tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79519505097626143102024-02-19T02:42:45.979-05:00Ry the Sports GuyCommentary on any, and all sports.Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-33493776642082627912013-12-09T17:15:00.000-05:002013-12-09T17:15:00.251-05:00Hockey's Most Valuable Name: RYAN<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes it is necessary for fantasy GMs to put their money where their mouth is. This year I decided to put my money where my name is. As defending champs, my fantasy hockey team, The Playoff Beards, would start the season with a target on their backs. In order to capture the ever-elusive repeat, I would have to try something different. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then it hit me. The perfect plan was not hiding amongst the clutter of spreadsheets and scoring projections. It was right under my nose, or rather, on my nose. Actually, it was IN my nose. It WAS my nose. A drafting system so daring, so fearless, so egocentric, so down right maniacal in its simplicity - corner the market on the best name in hockey.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you don’t believe that </span><a href="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playersearch.aspx?searchname=ryan&sport=nhl" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan wins for Most Valuable Name [MVN]</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, then let’s take a look at the current stats [12-6-2013]. According to Yahoo!’s overall rankings, there are two Ryans in the Top 25 skaters [Getzlaf and Kesler]. If you include </span><a href="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nhl/1795/bobby-ryan" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bobby Ryan</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Bryan Little [and you totally should] you’re left with four inside the Top 50. And a staggering nine inside the Top 200! </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that doesn’t include the shorthanded wunderkind, </span><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/dallas-stars-left-wing-ryan-photo-022647645--nhl.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan Garbutt</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who is destined for Top 200-ness. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">By contrast, Chris and Alex, both talented names in their own right, each only have five inside the Top 200.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Side Bar: Is it just me, or does it look like the ref is helping out Mssr. Garbutt in that link? Even the refs like Ryans more. Well, they like Ryans more than Hampusses. Or is the plural of Hampus, Hampi? Anyway...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Beard’s 2013 draft class included enough Ryans to start an Irish-American boy band. Meet the members of the band:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan Miller [5th round]</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - The hardworking, yet troubled songwriter [Think </span><a href="http://www.nme.com/news/the-who/60360" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pete Townsend</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but minus the all the Remy Martin VSOP and a much smaller nose].</span></div>
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<a href="http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/09/13/kesler-says-to-the-haters/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan Kesler</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [9th] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- The hard-luck rebel, eager to shake the snake-bitten underachiever tag.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan Callahan [11th]</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Captain Broadway, the all american kid [Kind of like the character Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez from movie </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108037/" style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: none;">The Sandlot</a>]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan O’Reilly [12th</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">] - The Canadian college boy who spent a semester abroad and came back all sophisticated but refused to take his Uncle’s advice and start a </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSxihhBzCjk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">career in plastics</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barely holding onto a playoff berth, the Beards were missing something. Randy Jackson said the first single was “</span><a href="http://www.ovguide.com/video/randy-jackson-american-idol-pitchy-man-922ca39ce1000dead2010d1581ed6707" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a bit pitchy, dawg</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” Without a Ryan on D, the team was not complete. It was missing its Lance Bass. Through some crafty GM’s-manship, The Beards landed the final piece of the puzzle: Ryan Murphy. Five feet, eleven inches [yeah right] of Irish-Canadian magic. He should prove to be just the kind of flashy skating presence Team Ryan needs on the blue line</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next week will mark the first week in fantasy hockey history* where the same given name was started in each of the five different positions. But I don’t want anyone to think this is some kind of publicity stunt akin to starting three </span><a href="http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/hurricanes_make_history_start_all_3_staal_brothers/13487107" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Staal brothers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on the same line together for one game just to sell tickets at the end of a dismal, lockout-shortened season. The Playoff Beards are committed to Ryan for the long haul. The Beards already have 60 Ryan-games logged in the bank and will surpass 200 by the end of the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-38240625122959875982013-10-01T13:03:00.001-04:002013-10-01T15:09:46.056-04:00I Love The Nineties: Part One<span id="docs-internal-guid-54b58cb0-74d7-a79d-54b1-0fe17105f816"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-54b58cb0-74d7-a79d-54b1-0fe17105f816"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy Hockey Day, everyone! This posting has been in the works for a long time, with 90’s bands and NHL franchises swapping positions more frequently than a </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ_3uwAudwA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sausage race</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at a Brewers games. Now that hockey season is finally here, it seems like a good time to roll out the first in a series of blogs linking two of my passions: music from the 90’s [the greatest musical decade of all time] and hockey [the most physically demanding sport in the universe].