Stars Roadtrip '10 - Final Judgement

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:02:00 -0500

There comes a time in everyone's life when they must look in the mirror. Delusions and hopes often can send us a message that we are good enough, strong enough, and doggone it, people like us. But, what if we aren't good enough?

What if we were a bit delusional when we thought this team was stocked enough to surely make the playoffs, and maybe challenge for some home ice in Round 1? What if I thought the mere passage of time was enough to take some of the youth to the next level? What if the return of some from injury was not enough to move this team from out of the playoffs in 2009 to into the playoffs in 2010?

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I sense the grim reaper is on its way to see our Dallas Stars.

Having seen the first 5 games in the post Olympic segment of the season in person, I am sad to report that the Stars are just not good enough right now. I wish they were good enough. I wish they had enough in their tank. I wish I could assure those who ask me every day that they will shake out of it and make the playoffs.

But, I need to be truthful. Against the Kings, Blues, Penguins, Capitals, and Sabres, the Stars have been out-played in all 5 games. They are 1-4, with the lone win in Washington an amazing magic trick that should be credited to Marty Turco, a little luck, and a big 3rd period.

They have been outscored 25-11. They have been out shot 178-138. They have been badly outplayed.

They have not been near good enough.

I wish I could tell you why it is what it is. I wish I had more than just theories as to why our Stars are finishing 2nd in most games they play these days. But, the truth is that they do. They are unable to impose their will on their opponent. They are unable to play physical enough with physical teams, nor are they able to play skilled enough with skill teams. They seem to be neither fish nor fowl.

And now, with 16 games to play, we face the reality that the Stars are 5 points out of the final spot. If, Calgary goes 8-8 on the way in, they would finish with 91 points. That, of course, means the Stars need more than 10 wins the rest of the way. And, our Stars have not won 3 straight games yet this entire year.

You may be asking yourself why I would write this on DallasStars.com. Shouldn't I have my pom-poms out and tell you that they are ready to start winning 7 out of 9? Maybe.

But, the bosses here have always told me to speak my mind. They have told me to tell it to you straight. So I am doing my best.

I hope to be wrong, but as of right now, if I had to give you my prediction of the final month, I don't like what I am seeing at all. This just looks like a team that has lost its way. Those who have gas left in the tank are having trouble putting it all together. Those who have no gas left in the tank are running on fumes.

Maybe the Stars can use this declaration as motivation. Print it, and post it, and if 1 guy plays better to show me that I am wrong, then it is worth it. I want this team to win badly. I am happy when playoff hockey approaches. But, the storm has arrived. Our 2010 Stars appear to be on the outside looking in.

Please, I beg you, prove me wrong, boys. 6 games in a row at home may be your last chance.

1920's Reporter Guy Master List

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:32:00 -0500

1. OCT 12, 2005 - WAYNE GRETZKY
2. NOV 30, 2005 - MACK BROWN and VINCE YOUNG
3. FEB 8, 2006 - KOBE BRYANT AND PHIL JACKSON
4. MAR 9, 2006 - MIKE MODANO
5. APR 5, 2006 - ROGER CLEMENS
6. MAR 15, 2006 - LEBRON JAMES 1
7. AUG 15, 2006 - TERRELL OWENS
8. NOV 16, 2006 - WILL SMITH
9. NOV 20, 2006 - PEYTON MANNING
10. JAN 23, 2007 - SIDNEY CROSBY AND ALEX OVECHKIN
11. MAR 5, 2007 - LEBRON JAMES 2
12. AUG 8, 2007 - WADE PHILLIPS
13. OCT. 15, 2007 - TOM BRADY AND BILL BELICHICK
14. DEC 7, 2007 - ALLEN IVERSON
15. JAN 23, 2008 - PARIS HILTON
16. MAR 18, 2008 - DAVID BECKHAM
17. MAY 27, 2008 - PHIL MICKELSON
18. AUG 7, 2008 - MAGIC JOHNSON
19. OCT 8, 2008 - MARK WAHLBERG
20. NOV 4, 2008 - LEBRON JAMES 3
21. DEC 14, 2008 - ELI MANNING
22. APR 2, 2009 - DWYANE WADE
23. APR 25, 2009 - GREG POPOVICH
24. FEB 14, 2010 - TIM DUNCAN
25. FEB 14, 2010 - STEVE NASH
26. MAR 8, 2010 - ALEX OVECHKIN

And a montage of some finer moments....

Stars Blog: Roadtrip '10 - Washington

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:45:00 -0500

Hockey is amazing sometimes. Take Monday night, for instance. The Stars are playing arguably their worst hockey of the season headed into the game. They have lost 3 straight by a combined 12 goals. They have been steamrolled since the Olympics by everyone. Then, Monday night, they are being out-played badly by the best team in the NHL - a team that has not lost a home game since December 28! Through 2 periods, the Stars were outshot 42-16 and the only thing that kept them from being behind by more than 2 goals might have been a lovely combination of great goaltending from Marty Turco and pure luck.

Then, a penalty turns into a power play goal. That turns into another penalty, and another power play goal. And murmurs in the crowd, shaky play in goal, and suddenly the Stars are taking a lead on a James Neal goal and a shocked Verizon Center has no idea what just happened. And neither did the Washington Capitals, who were just thinking how they were grinding the Stars into a fine powder for 40 minutes. In fact, you could almost understand if they spent the 2nd intermission making dinner plans rather than worrying about a reeling Stars team. Lesson learned, I suppose.

Anyway, the Stars tried to kill off a 3-2 lead for the final half of the 3rd period, which gave those of us lucky to be there a chance to see Alex Ovechkin go on one mission after another to even the score. He was credited with 10 shots on the night, and looked dangerous seemingly every time he stepped on the ice. To say he is a special player is like suggesting the Grand Canyon is a special piece of land. He may or may not be the best player in hockey, but he is certainly the most electric. He has a gear that nobody else can reach, but he also has a relentless drive that is not often shared by those of his talent level. He is the total package to me.

And finally, he tied the game with 3:16 left with one of those highlight goals that would be worthy of most player's highlight of their life - but for Ovi, it might crack his Top 50 - as he inside-outs Stephane Robidas and then places the puck in the top corner with such precision that I feel comfortable saying no goalie in the sport gets to that one. A truly special goal from a kid who has enough of the goods to sell this league to the unconvinced.

So, where did that leave the Stars? Would they crash and burn? Or would they salvage the evening? Well as many of you saw (Sorry, Directv subscribers), the Stars survived and won a shootout against a team that has enough shootout ringers to seem nearly illegal.

Full marks to Marty Turco, who by all measurements has not been getting it done like he has in the past, for stepping up and making more saves than he has in any game in his career. He was under assault for 65 minutes last night and provided the type of performance that makes you think he can still be that franchise goalie if the situation is right. But, can it happen often enough? There is the question. But there was no question about how he played on Monday. Amazing job.

===========

One final thought, the game was amazing, but the setting for hockey was top notch in Washington DC. As someone who used to attend a few Caps games every year in the mid 1990's, let me tell you that it is a far cry from the Cap Center in Landover, MD and the scene back then. The Verizon Center is set up right in the middle of Washington, DC, in a perfect spot where mass transit and general city activity just make it a fabulous destination point. Then, the packed arena and game presentation show you that there may not be a more successful franchise in the league with pleasing their customers.

I have to tell you, you cannot convince me the NHL is not alive and well after a stop in Pittsburgh and Washington. I will grant you that they have the two marquee players in hockey, but I wonder if we get a poor perception of where hockey stands with our constant view through the Pacific Division looking glass. Hockey is an after-thought in many Pacific cities, and surely doesn't always have full arenas. But, if you cast your eyes on a few other cities in this league (Philadelphia, Chicago, Buffalo, etc) you see that NHL hockey is flourishing and doing as well or better than the NBA.

Funny how perception seems like reality, but sometimes it isn't. It would be nice if one of these transcendent players would end up in the Western Conference at some point.

Playoffs? Playoffs?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:17:00 -0500

1. After their next two road games the Stars will come home for their longest home stand of the season. A six game set that will start a stretch of 16 games to close the season. They will have been home for 10 of those contests. Dallas is 10-4 in their last 14 at the AAC and they have points in 21 of their last 27 (17-6-4).


2. Kari Lehtonen has only played one NHL game since April 11, 2009. He stopped 33 shots and beat Tampa Bay as a member of the Thrashers. Because of his back injury, he was limited to being on the ice. As he continues to get himself up to NHL game speed and into playing shape the former 2nd overall pick in 2002 will just continue to get better.


3. They have been very good on the penalty kill as of late operating at a 86 percent clip over their last 8 games. They pretty much shutdown the Stanley Cup Champ Pittsburgh Penguins power play unit, only allowing a meaningless tally late on the man advantage. They had been getting great goaltending before the break which is key, but they have been great positionally shorthanded, using their sticks to close up passing lanes and solid stops and starts. Meaning when they go to the wall to make contact they get back quickly into position not allowing things to get scrambled and therefore opening up large seems. The Stars also are 5th in the NHL in taking penalties. Their discipline keeps them playing five on five or power play hockey, this could be critical down the stretch as teams tighten up their defense and games become lower scoring and tighter checking.


4. Although the Stars are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and have lost three in a row, remember this is still a day to day, week to week race. Before the break they were 9-4-1 an were as hot as anyone. But even after the three losses in a row they are still only six points off the pace. That's because, not a single team that is within 12 points ahead of them has a better record than 6-4 in their last 10. That's Los Angeles, who is 6-3-1 and is in fifth overall. The teams the Stars are competing with, St. Louis, Calgary, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, and Anaheim have been mired in mediocrity. All those teams with the exception of Nashville are within three wins of the Stars


5. Although they have a tough schedule on the horizon they do close the season with four of their final five games against teams that are below them or out of the playoff race. Those points could be crucial if they can stay close going into the final two weeks. If you look at the final 7 games, they play Anaheim twice, St. Louis, Minnesota, and a must win against Edmonton. They do play San Jose and Chicago in those final 7, but possibly in a meaningless games for the Hawks and Sharks as they may have the one and two seeds locked. That would help the Stars, as they have already played both those teams tough!

So that's my stretch of an argument of Why the Stars will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tomorrow the Top 5 Why they WON'T make it! That might be easier.

Stars Blog: Roadtrip '10 - Pittsburgh

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:54:00 -0500

"Lots of questions, but short on answers" would be the theme of the day as the Stars losing streak hits 3 games at the most crucial of moments in their season, after a 6-3 to the defending Cup Champions in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.

It is certainly a joy and a pleasure to be on the road with the Stars under any and all circumstances (in case you don't know what I am talking about, the Bob and Dan Radio show is traveling with the team on this most challenging or road trips this week to Pittsburgh, Washington, and Buffalo) it is a bit uncomfortable seeing the disappointment on the faces of the team at the moment of truth for the 2009-10 season.

They know the crucial nature of their actions. They know they cannot allow Los Angeles and St Louis to jump on them on home ice for a combined 11-2 thumping before going out East to take on the best the conference has to offer, and yet they cannot stop the bleeding.

Of course, it should be noted that beating the Penguins in Pittsburgh is an extremely tall order for any team in any circumstance, let alone a team that is a borderline playoff contender that is having trouble beating anyone this week. Pittsburgh is bursting with quality, as they scored 6 without Evgeni Malkin contributing a single point and Bill Guerin missing the game with back spasms. And yet, with this Sidney Crosby kid - who you look at and cannot help but think what he was doing just 6 days ago - they had more than enough hockey genius for a Saturday matinee victory.

Crosby worked some sweet magic yesterday with a number of plays that tell you he is not some hype-created force. He is arguably the best player in the world. And if he is in the middle of an argument about that topic, the other side of it, Alex Ovechkin, awaits the stumbling Stars on Monday in Washington.

Back to our Stars, there is not too much that can be said that hasn't already been said. We can talk about the idea that it is "go time", but it already was "go time" last week. We can talk about how everyone needs to dig a little deeper and skate a little harder. But, at what point do the guys begin to question whether they have what it takes to mount the surge that is required to make the playoffs?

