of starting pitching and enough power mixed with timely hitting to win in five. One question for posterity: is there any chance reporters will stop talking about Ozzie Guillen? He's seen as a meddler when Chicago loses and a genius when they hit hot streaks. One day, people will realize that baseball managers have only so much control over the games over which they preside.
Sometimes, I wish I had put an idea into print sooner.
I'm totally with Jason Whitlock on this one: the Vikings may be playing terribly, but there's no way they're the only bunch of guys who womanize in their spare time. Singling out Minnesota players for moral depravity, as owner Zygi Wilf has done recently, is both ignoring the football issues and pretending that the recent 'pleasure cruise' constitutes surprising behavior for professional football players. If he believes this, he's wrong on both counts. I also want to congratulate Bill Simmons for the following related piece of wit:
"Only one thing could make Minnesota's week worse: Randy Moss springing for 195 yards and three TDs in this game, then simulating sex toys and yacht captain movements for his touchdown dances."
The Islanders may have spoiled the Rangers spirited start in the last two days, but you can't blame Jaromir Jagr.
I have to admit that I'm a little upset at myself for listening to the ESPN draft kit and taking Ottawa defenseman Zdeno Chara over RW Jagr in the second round of my fantasy draft. Not only has Jagr scored 5 goals in the last pair of games, he's on my favorite team. The Rangers' home and home against their rivals from Long Island netted them a shootout loss (3-2) and an outright defeat (5-4). Still, when the games come down to the wire and Broadway's heroes are able to force overtime to salvage a point, things could be worse. The first game featured a shootout in which only the Isles' Alexei Yashin managed to score, although young Ranger sniper Peter Prucha came awfully close to converting in the first round, hesitating a bit too long to hit the twine. It was difficult for fans of the visiting team to watch the waning moments of the second game, as the Islanders had begun the contest with an almost immediate 3-0 lead, and the Rangers had trouble getting scoring chances down a goal with five minutes to go.
Some general notes on the NHL:
-It's still uncertain how much offense will increase this year, but it seems certain that it will have grown from the 2003-04 campaign. Many times, contests feel more open to quick scoring chances, and rules like minor penalties for flipping the puck into the stands as well as the end of the two-line pass can only help. At the same time, I also believe that hockey's beauty is not necessarily all about goals, but the lack of ties should draw a few more fans to the game.
-Attendance in the first week was quite positive, but experts should be warned that not everything is rosy on the business side. I was rather alarmed to note the following totals for the Washington Capitals' first five home games:
Columbus 16,325
Atlanta 13,021
NY Rangers 10,760
NY Islanders 10,394
Tampa Bay 10,002
Now, I know DC is not the continent's biggest hockey hotbed, but there's no doubt that attendance figures in the ten thousand range are unacceptable from a management perspective. There should be less concern about the Philadelphias and Detroits of the world with their tradition of die-hard supporters, or huge markets like the Rangers possess. Many acknowledge that the NHL has overexpanded, and the salary cap should help some teams stay competitive. Still, it can't be good for the game if some teams routinely average eight thousand more spectators than others.
sports
posted by Alex at 12:35 AM
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