</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since there are such a finite number of NHL teams [30, for those keeping score at home], and thousands [seemingly MILLIONS] of great 90’s bands, some people are bound to be disappointed with my choices/omissions. Read my justification for linking each entity [and read the fun links, too!] before getting all up in arms. Where possible I tried to connect a team’s success in the 1990’s with similar periods of success for the corresponding bands. Basically, the only hard rule that I stuck to was the musical act needed to release an album in the 90’s. After that, it turned into a fun trip down memory lane.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In an effort to better familiarize myself with the <a href="http://deadspin.com/the-new-nhl-division-names-have-been-revealed-one-of-t-839430453" target="_blank">new divisions the NHL is sporting this year</a>, I will release my picks one division at a time. First up, the Metropolitan division. This new collection of teams boasts some serious Stanley Cup pedigree and thus earned some impressive musical comparisons. Bands like Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers should all enjoy their new homes in the Metro.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Metropolitan Division</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">90's Band</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Justification</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carolina Hurricanes</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weezer</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brief spurts of success followed by long periods of [playoff-missing] misery. Fans have plenty of time to remember the good 'ol days as they wait an agonizingly-long time for a new album [<a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Weezer" target="_blank">that won’t even have a real name</a>].</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Columbus Blue Jackets</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jimmy Eat World</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Naming a good <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jimmy-eat-world/id3446973" target="_blank">Jimmy Eat World song</a> is probably as difficult as naming a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Blue_Jackets#Franchise_scoring_leaders" target="_blank">Blue Jackets player</a> that is/was really good. Both certainly exist, but they are few and far between.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Jersey Devils</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Red Hot Chili Peppers</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bands are backstopped by bassists much like defense backstops success in the NHL. No 90’s band has a better bassist than Flee and no 90’s team had better defense [and <a href="http://gifrific.com/martin-brodeur-saves-a-shot-on-wide-open-goal/" target="_blank">goaltending</a>] than the Devils.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Islanders</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Billy Joel</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakout success in the 1980's. Recorded his last album in 1993... Right around the time the Islanders had their last good team. Comeback tour, Billy? I think you’d sell out the<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/beyonce-tickets-crazy-demand-article-1.1261384" target="_blank"> Barclays Center in record time</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Rangers</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Metallica</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An Original Six metal band who proved they could still hang with the big guns of the 90's. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The band headlined </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtrTuoqH6A0" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Woodstock Too</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the same year the team won the Cup.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Philadelphia Flyers</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beastie Boys</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Badass band, badass team. I’m pretty sure that if all the band members weren't from NYC, they would be Flyers fans.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pittsburgh Penguins</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pearl Jam</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe the most prolifically 90's band on the list, paired with a franchise that started the decade off with a bang. Both with frontmen that continue to carry the torch. [P.S. Doesn't <a href="http://penguins.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=63688">Ron Francis</a> look a lot like <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/eddie-vedder-9542540/photos/pearl-jam">Eddie Vedder</a>? Ok, maybe not.]</span></div>
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<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-87684507340927675012013-07-29T17:00:00.000-04:002013-07-30T09:36:22.118-04:00Charly and Me: A Berlocq Story<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What a journey it’s been for Charly and Me. Although we don’t talk after every tournament, I’d say we’re pretty close. But as I watched </span><a href="http://charlyberlocq.com/" style="font-family: Arial;">Carlos Berlocq</a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> dispatch a resurgent </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jul/03/andy-murray-fernando-verdasco-live-wimbledon" style="font-family: Arial;">Fernando Verdasco</a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to win his first ever ATP title in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Bastad,+Sweden&rlz=1C1_____enUS415US415&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GGb1UdqxF4mc9QSUlYCoDA&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1360&bih=667">Båstad</a></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Bastad,+Sweden&rlz=1C1_____enUS415US415&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GGb1UdqxF4mc9QSUlYCoDA&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1360&bih=667">, Sweden</a> [pronounced BAH-shtod], I knew things were about to change.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leading 6-5 in the first set, Charly played a prototypical point at 30-All. Tracking down every ball. Never giving up. His hard work earning him yet another set point.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later, on his sixth set point, Charly put his new found doubles skills to work [he also advanced to the doubles final in Bastad with partner Ramos]. First he fought back a tough half volley and then stabbed a pure reflex volley into the open court. Charly was only one set away from the title and his place in tennis history.