I hope we are not already there - but this thing is in critical condition. Nothing a win on Monday won't cure, but then again, Washington actually has 96 points right now - the most in the NHL - and an unthinkable 14 more than the Penguins!

Nobody said this was going to be an easy ride. Even if the plane is decked out and wonderful.

=============All Time Results of BaD Radio Road Trips===========

2/14/04 At Pho L 3-2
2/16/04 At Ana L 1-3
2/18/04 At LA W 4-3

3/5/06 At Chi W 7-2
3/7/06 At Edm W 4-3
3/9/06 At Cal L 1-0
3/11/06 At Van W 2-1

3/21/07 At LA W 4-2
3/23/07 At Ana OTL 3-2
3/24/07 At Pho W 4-3

3/27/08 at SJ OTL 3-2
3/29/08 at LA W 7-2
3/30/08 at Ana OTL 3-2

3/3/09 at SJ W 4-1
3/5/09 at LA OTL 5-4
3/6/09 at ANA W 3-2

3/6/10 at Pitt L 6-3

9-4-4

What is a 3 Technique

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:38:00 -0500

As I watch the Combine, it occured to me that they use the different terms in interior DL players so much that it might be lost on the audience. So, I went looking for a reasonable definition that you might like with google. Here is what I found for you:

From Athlon Sports ...

Although the majority of games are won or lost in the trenches, newspaper headlines and sports talk radio rants are rarely focused on the big guys at the heart of every defense. So, the line lingo regarding defensive tackles is well deserved.

Talking heads love to throw around terms like “3-technique” or “2-gap” without any explanation following. And judging by their misuse when describing certain prospects, some of those draft gurus may or may not know what they’re actually saying — but it sounds good.

A defensive tackle’s work starts with gap responsibility — which spaces between opposing offensive linemen need to be clogged. The gaps are distinguished by letter — the A-gap is between the center and the guard; the B-gap is between the guard and tackle; the C-gap is between the tackle and tight end; the D-gap is just outside the tight end; and the E-gap is between the tight end and the wide receiver. There are two types of defensive tackles — those with two-gap and those with one-gap responsibilities.

Two-gap defensive tackles are usually bigger and stronger, occupying at least two blockers. This stuffs the running lanes, while also allowing the linebackers behind them to go unblocked, make plays and hog the glory.

In a 3-4 defense, Steelers two-gap All-Pro Casey Hampton (6’1”, 325 pounds) has rare athleticism for his size. Meanwhile, 17-year veteran Ted Washington (6’5”, 375 pounds) is an immovable mountain who can seemingly be effective by just leaning on two or more opposing offensive linemen. In a 3-4 defense, defensive tackles are better known as nose tackles and almost always have two-gap responsibilities. In order for a 3-4 to be effective, it needs a force of nature at nose tackle, which is very hard to find.

In a 4-3 scheme, the Super Bowl standard for two-gap defensive tackles is the retired Ravens duo of Tony Siragusa (6’3”, 350 pounds) and Sam Adams (6’3”, 350 pounds). The Goose and the Boston Lager were dominant two-gap tackles who dominated opposing offensive lines, allowing Ray Lewis to run untouched from sideline-to-sideline all the way to a Super Bowl XXXV victory.

One-gap defensive tackles are usually a sleek 290-to-310 pounds with quickness, speed and range. The more glamorous of defensive tackles, a one-gapper is more likely to sack the quarterback and less likely to serve only as a “blocker” for linebackers.

These days, whether the comparison fits or not, every young defensive tackle is the “next Warren Sapp.” And there is a reason for that. The Super Bowl XXXVII champ and 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded 96.5 sacks over his 13-year career. Aside from being a notorious and controversial personality on and off the field, Sapp redefined the one-gap, “3-technique” defensive tackle.

The term “technique” is misleading. It is describing “where” a defensive tackle lines up on the field — not “how” a player does something (as the definition of the word “technique” indicates). But where a defensive tackle lines up is directly related to how he plays his position.

The numbering system starts at the center and moves out — a 0-technique defensive tackle lines up directly over the center; the 1-technique is between center and guard; the 2-technique is directly over the guard; the celebrated 3-technique is between the guard and offensive tackle; the 4-technique is over the offensive tackle; the 5-technique is between the offensive tackle and tight end; the 6-technique is inside the tight end or outside the offensive tackle on formations without a tight end; the 7-, 8-, or 9-techniques move farther outside and away from a defensive tackle’s normal responsibilities.

So, just in case you need the primer, there you go. Here is Wikipedia's page that also is useful.

Also, Speaking of Defensive Line, here is maybe the best edge DE or OLB in a 3-4 in the draft, Jason Pierre Paul. At 6'4, 270.

Kidd's 15/15/15 Masterpiece

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:36:00 -0500

Before the Atlanta game gets too far in our rear-view mirror, I wanted to make sure we spend a moment realizing the rarity of Jason Kidd's performance.

To me, Jason Kidd's play in 2009-10 is the single greatest reason why the Mavericks are appearing to be ready to tangle with the Western powers in these playoffs. Sure, the trade is key and Dirk is Dirk, but Jason Kidd has taken over this team and is running them in the right direction - full speed ahead.

They have a certain composure and direction that I have not seen previously, and I think Kidd is a determined player right now making a serious run at things.

Anyway, from a standpoint of legendary performances in the 4th Quarter, I will not soon forget the 4th in Atlanta that Kidd turned out and seemed to will the Mavericks to an unlikely OT victory over the Hawks. The game will likely be remembered for Kidd's smart drawing of a technical foul with Mike Woodson , but let's not forget the full body of work.

19 points, 16 rebounds, 17 assists is a triple double that is extremely rare, eclipsing the 15/15/15 barrier.

So, I became quite determined to find out how rare it really was, and thanks to Sarah Melton and the Mavs/NBA stats people, here is what I have for you:

----------------------------------------------

Here are all of them from the last 30 seasons:

PT-RB-AS
19-16-17 Kidd, Jason DAL 02/26/2010 DAL 111 @ ATL 103
21-16-16 Kidd, Jason DAL 01/30/1996 LAC 101 @ DAL 105
24-17-17 Johnson, Magic LAL 04/18/1989 DEN 118 @ LAL 142
20-17-15 Johnson, Magic LAL 04/01/1989 LAL 108 @ DEN 114
30-17-15 Bird, Larry BOS 04/01/1987 WAS 86 @ BOS 103
28-19-15 Bird, Larry BOS 01/13/1982 ATL 95 @ BOS 116
33-15-17 Johnson, Magic LA 03/29/1981 DEN 148 @ LA 146
27-15-19 Richardson, Micheal NY 03/21/1981 CLE 105 @ NY 119
15-16-16 Richardson, Micheal NY 03/13/1980 IND 107 @ NY 100


Most 15-15-15's ever:

Oscar Robertson 14
Wilt Chamberlain 8
Magic Johnson 3
Larry Bird 2
Jason Kidd 2
Micheal Richardson 2

To see more about NBA Triple Doubles Wikipedia has a pretty good page on it ...

So, it appears - at least back to 1980 when NBA record-keeping improved dramatically - that we have never seen a 20/20/20 game.

It also appears that the 14 year distance between Kidd's 2 15/15/15 performances is borderline insane. And, look at the company he keeps on that list of guys who have done it! Oscar, Wilt, Magic, Larry, and Michael Ray Richardson - who might have been unreal if it wasn't for cocaine and all. Pretty amazing company from a player that is a living legend and had to be seen to be appreciated fully.

-----------------------------

Here are a few pieces of email regarding Kidd and the controversial trade that brought him here 2 years ago:

that 4th quarter by Jason Kidd last night was maybe the best regular season performance ever by a maverick. Not only was it physically dominant with damn near a double-triple double and a bunch of critical 3s, but it was as mentally "hard" as we've ever seen a maverick be, in my opinion. On the road, against a very good Eastern conference team Kidd really did refuse to let his team lose. And if all that wasn't enough, then Kidd physically punks and mentally hoodwinks the opposing head coach! Dude, when that happened you just knew the Hawks were done. Atlanta got outcoached by the opposing point guard... how do you come back from that?

Just outstanding. I loved it. I'll never decry the loss of Devin Harris again. Harris will never be able to do what Kidd did last night.

DR

----------------

Bottom line…

If you swapped Jason Kidd with Devin Harris, the Nets have more than 6 wins. Kidd makes others around him better. He makes the game easier for his teammates. A HUGE part of the Mavs success since the trade is having a basketball savant like Kidd running the offense for new comers.

Devin Harris has never been a good facilitator. He’s more in the mold of a Steve Francis or Stephon Marbury. Only far less of a prick. However, I think Francis and Marbury were much better at setting up their teammates, despite their selfishness. People like to bring up Harris in the 2006 playoffs, but aside of the 2 great games against the Spurs, he didn’t do anything in the 1st round. He didn’t do much against Phoenix and really didn’t do much against Miami. People like to talk about Harris’ defense, but wake me up when he (or any PG for that matter) can stop guys like Deron Williams, Chris Paul, a healthy Baron Davis, etc.

The fact that Dirk wanted Harris gone was enough for me. I more so didn’t like giving up the 1st round trade assets, but when you look at the Mavs history of drafting players, Josh Howard was a no brainer pick at the end of the draft. Other teams stayed away from him because of his questionable IQ. The Mavs picked guys like Nick Fazekas over Big Baby. They drafted Maurice Ager who is nothing more than a D-leaguer pretending to be an NBA player.

Stay BaD,

Brandon

If you read this blog and/or listen to our show, you know that I loved the trade when it happened, hated the trade when it appeared it failed miserably (Hornets series and the 2008 summer of Josh), loved it again last spring, wasn't sure about a 3-year extension, and now marvel at the Kidd 2010. I can comfortably say that although we could debate whether Steve Nash would have made the most sense to be the Mavs point guard the last 6 seasons, surely most now realize that Devin Harris is ordinary and Jason Kidd extraordinary. Kidd, even at this advanced age, has the Mavs looking very formidable - and I just don't believe they would be in this position without an amazing PG facilitating the whole thing.

Canada 3, USA 2 - Gold Medal Game

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:57:00 -0500

To suggest I have a number of varying opinions about the hockey genius we witnessed yesterday and for the last 2 weeks would be an understatement. I feel that I should blog today from a number of varying perspectives, so please find the one that matters most to you and read on:

From the perspective of the USA hockey fan who felt a punch to the stomach a few moments before 5:00 pm yesterday when Sidney Crosby stole the show:

This one really hurts. I must tell you though, this team also exceeded my expectations and renewed so much hope in the state of American hockey in the post- Modano, Hull, Guerin, Richter, Roenick, Tkachuk, Leetch, Chelios-era. Many fans, like me, did not want to cut the ties with the old legends of American hockey, and were a bit uncomfortable with not bringing along a few gray-beards for the sake of nostaligia and leadership. But kudos to Brian Burke and company for having a vision and darn near riding that vision all the way to a gold medal. They believed in the next wave of young and talented studs - who grew up inspired by the old guard - and those young players demonstrated a fight and grit and spirit that gave us plenty of hope moving forward.

I really am proud that our country can produce players like Patrick Kane, Ryan Miller, and Zach Parise to carry on the torch. The gap still exists, as our American team may not have had more than those 3 make Team Canada, but we obviously can skate with them, and on our best day we can beat them.

I was also quite excited about the job that Jamie Langenbrunner did as captain. It is hard to consider him an old man, but in a young man's game, he did very well in making sure that if the USA was going to drop a hockey game in these Olympics, it would only be at the climax of one of the greatest games ever played.

From a US perspective, I will never forget jumping around my living room with sheer joy when Parise scored to tie the game, nor will I forget standing there motionless when Canada celebrated. It is certainly different living and dying with a team you didn't really know or understand 2 weeks ago, but it doesn't take long to embrace a team who wears your flag.

In my lifetime, I look forward to my countrymen winning Olympic Gold when all of the best are playing. I doubt we will ever see the day when we are favored, but surely we know now that we can compete 20 on 20 with Canada's finest. For a while yesterday, I started thinking it was destiny, and that it would happen in 2010. But, I must say, they played so well and courageously that I don't leave these games feeling like an American player let us down. I think they squeezed everything they had out, and fell one puck short.

Proud of USA Hockey. Thanks for the ride, boys.



From the Perspective of a fan of Hockey who bangs the drum for this sport even when it annoys and frustrates me:

I think we now fully understand why this show is worthwhile. The NHL players who must work this into their sometimes-100 games + season to promote the sport are certainly pressed for time, but this is worth it. Hockey may be the only sport of the big 4 that can have a tournament where the teams are this close and as many as 6 teams have a chance at the Gold Medal according to experts (Canada, Russia, Sweden were the 3 favorites - with the USA, Finland, and Czech Republic also in the mix). Basketball isn't far off, but the advantage the US has in hoops is far greater than the advantage Canada has on the ice. Of the first team NHL last year, 0 members of Team Canada made the list.

But, this is what happens when when the best show up and play with the passion to be the best. There is a clear difference between skating hard and skating hard with a gold medal on the line. The level of play was awesome. It was Stanley Cup Finals intensity, with 300% more talent on the ice than in any Stanley Cup Finals. The teams are loaded - uneffected with over-expansion - and playing like they mean it.

And obviously, this is key, because the world was watching. Or, at least North America was watching. I have never seen so many people talking hockey as I saw yesterday. On Twitter, people from every walk of life were trying to figure out what they were looking at as they gave hockey a chance for the first time in years.

I have no delusions that those same people are now signing up for NHL Center Ice and gathering around for the stretch drive of the NHL Season or reading up on who might be moved by the Wednesday trade deadline, but it is nice for them to see what it is that obsesses us.

This sport, at its best, takes second place to nobody. The intensity generated by a game of that magnitude and the nerves that accompany it cannot be duplicated. I love hockey for moments like yesterday. I sit through 1,000 games waiting for yesterday. And it is a pleasure.

As I said yesterday on twitter, "This. Is. Hockey. - Welcome"



From the Perspective of Dallas Stars and Brenden Morrow fan:

There he is, our captain, looking like he hasn't looked since the 2008 NHL Playoffs. Playing like an enraged William Wallace.

Featured in Sunday's Vancouver Sun by Iain MacIntyre: Here

Salt of the earth person, salt of the earth player, Morrow embodies nearly all the characteristics Canadians so admire in hockey players: bravery, unselfishness, resilience, toughness, honesty. That skill set made him important to Team Canada. Then he started scoring goals.

Morrow deflected in Chris Pronger's wrist shot for one goal Friday and screened goalie Jaroslav Halak on another as Canada hung on to beat Slovakia 3-2 to advance to the gold-medal game Sunday against the United States on the final day of the Vancouver Olympics.

"I was pleased with four or five minutes -just being part of the team, grinding it out, blocking shots, battling low," Morrow said. "This is icing on top to be able to contribute like this and score an Olympic goal. It's a pretty big thrill and I want to just keep riding it out."

At age 31, Morrow wasn't any-one's favourite to even make Team Canada, but is having the tournament of his life at his first Olympics.

From tiny Carlyle, a hamlet in the grain belt of southeastern Saskatchewan, Morrow had played internationally for Canada in five previous tournaments. And in 27 games over four world championships and one World Cup, the Dallas Stars' winger had scored zero goals, which says as much about the traits he possesses and the one he does not.

But on the grandest Canadian hockey stage since the 1972 Summit Series, Morrow is on a scoring binge. He jammed a puck in against Russia during Canada's 7-3 win in Wednesday's quarter-finals.

"They've both been pretty ugly, but that's how mine seem to go in, so I'll take them anyway I can get them," Morrow said. "It's more of a sprint than a marathon [at the Olympics]. Guys you battle against throughout the season -probably some guys you don't really care much for -but you come here and put that all aside and you have one common goal. We're a tight group now. We're willing to pay a price for each other and do everything we can for that gold."

Morrow said he has been thinking about that since Team Canada held its orientation camp in August.

Yet, there was no guarantee Morrow would actually be named in December to the Olympic roster.

He is a size-medium grinder on a team full of XL offensive gazelles.

And if there were a leaderboard for second-guessed selections, Morrow would have been the clubhouse leader coming to Vancouver.

After a mid-career outburst that saw Morrow score nearly a point per game for more than a year, his 2008-09 season ended with a torn ACL ligament 15 months ago. The injury must have extended internally to his hands, because when Morrow came back this season his scoring touch had hardened.

He had 33 points in 56 games before the Olympics. Even as a role player, someone who would provide some sandpaper and menace on the fourth line, Morrow could have been bypassed in favour of Shane Doan or Ryan Smyth or Alex Burrows.

It seemed even Team Canada's staff may have been wondering about their choice when the tournament opened as Morrow was one of four players "pooled" on the fourth line. But he played his way up almost immediately.

He is on a line with NHL rivals Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, nasty players who are probably among that group Morrow ordinarily doesn't care much for, and the unit's presence has been felt most shifts.

"In years past, it's kind of been the same thing: get on the team, grind it out and earn everything I get," Morrow said. "That's been the case here, too. The work comes first. I think anyone who comes here, you wouldn't be here if you didn't want a bigger [role]. Our line has battled hard. We've been strong on pucks down low. That's been the key to our line's success: our strength on pucks. I think we've gained a little bit of trust from the coach and we're getting rewarded for it."

It feels extremely wierd pulling for a team where Brenden was on the other side. I have loved watching him grow up and reaching many of his dreams. I have also loved that he has been honest as a man when it comes to saying what matters most to him. And at or near the very top of the list is winning a gold medal while representing his country.

So, to see him skating around hitting everyone in his way, digging the puck out, and going to the net let me know that he is still that guy. His knee is better, and he is back and ready to wreck what is in his way.

This should make the Stars very excited about the stretch drive. He is newly determined and finally back to 100%. Now, with a gold medal, I wonder if he is ready to get back to the work at hand - getting the Stars to the next level, too.

I was stunned and disappointed to see Sidney Crosby score with a goal that personified "sudden death". I wasn't even close to happy about how my country came up an inch or two short. But, I must admit that seeing Brenden Morrow so happy gave me a small level of consolation.

Someday, if he is skating a Cup in Dallas, I imagine I will feel even better about seeing him celebrate.

What a tournament. What a sport.

And now, we return you to your regularly scheduled NHL season....

The Giant has Awoke But We Can Still Believe in Miracles

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:17:00 -0500

Well I said the best the US would do is bronze and Canada would win gold. I still might be right, as much as I like to see the US win their third gold medal (1960 & 1980) in Olympic Hockey history they couldn't have had an easier path cleared to the medal round.

Sports Agenda Is Full Today

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:41:00 -0500

I love sports and I don't care who knows. Trouble is, this time of year, you can go weeks without finding a sports day with 4 events that would be the "main event" on most any other day.

But, today is Wednesday, February 24. Check it. 4 Top Tier Events to occupy your time on this beautiful day!

1:45 - Champions League Round of 16: Chelsea at Inter, Fox Soccer Channel

Why Should you care? Mourinho against Chelsea? How about this tid-bit :

He is a bitter and twisted man — and a successful one.

Saturday was the 130th consecutive time a team coached by Mourinho — from Porto to Chelsea to Inter — has remained unbeaten at home in league play. It is a run built on stubbornness and good organization, yet scarred by an attitude that is inimical to the game.

Mourinho’s mind games included prolonging the halftime interval by almost five minutes, leaving the opponents cold on the pitch and the match officials jogging nervously in the tunnel. Mourinho challenged officialdom by demonstrating, not for the first time, that his men will come out to play when it suits him.

We have seen all this before. It is unlikely to be coincidence that this display came as Inter was preparing to face its next visitor to the San Siro, Chelsea — the team that he built and the club that fired him — in the Champions League on Wednesday.

So, arguably the best team in the world today, Chelsea, which also just fired Jose a few years back, now tries to snap the 130-match home unbeaten mark he has?

Yes, Please.

2:00 - USA vs Switzerland, Olympic Quarterfinal, NBC 5

6:30 - Russia vs Canada, Olympic Quarterfinal, CNBC

Clearly you know what is at stake now - anyone still alive in this most wonderful of hockey tournaments is 3 wins from the Gold.

But, wow, Canada vs Russia in the Final 8? This was many people's Gold Medal game, and now one of them will be out of the tournament altogether by the end of the day. Surely, this will be amazing. And with Canada on short rest, and already not totally sure of themselves, the prospect of dealing with OV, Datsyuk, Malkin, Kovalchuk, and the rest of the Russian gang will test all sorts of Canadian resolve.

Meanwhile, the USA must tangle with Jonas Hiller again. You would like to think that this is a win, but remember that the Swiss held up well against the US already, and then took the Canadians to a shootout.

8:00 - Lakers at Mavericks, ESPN, Ch 21

Finally, the 4 event Wednesday is capped off with the marquee battle locally of the Mavs testing their new squad against the heavyweight champion of the world, who beat Memphis last night. Kobe returned from being gone for 5 games and scored 32, with the Game Winning 3 .

Let's show em what we got.

Did the Mavs Finally Fix It?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:17:00 -0500

I have really enjoyed watching the Mavericks in the last week and a half, because after many rearrangements of the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Mavs finally made some very broad-based changes to the fabric of the their team in the last few months that have modified the way this team can do business.

Mavericks basketball in the Dirk era has always been very good. He is a talent, and the front office has found ways to put people around him that compliment his game as best as they could. But, it only worked to a point.

To review the Mavericks from late last season, allow me to take you back to a blog entry from last March after a bad road loss against the Lakers -

Lost In Los Angeles - March 16, 2009 :

The Lakers are the Mavericks nemesis these days, and if yesterday is any indication, it isn’t because they have some magic mojo against the Mavs, it is simply because they are significantly better all over the floor. I enjoyed the ABC TV guys debating it, and I thought Jeff Van Gundy was spot on about this team when he suggested that this team isn’t inconsistent. “They just aren’t that good”.

Very simple.

Very obvious.

Now, you can look at Dirk and suggest that the best player on the team, and one of the top dozen players in the NBA is the problem – but that remains a silly past-time if you ask me.

Isn’t the biggest problem with the Mavs the following:

At any given time yesterday, the Lakers had 3 mis-matches with which to attack yesterday – AND, at the same time, the Mavs had only about 2 scorers on the floor.

That is right. They have bad matchups on offense and defense. That is a rare double.

ON DEFENSE:

Here is how the Mavs opened the game defensively:

Dirk guards Odom
Dampier guards Gasol
Barea on Fisher
Kidd on Ariza
Wright on Kobe

As you can see, the most obvious mis-match is Damp trying to guard Gasol, but there is nobody else he could even consider guarding. I have no idea why he was on the floor to begin with, but both halves, Carlisle thought he would try it. Then, Barea gets posted up when Fisher decides it is time. Kidd leaves Ariza to help on Kobe and Ariza starts nailing shots.

Then, Barea and Dampier must sit down, and when James Singleton or Brandon Bass and Jet Terry enter the game, now, Dirk tries to guard Gasol (not very well) and Bass tries to cover Odom.

This doesn’t even mention Kobe. Kobe can destroy pretty much anyone in the league, and although Antoine Wright looks like he is doing pretty well, Kobe gets a quiet 28-8-5.

ON OFFENSE:

Here is an equally horrid part of the game. The Mavs have, at all times, at least 2 to 3 guys on the floor who are pretty much worthless on offense. Seriously. Barea, Wright, Singleton, Dampier, and Bass are 5 of the top 8 options right now on this team, and none of them can create any of their own offense. Barea and Wright can spot up and shoot 3’s. Singleton, Bass, and Dampier can occasionally hit an open 15-footer and put back a rebound.

So that leaves only 3 guys who can get you anything on offense above very basic levels of production. And Kidd cannot shoot unless he is left wide open off the pass. As far as creating things, he is great – but to whom shall he create this offense?

Dirk and Jet. Night after night. Dirk and Jet.

Let me ask you a question; Don’t you think the opposition knows this? Don’t you think the Lakers have some idea about this? They stick Gasol on Dirk and then help the whole night with Kobe and friends. Jet still gets one-on-one coverage, because he does most of his scoring from 25 feet. And yesterday, he did it very well.

That leaves Dirk to a) be the only scorer inside the 3 point line, and b) the key to the Lakers defensive efforts. Phil Jackson will do everything he can to not let #41 beat them.

You knew there were big issues again when the Mavs shot 48% in the 1st Quarter, held Kobe to 0 points, and were down 9!

The Mavs are short. Even with Josh Howard back, they are short a player or two.
And that isn’t going to change until the Mavs front office changes it.

That was what I felt last March - and obviously that did not change against Denver in the playoffs. The major beefs were simple:

1) - It was still a team largely based on jump shots. They did not get easy points.
2) - It was a team with 1-dimensional players. At any given time you had either an "offensive" line-up or a "defensive" line-up. You could not find 5 guys who could do both.
3) - It was a team that was not overly tough or difficult to play against.

So, how do you change to fabric of an entire team? You could do what many fans do, which is to blame Dirk for not being Kobe and Kidd for getting old, or you could try to methodically and with some level of stealth offer an opportunistic move here and there to slowly (but quickly - it was only May, 2009, right?)

First, the Shawn Marion move allowed you to put a guy on the floor that is both athletic (surely the most athletic of anyone on the squad at the time) and defensive minded in a frame that is comfortable on both ends of the court. Not near the offensive force that he once might have been, but you are not afraid of passing him the ball in the late stages of a key game. Unlike Josh Howard, he doesn't mind the ball when it matters.

Then, the bold strike on All-Star weekend, where you accomplished so much with one move that many of us thought it was just a dream.

1) - You went and got a 2-way wing player who can defend, can score, is tough, is composed, and is ready to rumble in Caron Butler.

2) - You also grabbed a guy who may be the best big man that Dirk has ever played with in Brendan Haywood - and I am pretty comfortable saying that after only 5 games. He is active. He is vertical. He has hands. He seems to have a brain. He seems to have the stomach for the fight. I think I am in love.

3) - You subtracted a guy in Josh Howard who had to go for so many reasons. He need a fresh start, but no more than the Mavs did. His mentality merged with Erick Dampier to show the NBA that the Mavs just don't have the bottle. They were the same tired team that spit the bit in 2006, 2007, and 2008. There was no reason to believe that it was going to continue to happen. Josh, who once had so much promise, now was the poster boy for what had gone wrong.

All in one move!

So now, the Mavs may not have what it takes to move past Denver or Los Angeles - we don't know the answer to that. But, we do know that they did everything in their power to change things.

1) - They can now get points in the paint. They can take the ball to the rim, they can get easy put backs with Haywood and Marion leaping in the paint, and they have guys who can finish Jason Kidd opportunities with more than 19-footers.

2) - They can run the same 5 guys on both ends of the court without dramatic mismatch issues at crunch time - Dirk, Kidd, Butler, Haywood, and Marion/Terry make up a 5-man unit that makes sense. They can all hold their own at both ends of the court. There is nobody with a pork chop hanging around their neck waiting to be taking advantage of by the opponent.

3) - And most importantly, it looks like a team that is not enjoyable to play against. I don't think these new additions fear a street fight. I don't think they will say "excuse me" when bumping into you, and no, I don't think they will let Kenyon Martin nail Dirk and just watch quietly.

They did it. Without changing their cap future, trading Dirk, or "blowing it up", they have actually followed a plan and figured out a massive over-haul on the fly.

Will it work? I don't know, but for once, I feel like I am not watching the same episode.

And that is all anyone can ask.

USA 5, Canada 3 - Medal Round is Next

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:14:00 -0500

Back after a short lay-off, let's get back to this blogging.

On Sunday Night, we were all treated to the reason that the NHL goes through the trouble to shut down the league and participate in the Olympics. Yes, it annoys us that they hide it on MSNBC. Yes, it is further maddening that for most of us, it wasn't even in High Definition. But, in the end, we were treated to that night that we all imagine when the premise of Canada vs USA is suggested. Or, the USSR vs the Czech Republic. Or, Finland vs Sweden. If the NHL is going to participate, and the players are going to do their part - which means they are going to play all out as if that is all they care about.

And it is happening. The caliber of hockey on Sunday is the type of day that finally makes all of the frustrating nonsense about the way the game is marketed seem like details that do not fully matter. The hockey is so intense, and so wonderful to behold, that I almost do not mind looking for the game on MSNBC and watching it in standard definition. This is playoff hockey - but more talented. There is never a chance to breathe because every time a Canadian player hops over the wall to join the game, he is another world class scoring threat. In the NHL, you target 5 or 6 guys - but in the Olympics, you better just go ahead and target them all.

Anyway, on Sunday night, I settled in to watch the USA play Canada for what seems like countless occasions in my life. It seems, regardless of setting, that when the USA plays Canada in hockey that the gap is just too much to overcome, and yet, I tune in everytime bracing for the worst and hoping for the best.

And yes, it is particularly weird knowing that Brenden Morrow plays for Canada, where as the closest thing we have to Dallas affiliation with Team USA would have to be Jamie Langenbrunner, our long-time buddy on those special teams back in the day. But, we have learned to deal with it. Our enemies are our friends, and our friends are our enemies. It is odd to cheer for a bunch of division rivals to beat Brenden and his mates, but put them in USA and Canada sweaters, and suddenly, it is easy for me to take sides.

Last night took me back to the World Cup of 1996, when a classic USA team of Modano, Hull, Roenick, LeClair, Richter, and friends took down Canada in a best of 3 final that made my heart swell - and yet nobody I talked to seemed to even know the tournament was going on. But, that was the only other time that our best beat their best. Until last night.

Now, before I get into the details that impressed me about the USA's victory, I do want to concede a few small points to our Canadian friends. 1) Canada lost in 2002 to Belarus at this stage of the tournament, but then when it came down to single elimination in the next stage, Canada went right through the field and won the gold. And 2) If these two teams play in a few days, the smart money should still be on Canada. This win is nice, but if you could choose when it would happen, you clearly want it to happen next Sunday - not yesterday.

Having said that, I will tell you what I told friends all weekend; After that performance against the Swiss on Thursday night, I fully expected the Canadians to light up the US like a Christmas tree on Sunday and run them out of the arena. I figured hearing them being doubted for 48 hours would have been enough to bring Canada to its finest level - now I am wondering if we are seeing their finest level. And what is worse? So are they. They are now seriously wondering how good they can be with this group of players at this time. Fascinating stuff.

And now, a few additional quick hits:

* And so we solve the amazing riddle of hockey yet again; Goaltending solves everything. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres, was so wonderful in his play that the USA always looked like they were in a fine position in the game. He is so composed, and so in control, and so big, that you always feel good with him back there. Based on the email, it appears he is still a very well kept secret in Dallas Stars' fandom, but Miller is exceptional. This is no fluke. His quality is such that he can steal the gold mostly by himself if he keeps this up.

* If you follow hockey even a little, you know that San Jose is one of the picks to get out of the West in the playoffs this year. Much of this relies on the fact that they have some of the most absurd elite-level talent as anyone in the league. In fact, they have the "HTMLine" featuring the superstars Heatley, Thornton, and Marleau on Team Canada. They can even put Dan Boyle in the back and have 4 Sharks on at the same time. It is a ton of talent and they have the added bonus of chemistry and continuity when the rest of the squad is not familiar with eachother. But, there is also the problem of the Joe Thornton reputation that has followed him for much of his career about doing big things at big moments. Rising to the occasion is not his forte, and although I find him an amazing player, I will also concede that last night when Crosby is battling tooth and nail and making plays, Thornton's line was a lot less effective.

* Brian Burke and Ron Wilson did what we needed them to do. The USA Hockey program has been served well by those names we all love so much, but at some point they needed to make a clean break. They needed to say goodbye to the legendary names and move on. There is a metaphor in here for the Dallas Stars or any sports organization when you weigh those who have fought so hard for you over the years versus those who can serve you well down the road. If you let the fans decide, we will always want to keep the old guys around because we think that A) they have earned it and B) we are comfortable with them. But, give Burke credit for doing it. He picked a largely anonymous, new team, and when the team was picked, we freaked out a bit because our names of comfort were not on there. But that team of new Americans is built for speed and for collisions. They are talented and young and an entire different style from what were used to. Most of all, they seem relentless and ready to scratch and claw to the death. I do like this team. Very scrappy, and very difficult to play against.

* Realizing that it has nothing to do with this game, You owe it to yourself to see Ovechkin's huge hit on Jagr . OV is so wonderful for hockey.

* From what I understand, the last 3 games that the USA is to play will be on NBC 5 in HD. The Quarterfinal will have the Top Seeded US against the winner of Belarus - Switzerland on Wednesday. The hockey is going to be awesome this week. I still am not sure I think the USA can get to the finals, but I am also starting to ask, Why Not?

ICE ICE BABY

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:50:00 -0500

With the XXI Olympic Winter Games underway in Vancouver, it’s just a short time until the main event drops the puck on the most anticipated hockey tournament in North America since 2002.

That year was special in not only the fact it was on home soil in Salt Lake City, Utah but because it was the last time the great Herb Brooks would coach on the world’s stage. The United States lost to Team Canada in a classic gold medal battle that Joe Sakic and Mario Lemieux led to a 5-2 victory.

THE TOURNAMENT RULES

On Tuesday at high noon this year’s installment of the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament will get underway as the United States will take on Switzerland, followed by the hometown and odds on favorites Team Canada playing "host" to Norway.

The 30 game, 12 team tournament, will consist of three pools of four that will play round robin for seeds 1-12. The top four teams, three pool winners and one wild card will have a bye into the quarterfinal round. The eight remaining teams will play for the final four spots of the quarterfinal round making up the eight team field competing for the Olympic Medals. It will conclude on February 28th with the Gold Medal Game at 12:15.

NHL RINK
This will be the first time that the Olympics will be played on an NHL sized rink (200 x 85 ft) rather than an Olympic sized sheet (200 x 98.5 ft). Apparently it was suppose to save millions on renovations and will allow more people to be in the building.

800 Pound Gorilla Anyone?

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:46:00 -0500

Stars Trade Review: Kari Lehtonen

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:28:00 -0500

And so the Joe Nieuwendyk era continues with a very interesting move. So interesting, in fact, that lost in this shuffle was a very legitimate road result in Chicago last night that could have easily been 2 desperately needed points. At least they were able to put a point in the bank. Something about seeing the Blackhawks across the ice brings out pretty nice efforts from our Dallas Stars. They need to finish this portion of the schedule (At Calgary, At Phoenix) with a few more points, and then they can have a March with substance when the Olympics are completed.

But, we aren't here to talk about a Tuesday game in February. We are here to discuss what the acquisition of Kari Lethonen means to the long term health of the Dallas Stars organization.

Last night, as you know by now, Lethonen was snagged by the Stars from Atlanta at the rather sizeable sum of the Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 4th round pick.

OK, where to begin....Let me just grab a topic and go with it:

* How good is Lehtonen? Well, he is one of only 3 goalies to be picked in the Top 3 spots of the draft in the last decade (Rick Dipietro, Marc-Andre Fleury) so we know he has the pedigree. He is 26, and he has talent to the moon and back. He is big, quick, and has scouts drooling with what he could accomplish at this level. He has also played for a team that has never really built much of a defense around him, and has been a guy who has not been overly healthy for his career. The guys on the NHL network this morning were even discussing his work ethic or the idea that he may not "want it" as bad as a guy at this level must. Also, he has not played all year because of back surgery. I don't know about you, but when I hear a goalie and back surgery, it is very similar to a pitcher with elbow issues. So, that gives me pause, too.

* Now some disclosure: I watch all Stars games. Then, on non-Stars nights, I gravitate to certain teams in either the division or teams I am interested in through my decades of loving hockey. They generally are: Edmonton, Calgary, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Washington, and the NY Rangers. I don't know why, but if the Stars are not playing, and there are no big Pacific Division games, I find my way to those teams on Center Ice, preferably playing eachother. The reason I tell you this is that if there are teams I DO go out of my way to watch, there must also be teams that I almost NEVER watch. Enter, the Atlanta Thrashers. I hate to say it, but there is a reasonable chance if the Stars are not playing them that I don't see them play 3 times a year. So with that in mind, I just want to be honest - I have almost no original opinion about Kari Lehtonen. Everything I feel is from information people I trust have written or said. Just some disclosure for you.

* On the health issues: I have to believe since it is Nieuwy's first major player move, he has done his due diligence on both the back issues and the overall skills/upside of the player that will go a long way in forging his performance record early on. There is much at stake, and people around Joe are quick to tell you how deliberate he is about almost everything he does. Maybe not Bob Gainey deliberate, but surely a guy who looks at every angle before he does something like this.

* On the three goalie thing: I suggest that what they are saying is smart business. The word is that they are not intent on moving a goalie here before March 3 and just covering themselves for the summer. But, I don't believe you trade your debated #1 prospect for an insurance policy. I believe they think Lehtonen is the #1 around here for the next several years, and are just saying the right things to keep their bargaining power high in the Turco marketplace. We know money is tight, so to bring in a player of a decent salary ($3M), there is a chance that money must now go out before the deadline. Also, carrying 3 goalies is not ideal for a team trying to make a playoff run. In my opinion, and I have no inside scoop here, the management team is going to sit back, watch the Olympics, and in the event of a contender suffering an Olympic injury between the pipes, the Stars will be working the phones. I don't believe there is any chance of a Turco extension now. Again, just my opinion. I appreciate Marty as much as the next guy, but the writing seems there for all to see.

* On losing Ivan: I think it is easy to say this kid is the "next Zubov", but there is only one #56. He is a talented kid who will spend years in the league, but is he special? Or is he a guy? Again, Les Jackson/Brett Hull/Doug Armstrong may have felt one way on Vishnevskiy, but perhaps what they saw was based on his development and realizing his immense skating talent and becoming a true elite offensive defenseman. And, since they are no longer pulling the trigger around here, it is up to the new regime to figure if they should ride it out or flip him now we the league still thinks he can be that. Joe has looked and looked and perhaps decided that for the right offer, Ivan can be had as bait. You have to give to get in this league, but if you think he is really Zubie II, you don't trade him for a goalie with back issues. So, we can assume he didn't feel that way. Now, we hold our breath and hope he is right.

* Overall, I have no problem with this move - assuming that the Stars obviously feel like this kid is ready to break out between the pipes. They want to turn the page and they think Kari is the guy to help them get there. If things go right, he could still be your goalie in 7 years. Now it is time to help him by solidifying the blueline in front of him. But, it sure looks like the Stars are turning the page and building with a newer, younger group.

Ask Sports Sturm: NFL Franchise Rankings, 9.0

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:17:00 -0500

The 9th annual NFL Franchise Rankings are ready for your viewing pleasure. We have tabulated the latest figures after the 2009 Playoffs and Super Bowl 44. This year, the biggest gain was the gigantic leap of the New Orleans Saints, which jumped from #31 to #23 all-time with 1 big year. Also, the Colts jumped into the Top 10, by passing the Vikings, Rams, and Giants in '09.

The Top 9 teams remain unchanged, as the Cowboys increased their small lead over the Steelers to 6 points, 108-102. Then, there is a giant gap before #3 San Francisco at 85 points, Oakland at 77, and then another large gap to #5 New England.

At the very bottom remains the Houston Texans who have never made the playoffs - therefore they have 0 points. But, since they are an expansion team, we should point out that the worst teams in the franchise rankings are actually the Lions with 11 points, and the Cardinals with 10.

So, what are these rankings all about? Here is what I wrote last year:

To recap, a few years ago, a good strong listener asked me to rank the franchises from #32 to #1 based on their accomplishments from Super Bowl I to present.

So I did. I wanted it to be objective, not subjective. I wanted it to be a formula and you would just enter the numbers and it would spit out the rankings with no favoritism or prejudice. We have been doing this since 2001. Since then, it has been imitated a time or two , but I don’t mind. It is pretty obvious idea for any sports nerd to come up with.

Here is how it works. Each Franchise gets 1 point for each season it makes the playoffs. Then, if it reaches the Conference Championship Game it gets a total of 3 points. If it makes the Super Bowl it gets 5, and if it wins the Super Bowl it wins the maximum total of points in a given year of 11. It used to be 10 for the Super Bowl, but I have adjusted it this year because I didn’t like the idea that 2 Super Bowl losses equaled a Super Bowl win. So, Now 11 points for a win and 5 for a loss in the Super Bowl.

I have been asked why no points are given for wins in the Wildcard round, but I decided that would not make sense with the idea that the playoffs have grown over the years and there is no way to equalize a smaller field to a larger one. Also, a Wildcard win is not that big a deal anymore with 6 teams in the playoffs, so unless you reach the Conference Title game, no additional points beyond the 1 for making the post-season.

I also have been asked how come I don’t go by average points per season (since many teams have joined the league since Super Bowl 1. My answer is simple: I don’t want to penalize teams who have been in the league all of the years. If you go by average points per year rather than total points, it is possible that the Baltimore Ravens would have been #1 if they had won the Super Bowl this year. No chance I would believe that premise, given that they didn’t exist prior to 1996. But, if a team has been established since the season of Super Bowl 1 (1966), it is notated.
Just add up the points for all the years, and that is the entire formula.

Otherwise, I break ties based on the team with more Super Bowl wins, then Super Bowl losses, then Championship Game wins, etc. There are no ties. I will settle it somehow.

I have decided to add the category this year in version 9.0 that many have requested - average pts per year - so that we may determine results based on years in the league. 24 of the 32 teams have been here the entire span of the 44 years of Super Bowl football, but this metric will help put the other 8 teams: Saints '67, Bengals '68, Seahawks '76, Buccaneers '76, Jaguars '95, Panthers '95, Ravens '96, and Texans '02. Also, the Browns missed 96-98, so they only have 41 seasons to work with.

So, let's check the Feb 2010 update:



#1 - Dallas Cowboys (Last Year, #1)

Total Points: 108
Total Playoff Years: 66C, 67C, 68, 69, 70SL, 71S, 72C, 73C, 75SL, 76, 77S, 78SL, 79, 80C, 81C, 82C, 83, 85, 91, 92S, 93S, 94C, 95S, 96, 98, 99, 03, 06, 07, 09

P: 30
4: 8
2: 3
1: 5

Average: 2.45 points per season



#2 - Pittburgh Steelers (#2)

Total Points: 102
Total Playoff Years: 72C, 73, 74S, 75S, 76C, 77, 78S, 79S, 82, 83, 84C, 89, 92, 93, 94C, 95SL, 96, 97C, 01C, 02, 04C, 05S, 07, 08S

P: 24
4: 7
2: 1
1: 6

Average: 2.31 per season
















#3 - San Francisco 49ers (#3)

Total Points: 85
Total Playoff Years: 70C, 71C, 72, 81S, 83C, 84S, 85, 86, 87, 88S, 89S, 90C, 92C, 93C, 94S, 95, 96, 97C, 98, 01, 02

P: 21
4: 7
2: 0
1: 5

Average: 1.93



#4 - Oakland Raiders (#4)

Total Points: 77
Total Playoff Years: 67SL, 68C, 69C, 70C, 72, 73C, 74C, 75C, 76S, 77C, 80S, 82, 83S, 84, 85, 90C, 91, 93, 00C, 01, 02SL

P: 21
4: 9
2: 2
1: 3

Average: 1.75



#5 - New England Patriots (#5)

Total Points: 60
Total Playoff Years: 76, 78, 82, 85SL, 86, 94, 96SL, 97, 98, 01S, 03S, 04S, 05, 06C, 07SL, 09

P: 16
4: 1
2: 3
1: 3

Average: 1.36



#6 - Miami Dolphins (#6)

Total Points: 58
Total Playoff Years: 70, 71SL, 72S, 73S, 74, 78, 79, 81, 82SL, 83, 84SL, 85C, 90, 92C, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 08

P: 22
4: 2
2: 3
1: 2

Average: 1.32



# 7 - Denver Broncos (#7)

Total Points: 57
Total Playoff Years: 77SL, 78, 79, 83, 84, 86SL, 87SL, 89SL, 91C, 93, 96, 97S, 98S, 00, 03, 04, 05C

P: 17
4: 2
2: 4
1: 2

Average: 1.29



#8 - Washington Redskins (#8)

Total Points: 56
Total Playoff Years: 71, 72SL, 73, 74, 76, 82S, 83SL, 84, 86C, 87S, 90, 91S, 92, 99, 05, 07

P: 16
4: 1
2: 2
1: 3

Average: 1.27



#9 - Green Bay Packers (#9)

Total Points: 54
Total Playoff Years: 66S, 67S, 72, 82, 93, 94, 95C, 96S, 97SL, 98, 01, 02, 03, 04, 07C, 09

P: 16
4: 2
2: 1
1: 3

Average: 1.23



#10 - Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts (#13)

Total Points: 53
Total Playoff Years: 68SL, 70S, 71C, 75, 76, 77, 87, 95C, 96, 99, 00, 02, 03C, 04, 05, 06S, 07, 08, 09SL

P: 19
4: 3
2: 2
1: 2

Average: 1.20
















#11 - Minnesota Vikings (#11)

Total Points: 52
Total Playoff Years: 68, 69SL, 70, 71, 73SL, 74SL, 75, 76SL, 77C, 78, 80, 82, 87C, 88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 98C, 99, 00C, 04, 08, 09C

P: 26
4: 5
2: 4
1: 0

Average: 1.18



#12 - St Louis/Los Angeles Rams (#10)

Total Points: 51
Total Playoff Years: 67, 69, 73, 74C, 75C, 76C, 77, 78C, 79SL, 80, 83, 84, 85C, 86, 88, 89C, 99S, 00, 01SL, 03, 04

P: 21
4: 6
2: 2
1: 1

Average: 1.16



#13 - New York Giants (#12)

Total Points: 48
Total Playoff Years: 81, 84, 85, 86S, 89, 90S, 93, 97, 00SL, 02, 05, 06, 07S, 08

P: 14
4: 0
2: 1
1: 3

Average: 1.09



#14 - Buffalo Bills (#14)

Total Points: 34
Total Playoff Years: 66C, 74, 80, 81, 88C, 89, 90SL, 91SL, 92SL, 93SL, 95, 96, 98, 99

P: 14
4: 2
2: 4
1: 0

Average: 0.77

Note: Bills have Super Bowl tie breaker on Eagles, 4-2.



#15 - Philadelphia Eagles (#15)

Total Points: 34
Total Playoff Years: 78, 79, 80SL, 81, 88, 89, 90, 92, 95, 96, 00, 01C, 02C, 03C, 04SL, 06, 08C, 09

P: 18
4: 4
2: 2
1: 0

Average: 0.77



#16 - Chicago Bears (#16)

Total Points: 31
Total Playoff Years: 77, 79, 84C, 85S, 86, 87, 88C, 90, 91, 94, 01, 05, 06SL

P: 13
4: 2
2: 1
1: 1

Average: 0.70



#17 - Kansas City Chiefs (#17)

Total Points: 30
Total Playoff Years: 66SL, 68, 69S, 71, 86, 90, 91, 92, 93C, 94, 95, 97, 03, 06

P: 14
4: 1
2: 1
1: 1

Average: 0.68

Note: Chiefs have tie-breaker on Titans with the Lombardi Trophy edge, 1-0.



#18 - Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers (#18)

Total Points: 30
Total Playoff Years: 67C, 69, 78C, 79C, 80, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 99SL, 00, 02C, 03, 07, 08

P: 18
4: 4
2: 1
1: 0

Average: 0.68



#19 - New York Jets (#19)

Total Points: 29
Total Playoff Years: 68S, 69, 81, 82C, 85, 86, 91, 98C, 01, 02, 04, 06, 09C

P: 13
4: 3
2: 0
1: 1

Average: 0.66



#20 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#20)

Established 1976

Total Points: 24
Total Playoff Years: 79C, 81, 82, 97, 99C, 00, 01, 02S, 05, 07

P: 10
4: 2
2: 0
1: 1

Average: 0.70

Note: Bucs win tiebreak on Browns with Lombardi Trophy, 1-0.



#21 - Cleveland Browns (#21)

Total Points: 24
Total Playoff Years: 67, 68C, 69C, 71, 72, 80, 82, 85, 86C, 87C, 88, 89C, 94, 02

P: 14
4: 5
2: 0
1: 0

Average: 0.54
















#22 - San Diego Chargers (#22)

Total Points: 22
Total Playoff Years: 79, 80C, 81C, 82, 92, 94SL, 95, 04, 06, 07C, 08, 09

P: 12
4: 3
2: 1
1: 0

Average: 0.50



#23 – New Orleans Saints (#31)

Established 1967

Total Points: 19
Total Playoff Years: 87, 90, 91, 92, 00, 06C, 09S

P: 7
4: 1
2: 0
1: 1

Average: 0.44



#24 – Baltimore Ravens (#23)

Established 1996

Total Points: 18
Total Playoff Years: 00S, 01, 03, 06, 08C, 09

P: 6
4: 1
2: 0
1: 1

Average: 1.29



#25 - Cincinnati Bengals (#24)

Established 1968

Total Points: 17
Total Playoff Years: 70, 73, 75, 81SL, 82, 88SL, 90, 05, 09

P: 9
4: 0
2: 2
1: 0

Average: 0.40



#26 - Seattle Seahawks (#25)

Established 1976

Total Points: 16
Total Playoff Years: 83C, 84, 87, 88, 99, 03, 04, 05SL, 06, 07

P: 10
4: 1
2: 1
1: 0

Average: 0.47



#27 – Atlanta Falcons (#26)

Total Points: 15
Total Playoff Years: 78, 80, 82, 91, 95, 98SL, 02, 04C, 08

P: 9
4: 1
2: 1
1: 0

Average: 0.34



#28 - Carolina Panthers (#27)

Established 1995

Total Points: 12
Total Playoff Years: 96C, 03SL, 05C, 08

P: 4
4: 2
2: 1
1: 0

Average: 0.80
















#29 - Detroit Lions (#28)

Total Points: 11
Total Playoff Years: 70, 82, 83, 91C, 93, 94, 95, 97, 99

P: 9
4: 1
2: 0
1: 0

Average: 0.25

















#30 – Arizona/St Louis Cardinals (#30)

Total Points: 10
Total Playoff Years: 74, 75, 82, 98, 08SL, 09

P: 6
4: 0
2: 1
1: 0

Average: 0.23



#31 – Jacksonville Jaguars (#29)

Established 1995

Total Points: 10
Total Playoff Years: 96C, 97, 98, 99C, 05, 07

P: 6
4: 2
2: 0
1: 0

Average: 0.66



#32 – Houston Texans (32)

Established 2002

Total Points: 0
Total Playoff Years: None

P: 0
4: 0
2: 0
1: 0

Average: 0.00

Explanation of Years:
Just the year means they made the playoffs (1 point). Year followed by “C” means they lost in the Conference Championship Game (3 points), Year followed by “SL” means they lost the Super Bowl (5 points), and Year followed by “S” means they won the Super Bowl (11 points).

Version 8.0

Version 7.0 …

Version 6.0 …

Super Bowl XLIV: Saints 31, Colts 17

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:59:00 -0500

It was a brilliant stand-off. A duel, if you will. Two gun-slinging cowboys who had all of the stakes on the line. All the chips were in the middle of the table. So, who would blink first?

And, at the moment of truth, the one who doesn't blink did. Peyton Manning, who might have been one throw from the top of the pyramid of QB immortality, tumbled as Tracy Porter sat on the slant to Reggie Wayne, jumped the route, and raced 74 yards to seal the unlikely win for a franchise that had never won a thing.

The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl Champions. It seems odd to say, but the fairy tale that was 5 years in the making has been completed. And Drew Brees, the co-main character in the movie, played an almost perfect game to take down the Goliath across the field in the film's climax. It would come down to who would make the first mistake - the only mistake. Who would not match the other; Peyton or Brees? A great match given that neither make many mistakes. But Brees survived, and Peyton took the walk of shame back to his sideline.

Meanwhile, the other co-main, Sean Payton, deserves plenty of mention himself. Hard to recall any coach roll the dice as often as Payton did in the biggest game of his career. Go for it on 4th Down? Onside kick to start the 2nd half? And blitz Manning on the 3rd and 5 that will go down as the play that Tracy Porter decided the game? Yes, Yes, and Yes. Payton did not want to wake up and have any regrets about moves he could have made. He wanted to leave it all out on the table. I think that some of his moves perhaps told us that he knew he was going to have to roll the bones to have a chance against the Colts. He knew that a straight-up match might not be a fair fight. He was going to have to get creative. And, despite the 4th down not working out, the tone had been set that he was going for it.

And yes, Dallas fans, I have received your emails. I just don't know if anyone would have fired Bill Parcells to keep Sean Payton at the time. You could make the case that Jerry Jones could/should have signed Payton to a deal similar to Jason Garrett's deal that says he will take over when Parcells left, but perhaps the only reason Garrett has that deal is because of Payton. Further, if your ambition is to be a head coach, 90% of guys take the bird in the hand over the two in the bush, which means Payton would have left anyway when the Saints made their offer. The other 10% include Garrett who has turned down at least 2 head coaching jobs since he signed that deal with Jerry.

Anyway, in the biggest game, it came down to Brees and Payton leading the way for their Saints. And now they are Super Bowl Champions. A very entertaining and enjoyable night of NFL football on the grand stage.

Let's do some scatter-shooting:

* Turnovers. The stat that determines the outcome of a game more than any other stat once again helped determine the winner of Super Bowl 44. Simply put, the team that stays out of trouble almost always wins. In the 2009 NFL Playoffs, there were 11 games played. And the winners of the turnover battle? 10-0-1. Only the Colts-Jets AFC Title game was even to keep it going a perfect 11-0. But, as you can see, not one team won in the playoffs when having a negative turnover margin. A perfect post-season for one of the oldest NFL truism. No matter how much football evolves, it cannot get away from that. There was only 1 mis-handle of the ball that ended up falling into enemy hands - and it was the ultimate kill shot.

* In an era where it seems blitzing is the only way to slow down QBs, I found it particularly interesting last night that both teams largely conceded that it is too dangerous to blitz the other's QB. Brees and Manning have actually scared many of their opponents into not pressuring at all (not including Rex Ryan). But, really, both QBs had all day. Whereas, the game before, Greg Williams blitz Brett Favre plenty and beat him physically. With Manning, he hardly blitzed at all, but saved for a few key moments in the game, including the 3rd and 5 I have now referenced again. It is the ultimate pick-your-poison scenario, and most of us will always prefer the blitz from our defense - but it should be noted that most of the damage that both QBs did last night was on passes of less than 10 yards and a series of dump offs and quick WR routes. It makes it more difficult to get guys open down field if you drop 7 into coverage, and both QBs get rid of the ball very quickly in normal Down-and-Distance situations so that they almost never get touched.

* Pierre Thomas is a punishing RB who seems like a load to bring down. Really, quite a playoff for guys named "Pierre" as he was joined in the endzone by Pierre Garcon again. Surely the biggest such season ever.

* Speaking of RBs, was everyone else aware that the 26-yard carry for Joseph Addai was his longest since Christmas Eve, 2006? That seems shockingly pedestrian.

* As I wrote about last week , an entire career can turn on one play. In South Florida, Peyton Manning was being crowned as one of the very best QBs of all time pending his assumed victory in his 2nd Super Bowl. Was he as good as Joe Montana? Was he better than Aikman? But, 1 crazy 2-point conversion followed a few minutes later with a jumped route, and now we are all looking at Peyton's all time playoff record of 9-9 and wondering what is so impressive about that. 1 play. From penthouse to being questioned again. There is only 1 way to survive the insanity of the greatness argument - retire 2 days after you win your Super Bowl. If Drew Brees was worried about an unqualified legacy, he should retire right now. Hopefully, none of these guys play football to satisfy message boards and talk shows, because there are very few who ever can do that.

* Thank goodness for instant replay. Although I cannot swear they totally interpreted the rule properly, how big was that 2-point conversion? In real time, it looked proper to say Lance Moore never controlled the ball. But in slow motion, it seemed clear that he did. Does everything happen the same after the fact if it is just 22-17? Maybe. But, it is a major difference in thinking that the Colts are driving to send this game into overtime rather than driving to win the game out-right at 24-22. Anyway, that is a long way of saying that I appreciate the technological advances in trying to get calls right.

* You will remember the name Garrett Hartley after this last month, right? 4 weeks ago, I am not sure I could name the Saints kicker, but after putting one of the most "money" performances for a kicker in the 2 biggest games of the season, he has cemented a chance at a nice long career in the NFL. Southlake is proud, I am sure. What a job.

* Don't we all expect a little better from Reggie Wayne? He is generally unquestioned in his performances, but two pretty key moments happened that can be linked to #87; Porter beating him to the spot on the slant (which absolutely cannot happen), and then the TD that went through his hands on the Colts final drive that might have at least made an onside kick attempt. It has been pretty clear that the gameplan has been to make Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie beat you, and I wonder how Reggie Wayne has been able to stay in the game and to continue to be ready for his moment. He did have 11 targets in the game, but only generated 46 yards from that total - 5th most on the Colts. Not a great performance at all.

* Having studied the Cowboys game plan all season, I was interested in charting personnel groups for both teams last night. There were two discoveries worthy of mention. First, for the Colts, it is clear that they have one primary personnel group that is 1RB-1TE-3WR or as we call "11". They do not rotate in new groups like Garrett does every snap, but rather play almost the entirety of the game with either "11" or "S11" with Manning in Shotgun. Otherwise, the only personnel change would be Joseph Addai to Donald Brown. Almost no 2 TE, 2 WR, or FB in the entire offense. Interesting. Then for the Saints, they wanted to have all 3 WR to one side of the field with Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey on the weak side running their games against safeties or Line Backers. They did this quite a bit, including the long pass play to Bush and the TD to Shockey. It is really just about finding match-ups, and if you put all of your speed WRs on one side of the field, you force the defense to match it, and thus, expose themselves on the weak side. I enjoy football.

* Because this is interesting to me, I always try to update the record books with help from Elias Sports Bureau :

Super Bowl records set in Super Bowl XLIV

-Highest completion percentage, career (minimum: 30 completions): 82.1, Drew Brees, New Orleans
-Most completions, game, both teams: 63, New Orleans (32) vs. Indianapolis (31)
-Highest completion percentage, game, both teams: 75.0, New Orleans (82.1) vs. Indianapolis (68.9)
-Most field goals, 40-or-more yards, game: 3, Garrett Hartley, N.O.
-Oldest player: 42, Matt Stover, Indianapolis

Super Bowl records tied in Super Bowl XLIV

Largest deficit overcome, winning team: 10 points, New Orleans
Most completions, game: 32, Drew Brees, N.O.
Most two-point conversions, game: 1, Lance Moore, N.O.
Most yards, touchdown drive: 96, Indianapolis
Most first downs passing, game, both teams: 32, Indianapolis (16) vs. New Orleans (16)
Fewest rushing attempts, game, both teams: 37, New Orleans (18) vs. Indianapolis (19)
Most completions, game, team: 32, New Orleans
Fewest times sacked, game, team: 0, Indianapolis
Fewest times sacked, game, both teams: 1, Indianapolis (0) vs. New Orleans (1)
Fewest fumbles, game, both teams: 0, Indianapolis vs. New Orleans
Fewest turnovers, game, team: 0, New Orleans

* Finally, just a simple note about the Saints fans. I think in this cynical society, we want to laugh at someone who can lose their minds over something as trivial as a sporting event, but I want to avoid that here. I think it is awesome when we can find a truly long-suffering fan base that has not been ruined by success and greed and entitlement. You see, Saints fans at this moment in time are experiencing victory for the very 1st time. Like a kiss, there is never a 2nd time that holds up. The truth is, in 3 or 4 years, Saints fans may grow into the same fans that annoy us from those who win regularly and demand excellence or else. There is something refreshing about a team that has never won. There is crying and joy and amazing elation that can never be matched again. So, as the scene in New Orleans is going on, with even the extra baggage of a natural disaster still being felt, this is a moment where I think most people, regardless of who they root for, can feel great for that city and organization. They are one of the last fan bases who "deserve" this. Long-suffering, die-hard fans are hard to find anymore. Good for them.

I love my sports, there is no doubt about it. But, I love my NFL more. You can tell me that pitchers and catchers are about to report or that the Daytona 500 is next week or that March Madness is right around the corner, but it just isn't the same. With the end of last night's game, it dawned on me, yet again, that the greatest league in the world is going competitively dark for the next 7 months. And that makes me miss it already.

Hurry back, NFL.

Top 10 Super Bowls

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:16:00 -0500

Super Bowl 44 Prediction Time

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:13:00 -0500

Tis the last morning in South Florida so let's knock out a few last items and do a show and get out of here. Good times, but you know, home sweet home is always better than wherever we go. Seriously.

I have the Colts winning this Super Bowl for a number of reasons, not the least of which boils down to what might be the greatest QB of our generation, Peyton Manning, under center. At first I tried to deny it, and then it became incredibly undeniable. He is awesome. He is the best. He is in control and happy to receive your blitz and then to burn it.

There are plenty of interesting elements to this game that can keep it extremely close, and if things go just right there is no reason the Saints cannot spring an upset, but it is really at your own peril to pick against Peyton Manning these days. I just refuse to do it given the way he is playing right now.

COLTS 31, SAINTS 24

Honestly, my biggest question is wondering what this means to his overall legacy. Assuming he wins, is he all-time Top 5? Top 3?

2 fun facts from the last time the Colts played a Super Bowl in Miami just 3 years ago:

1. The last 5 #1 seeds to make the Super Bowl from the NFC have lost. Bears, Seahawks, Eagles, Rams and Giants.

The Saints are the #1 seed from the NFC.

2. In all four Super Bowls played in Dolphins/Joe Robbie Stadium the losing team has had a kickoff return for a TD. Bengals ('89) - Stanford Jennings; Chargers ('95) - Andre Coleman; Falcons ('99) - Tim Dwight; Bears ('07) - Devon Hester

Not sure what you would do with that 2nd one, except dazzle your friends.

===================================

By popular demand, The 1999 SI Feature on Peyton Manning that we reference all of the time. He is a football genius, but perhaps not the sharpest tool in life. Or, maybe it is just an awesome counter story in his portfolio.


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HALL OF FAME

Earlier in the week , we debated this incoming class for the hall of fame:

Here is who we have this year:



HALL OF FAME FINALISTS

Player Pos. Team(s) Years
Tim Brown WR LA/Oak., TB 1988-04
Cris Carter WR Phil., Min., Mia 1987-02
Don Coryell Coach StL Cards, SD 1973-86
Roger Craig RB SF, LA Rai., Min. 1983-93
Dermonti Dawson C Pitt. 1988-00
Richard Dent DE Chi, SF, Ind., Phi 1983-97
Russ Grimm G Wash. 1981-91
Charles Haley DE-LB SF, Dallas 1986-99*
Rickey Jackson LB New Orl., SF 1981-95
Cortez Kennedy DT Seattle 1990-00
Dick LeBeau CB Detroit 1959-72
Floyd Little RB Denver 1967-75
John Randle DT Minn., Sea. 1990-03
Andre Reed WR Buff., Wash. 1985-00
Jerry Rice WR SF, Oak., Sea. 1985-04
Shannon Sharpe TE Den., Bal. 1990-03
Emmitt Smith RB Dallas, Ari. 1990-04



I am pretty sure that Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are in. So, we have 2-4 more spots to roll with.

Lebeau and Little are Veteran committee selections so I think they generally have an excellent chance. So that leaves Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Andre Reed, Shannon Sharpe, Charles Haley, Richard Dent, and Don Coryell as the front runners to battle for the final 2 or 3 spots.

Last night, I had a chance to visit with the Goose, Rick Gosselin, and pick his brain extensively about the process and the Hall of Fame class, 2010.

First off, know that there are 44 voters (Blind Vote) and that it requires 36 or more votes to be inducted. "9 and you're dead" was the quote the Goose used. Must eclipse 80% to break on through to the other side.

He wrote earlier this week about the deep WR class, And his view that only Rice gets in this year :

Jerry Rice retired from the NFL as the game's all-time leading receiver. He figures to be the first wideout enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot since Steve Largent in 1995.

That was 15 years ago.

That's bad news for Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed – the other three wide receivers in the finals for the Class of 2010. Canton has not enshrined two wideouts in the same class since Bobby Mitchell and Paul Warfield in 1983.

That was 27 years ago.

Like Largent and Rice, Art Monk retired as the NFL's career receiving leader. But he wasn't enshrined until his eighth year of eligibility. Lynn Swann waited 14 years, John Stallworth 10 and Don Maynard nine.

Bob Hayes waited 29 years after the clock started ticking on his eligibility for enshrinement, and Tommy McDonald waited 25. Both candidacies were rescued by the Hall of Fame's senior committee.

There are 20 wideouts in the Hall of Fame but there has been no rush to enshrine them.

The selection committee seems to be waiting to absorb the explosion of receiving statistics. When Largent went in, his 819 catches were an NFL record. He now ranks 20th.

There are six receivers with 1,000 career catches, including Rice, Carter and Brown. Four more wideouts could join them in the next two seasons. The committee is trying to sort out how much of that can be attributed to talent and how much to the changing style of the game.

Then, he wrote about Haley's chances on Tuesday :

The numbers have long been out of whack in Canton. There have been 214 men enshrined in the Hall of Fame in the game's modern era. More than half (50.9 percent) of them played on offense – but only 30.4 percent on defense and 18.2 percent coaches and contributors.

The NFL axiom is that defense wins championships, but it obviously doesn't get you inducted into Canton. There are 109 offensive players enshrined and only 65 defensive players. In fact, there are more offensive skills players – 68 quarterbacks, running backs and receivers – than all defensive players combined.

That disparity in numbers gives Haley reason for hope in his first trip as a finalist. A maximum of five modern-era candidates will be selected for the Class of 2010, and Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith already have claims on two of those spots.

But there has been a trend in recent years to close the gap between offense and defense in the Hall. The last two years marked the first time in history that back-to-back classes have featured more defensive enshrinees than offensive.

So I'm speculating that two of the remaining three spots in the Class of 2010 would go to defensive players. There are only five defensive candidates: pass rushers Haley and Richard Dent, tackles Cortez Kennedy and John Randle and linebacker Rickey Jackson.

As one candidate in a slate of 15, Haley would stand less than a 10 percent chance of being included in the Class of 2010. But as one candidate in a slate of five defenders, his chances could increase to 20 percent.

From all I have read, here are my picks for the 2010 Hall of Fame class (although there is always a shocker):

Jerry Rice
Emmitt Smith
Dick LeBeau - check his numbers. Remarkable CB.
Richard Dent
Shannon Sharpe
John Randle

I think Haley, Reed, Brown, and Chris Carter are also in eventually (Jackson, Dawson, and Coryell have me on the fence), but those 6 above are my ballot. Boy, I would love to have a ballot. I think that might be my biggest sports media aspiration.

Greatness Determined Here

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:27:00 -0500

This Super Bowl week gives me a great opportunity to see Super Bowl History come to life. It is the ultimate football museum on radio row. Whether it be the players from those famous games or artifacts from those moments we all scream for, it is quite obvious that these historic games determine the future perception of these men.

Watching Joe Montana walk the room is absolutely a stop down event no matter how many times you have seen him. Everyone treats him differently than pretty much anyone else that walks through. He is at the top level of this museum.

Amazing, really. As it pertains to the Colts and Saints, they are determining their future. All these athletes have done to get to this point - and it is a lifetime of dedication and hard work - may not matter. Instead, it shall be based on the results and events of Sunday, February 7, 2010.

Think about a guy like Drew Brees career. Success in High School, fame at Purdue, achievements in San Diego, and then the revival of a franchise in New Orleans. But, if he tanks on Sunday, he could be walking around the media center at Super Bowl 57 in a similar way that Dan Fouts and Boomer Esiason do, but not the way Montana and Troy Aikman do.

Because Montana and Aikman represent the victors. They were the Champions of this ultimate game. They had the opportunity and seized the moment. Esiason? He tried, but then Montana took his football immortality away. Fouts? Never even had the chance to play here. Jim Kelly? He had a Super Bowl moment - or 4 - but how was his legacy changed by Scott Norwood? And how did Norwood help cement Bill Parcells as a guy who shouldn't be 2nd guessed?

Funny thing, if you think about it. Eli Manning is in a group that Dan Marino will never be in. And what makes that discussion so odd to me is that Archie Manning must understand this better than anyone. Does he really think that both of his sons are not just a little better than he was - but WAY better than he was? Does Archie really believe that they figured out QB so much more effectively than he did? Archie has tons of class, so I doubt he would ever speak 100% honestly about his feelings, but somewhere deep inside he has to wonder about his legacy - not his family's. And his legacy was based largely on the fact that he never had a chance to be immortal in our football terms. He was on a team that never had a chance.

Did that make him less of a QB? Or Kelly? Or Marino? Or Peyton Manning before 2006? Now we speak of Archie's son as if he belongs on a pedestal right next to Joe Montana if he finds success in Super Bowl 44. And I don't think this is a wrong viewpoint as he has been revealed as an absolute football genius - but, when did we finally realize it? I will tell you. It was realized only when he had a ring to back up what our eyes were telling us.

And that is what I am conflicted about. We all know very well that statistics are the best way to measure a man's individual performance in a team-game climate. We use it to judge one player against another on a routine basis in all of our team sports that we love. And yet, when we need to measure a man's entire life's accomplishments, we use rings and championships which are fully dependent on those who joined that man in his quest for immortality.

Football is the oddest of all of these sports, because unlike basketball where we determine whose team it is based on who the best player is (Celtics - Bird-SF, Bulls - Jordan-SG, Lakers - Shaquille-C). In basketball, regardless of position, the best player gets the credit. But in football we seem to always attach historical significance to a team based on who their QB is. Sometimes there is no difference - their best player is their QB - but other times, it is clear that the QB is simply part of an ensemble cast. And yet, when they win, even if Eli Manning contributes 20% or 25% of his team's load, he is the one who gets to join other QBs who have won the game - even if they contributed 50% of their team's workload.

Consider the case of Kurt Warner. Something I wrote about earlier in the week seemed weird even to me when comparing Kurt Warner to Troy Aikman. How dare somebody do that? Aikman, in many of our minds, is incomparable. He has 3 rings in 4 years. That puts him in a class that has almost no equal. In fact, in the Super Bowl era, only Tom Brady can say the same. Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw cannot even say that. But, what separates Kurt Warner and Troy Aikman in terms of career World Titles? This amazing kick and This amazing catch . If those two historic moments don't occur the way they did, Kurt Warner is in the 3 Lombardi club - And Tom Brady is not.

And the crazy thing about it all? When the kick that Adam Vinatieri made in Super Bowl 36 went through the uprights, neither Tom Brady nor Kurt Warner were standing on the field of play! Both of their careers would always be impacted by that 1 single play. They would be introduced differently at luncheons. They would be more interesting to corporations who were looking for a pitchman. In some ways, almost everything would change - and yet, they did not participate in the play that would either make or break them.

This isn't golf or tennis - where you take all of your own putts. This is a sport that is based on every last member of your roster doing their job. And yet, we reward the victorious QB and sneer at the defeated QB forever. Is it really Drew Bledsoe's fault that his special teams couldn't tackle Desmond Howard? Well, there is a decent chance Bledsoe will not be remembered more than Jim Zorn in 20 years because he lost 1 game in which a kick returner was the Most Valuable Player. Should Eli Manning really be placed above Donovan McNabb in the historical pyramid of greatness? David Tyree makes it so.

I love this sport above all others. I love every portion of football, and I really don't like dealing with another looming off-season where I must settle for other sports that are fine, but not my beloved NFL.

But, I have a hard time understanding this game properly. Why do we ignore circumstances and luck? Why do we not factor in Archie Manning's lot in life when we consider his work? Why is Dan Fouts not considered as good a QB as Doug Williams? How does that make any sense? What separates Ben Roethlisberger from Phil Rivers? Why do we ignore stats when looking at Bart Starr or Aikman? Because. All that matters is victory.

We still don't know how to properly assign credit for those victories, but we do know that a 67% completion percentage only goes so far if you never perform at your best in one of the 43 Super Bowls in our memory banks.

And that is why we cannot wait for Sunday. Some body's legacy will change forever.

The Herschel Walker Incident

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:49:00 -0500

Yesterday was what will be known as "the Herschel Walker incident". We all make decisions in life, and I will have to live with this one.

The incident is in the final minute.

Stars-Wild Preview

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:39:00 -0500

Tonight at the American Airlines Center the Dallas Stars host the Minnesota Wild. Going into tonight the Wild and Stars are seperated by one point, 59, and 58 respectively. While Dallas is tied with Anaheim for the 10th spot, Detroit and Calgary are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with 62 points.





Dallas (24-20-11, 59 pts)

• Warren Peters was called up from the Texas Stars (AHL) as Brian Sutherby injured his shoulder in the 4-2 loss to Phoenix on Sunday night.


• The Stars activated Jere Lehtinen off the IR on Sunday. He was suppose to come off the previous game against Colorado but they had a filing issue with the league and the proper paperwork wasn't turned in before the deadline therefore leaving Lehtinen ineligible for Friday nights game. He ended Sunday playing 14:34 and registering three shots on goal.


• For the third time this season the Stars tried to win three in a row for the first time all year, and for the third time they were denied. The previous two times by Vancouver, this time by Phoenix.


• After getting outshot by Phoenix 15-5 in the first period Sunday, the Stars ramped it up and outshot the Coyotes 35-16 in the final two periods including 23-9 in the third.


• Alex Auld struggled on a couple goals in the game Sunday including a big one surrendered to Shane Doan with no traffic in front from the bluline. My guess is that soft goal will be enough for Marc Crawford to solidify Marty Turco as tonights starter between the pipes.


• With the grind of the recent schedule for the Stars over the last week or so, Marc Crawford gave the team a day off of practice yesterday. Minnesota hasn't played since Friday, but they did have a late skate yesterday afternoon.

Wild are coming off a 5-2 loss at San Jose on Saturday night. Minnesota (27-24-4, 58 pts)

• Josh Harding started in net as starter Niklas Backstrom has been bothered by a sore back. He did not dress for Saturday nights contest at HP Pavillion. Wade Dubielewicz, the former Denver Pioneer sat in as the back up.


• In the Wilds 5-2 loss they allowed a team franchise high four power play goals to San Jose.


• The Wild come into tonights game losers of seven of their last eight on the road.


• Miko Koivu has 2-2-4 in his last four games, and Eric Belanger has nine points in his last 12 games

Tonight Marty Turco will start in goal against Josh Harding.

• Wade Dubielewicz was called back up after being sent down to Houston following the San Jose game. He arrived this morning for the pregame skate.
• Brian Sutherby is ruled out for tonight and Warren Peters will take his spot in the line up.

Tonight Marty Turco will have another opportunity to step up be the go to netminder. Do I think this will happen? Not so much but tonight I think he'll be great.

The Wild are similiar to the Stars, not only in points and record but they also are very good at home and very poor on the road. Stars win 3-2.

Super Bowl 44 - Day 1

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:05:00 -0500

Here we are live in Miami (for some reason, this year it is actually Fort Lauderdale) for Super Bowl XLIV.

My interests during Super Bowl week are everywhere. But, there is no question that one of the main things on my sports brain is the annual Hall of Fame tug of war .

Here is who we have this year:

HALL OF FAME FINALISTS

Player Pos. Team(s) Years
Tim Brown WR LA/Oak., TB 1988-04
Cris Carter WR Phil., Min., Mia 1987-02
Don Coryell Coach StL Cards, SD 1973-86
Roger Craig RB SF, LA Rai., Min. 1983-93
Dermonti Dawson C Pitt. 1988-00
Richard Dent DE Chi, SF, Ind., Phi 1983-97
Russ Grimm G Wash. 1981-91
Charles Haley DE-LB SF, Dallas 1986-99*
Rickey Jackson LB New Orl., SF 1981-95
Cortez Kennedy DT Seattle 1990-00
Dick LeBeau CB Detroit 1959-72
Floyd Little RB Denver 1967-75
John Randle DT Minn., Sea. 1990-03
Andre Reed WR Buff., Wash. 1985-00
Jerry Rice WR SF, Oak., Sea. 1985-04
Shannon Sharpe TE Den., Bal. 1990-03
Emmitt Smith RB Dallas, Ari. 1990-04

I am pretty sure that Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are in. So, we have 2-4 more spots to roll with.

Lebeau and Little are Veteran committee selections so I think they generally have an excellent chance. So that leaves Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Andre Reed, Shannon Sharpe, Charles Haley, Richard Dent, and Don Coryell as the front runners to battle for the final 2 or 3 spots.

===========================================



Meanwhile, plenty of questions about Kurt Warner and his Hall of Fame bid. I have him in, but let's bring you up to speed on the situation.

First, we should establish what QB's are in the Hall of Fame:

Troy Aikman 1989-2000
George Blanda (Also PK) 1949-1958, 1960-1975
Terry Bradshaw 1970-1983
Len Dawson 1957-1975
John Elway 1983-1998
Dan Fouts 1973-1987
Otto Graham 1946-1955
Bob Griese 1967-1980
Sonny Jurgensen 1957-1974
Jim Kelly 1986-1996
Bobby Layne 1948-1962
Dan Marino 1983-1999
Joe Montana 1979-1994
Warren Moon 1984-2000
Joe Namath 1965-1977
Bart Starr 1956-1971
Roger Staubach 1969-1979
Fran Tarkenton 1961-1978
Y.A. Tittle 1948-1964
Johnny Unitas 1956-1973
Norm Van Brocklin 1949-1960
Bob Waterfield 1945-1952
Steve Young 1985-1999

Then, Jamie, a P1, gets the credit for pointing out the similarities in certain stats, and not in others for Kurt Warner vs our own Troy Aikman:

Player	GS	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TDS	INT	Rating
Aikman	165	2898	4715	61.5%	32942	165	141	81.6
Warner	101	2666	4070	65.5%	32344	208	128	93.7

HTML Tables

But, before you tell me about the playoffs, check out their playoff comparison:

Playoffs	Record	TDs	INTs	Rating
Warner	9-4	31	14	102.8
Aikman	11-5	23	17	88.3

HTML Tables

And Super Bowls? They were both in 3. Aikman went 3-0. Warner 1-2, but with the three most prolific passing yardage days in the history of the game.

414 Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. Tennessee, XXXIV
377 Kurt Warner, Arizona vs. Pittsburgh, XLIII
365 Kurt Warner, St. Louis vs. New England, XXXVI

Here is an email from my buddy, Shawn:

Bob,

What 2 time league MVP is not in the Hall of Fame?

He took the Cardinals and Rams to the Super Bowl. That's not the Steelers or Cowboys.

5 year Hall of Fame career? Gale Sayers

You can't take away his greatness, regardless of the length. He was left for dead twice (Giants and Cardinals) and he took the silly Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

McNabb is going into the Hall of Fame and I would put Warner in before McNabb.

Shawn

Arizona Republic on his credentials

ESPN Blog looks at the same topic :

An updated look at his Canton credentials:

1. Longevity.

The great quarterbacks had staying power. Warner has played in 124 regular-season games, about 60 fewer than the average for the 14 quarterbacks enshrined over the last 25 years. This is one of the few categories where Warner doesn't measure up.

On the other hand, Roger Staubach played only seven more games. Like Warner, he was an elite big-game quarterback. No one questions Staubach's Hall of Fame credentials. And Warner, playing in a pass-happy era he helped christen, certainly has better stats.

2. Production.

Here is where Warner's relatively short game log works to his advantage. He has put up Hall of Fame-caliber numbers in less time than players already enshrined. His offenses in St. Louis scored 526, 540 and 503 points in consecutive seasons, setting a standard that holds up well across any era.

Of those 14 quarterbacks enshrined since 1985, none could match Warner in completion percentage, yards per attempt or yards per game. Steve Young is the only one with a higher passer rating than Warner. Dan Marino is the only one with more 300-yard games (Warner has 52, twice as many as Jim Kelly, who played in 36 additional games).

3. Postseason success.

Only Bart Starr (104.8) has a higher postseason passer rating than Warner (104.6) among NFL quarterbacks all time. Warner closed the gap to within a couple tenths of a rating point with his five-touchdown, zero-interception performance against the Packers in the wild-card round.

Warner has averaged 312.3 yards per postseason game, most in league history. And unlike the other four players in the top five on that list, Warner has won a Super Bowl. He has played in three of them, posting the three highest yardage totals in the game's history.

Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Brett Favre, Troy Aikman and Staubach are the only quarterbacks with more postseason victories than Warner.

Warner, with a 9-3 record in postseason, needs two more victories to match Aikman and Staubach on the all-time list. Beating the Saints in the divisional round Saturday would move Warner out of a tie with Starr (9-1), Donovan McNabb (9-7) and Kelly (9-8) for sole possession of eighth place on the list.

Warner has passed for at least 365 yards in half his 12 playoff starts. No other quarterback has hit that mark more than three times in postseason (Peyton Manning). Warner owns three of the 23 postseason performances in which a quarterback threw at least four touchdown passes (Montana, Manning and Daryle Lamonica each did it twice).

4. Unique legacy.

Warner's rise from supermarket shelf stocker to Super Bowl hero gives his legacy another dimension. Leading two previously dormant franchises to the Super Bowl also separates Warner from the typical Hall of Fame candidate.

Not many Hall of Famers would lose jobs to Marc Bulger and a young Eli Manning before working feverishly to beat out Leinart. A thumb injury doomed Warner in St. Louis. The Giants and Cardinals weren't going to leave a first-round choices on the bench (Warner's passer rating with New York, by the way, was higher than any Manning posted until this season).

It's been a strange career for Warner, no question.

Interesting case, but he has to be in.

Tennis Majors Update

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:30:00 -0500

Here is the year-by-year, major-by-major rundown since Federer began winning majors in 2003. Here is how he got to 16:

Year	Australian	French	Wimbledon	US Open
2003	Agassi	Ferrero	Federer	Roddick
2004	Federer	Gaudio	Federer	Federer
2005	Safin	Nadal	Federer	Federer
2006	Federer	Nadal	Federer	Federer
2007	Federer	Nadal	Federer	Federer
2008	Djokovic	Nadal	Nadal	Federer
2009	Nadal	Federer	Federer	Del Potro
2010	Federer	-	-	-

Table Tutorial

Happy Birthday

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:23:00 -0500

• Mark Fistric will play tonight avoiding a suspension that could have resulted from swinging his helmet at Eric Nystrom during an altercation. He was fined the league max $2500.



• In my opinion, he probably wasn't suspended by the NHL because he has no prior offenses, he already served nearly an entire game by being ejected and the major resulted in two Flames goals. It was the right call by the NHL, but had it been Steve Ott, they may not have been so generous.



• Jere Lehtinen will play tonight after missing time after his collision with Brenden Morrow.



• Alex Auld will start in goal tonight against the Av's he's 5-0 in his last five starts with a 2.31 GAA and a .914 save pct. at the American Airlines Center and is 3-1 in his last four overall.



• The Avalanche lost 1-0 to Minnesota last night at the Pepsi Center. Minnesota is 6-0-2 in thier last eight at Colorado and 13-2-2 in thier last 17 overall against the Av's.



• The Wild slow the game down, take care of the puck and wait to take advantage of their opponents mistakes. One reason the Wild may have a good match up against the Avs is because the Avs give up alot of shots, 32 per game, which is near the most in the NHL. If the Stars slow the game down, and frustrate a young but very quick Av's squad by keeping them to the outside they could have some success tonight against one of the best in the Western Conference.

I do like the Stars tonight against a very good Colorado Avalanche squad as long as their effort is consistant with the way it has been three of the last four games. Especially since Auld has been really solid at home as of late.