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, so a 250-series clay court title won’t punch Charly’s ticket to the International <a href="http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/members/year">Tennis Hall of Fame</a>, but he will certainly shake his underdog status. That was one thing that drew me to the journeyman. I also have a soft spot for one-handed backhands. However, it was something more that cemented my fanhood.</span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what was it that pulled me into Mr. Berlocq’s orbit? He drew me closer to the game of tennis and I’ll never forget him for that. Something clicked in 2011 as I sat courtside for the opening round of the Inaugural <a href="http://www.winstonsalemopen.com/">Winston-Salem Open</a>. I realized that the ATP tour was filled with journeyman trying to eek out a living. These guys are just trying to keep it together physically and mentally to earn a pay check each week.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There I was, watching what should have been a fairly straight forward battle of equals. Carlos Berlocq ranked 75 on the ATP World Tour rankings taking on Andreas Haider-Maurer ranked 74 at the time. But after being broken early in the first set, Carlos [that’s what I called him before we became BFF] let his emotions get the best of him. He spent the following return game venting into a towel between each point as his coach shouted “Vamos, Charly!”, trying to pump up his man.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hYR0j2SVE4sLInaJACLedyHs_CgeK7tLnmBnlGf_NrKPOCuDcy7AQ8qP-4MNCFpDtmFs67eDsx8sUNLtB7nYwKX3MXBCtymkFr0DPkXvBWOXBrD9DKtr0IssEp67uiy3iiIPYjOM94E/s1600/Charly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hYR0j2SVE4sLInaJACLedyHs_CgeK7tLnmBnlGf_NrKPOCuDcy7AQ8qP-4MNCFpDtmFs67eDsx8sUNLtB7nYwKX3MXBCtymkFr0DPkXvBWOXBrD9DKtr0IssEp67uiy3iiIPYjOM94E/s400/Charly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seeing a pro athlete lose his cool 8 feet away from you is an intriguing sight to say the least. It was then I realized that all these guys carry baggage onto the court. It's only the strongest players mentally that are able to focus match in and match out. Winning any tour title requires a player to be at their best for 5 to 7 matches in row. I can’t even empty the dishwasher correctly 5 times in a row.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If Charly had folded that day, and it sure looked like he would, I might have become a huge Hauder-Maurer fan. Thanks to my “VAMOS, CHARLEEEEEEEE!” chants after every point, the Argentine turned the match around and won in straight sets [at least that’s how I choose to remember it].</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charly had guts. He was my kind of tennis player. Able to persevere in the face of adversity. Who knows what made Charly so emotional. He hadn’t played in over a month. Maybe he was home sick. Or he could have felt an injury flaring up. It’s not important. He won.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next year, Charly came to Winston-Salem ranked 44 in the world, this time with his family in tow. Although I was there shouting “Vamos, Charly!” the whole match, it wasn’t enough. Charly lost his first round match to <a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Ernests-Gulbis.aspx?t=rh">Ernests Gulbis</a>. His opponent was ranked 153 in the world and would finish the year ranked outside the Top 100. The very next week Charly suffered a first round defeat in the US Open at the hands of <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/bernard-tomics-father-john-jailed-for-alleged-assault-of-french-player-thomas-drouet/story-fnddkbrz-1226635728853">Bernard Tomic</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a reminder of how difficult it can be out there on tour. The ATP tour is a grind and just like stock market, past performance is no guarantee of future success. Players have to work their butts off to stay in the Top 100. It requires something super-human to stick inside the Top 10.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year Charly will start the summer hardcourt season ranked inside the <a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Singles.aspx">Top 50</a>. He might even get a bye in the first round at Winston-Salem. That means I’ll have to delay my annual pilgrimage a day or two. But it’s totally worth it. </span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-51052a91-2620-752d-9e3e-0d71dffa58c7"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are one of those fans focused exclusively on the Big Four in tennis right now - find yourself an underdog. Take it from me, it is much more rewarding to watch them breakthrough. Vamos, Charly!</span></span>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-71254586086603443862013-07-08T11:09:00.000-04:002013-07-09T22:24:41.249-04:00I voted. Did you?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where’s my “I voted” sticker, Major League Baseball? There should totally be a sticker just like the one I wear to shame family and friends on election day every two years (Uh, local elections are cool too, guys). For MLB’s “I Voted” sticker, I can picture a baseball in place of the letter “O” and intersecting mini-baseball bats for all the other letters. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(My wife helped this vision become a reality.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">But unlike government elections, baseball’s equivalent of a popularity contest needs stickers to shame people into voting less. As it stands, anyone registered on MLB.com can vote up to 35 times for their favorite players in both leagues. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are my issues with this setup.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, I don’t get the feeling that these are 35 of the most unbiased votes. Let’s be honest, most people simply choose to vote a Straight Party Ticket. I mean who hasn’t SPT’d an election or two? Come on, nobody’s ever heard of some of these district judges before. But with the all-star ballot, the old SPT can get a bit ridiculous. I would say in certain instances it is d</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">ownright shameful to vote for certain players because they are on your favorite team.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a friend, let’s say for the sake of argument that he is a Mets fan in honor of Citi Field hosting this year’s game. He votes a SPT and raises it a notch, voting not only for Mets but also for Yankee rivals, too. That approach nets about 16 undeserving players. Most of the Mets are not all-star caliber this year. Sorry, but it’s true.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, </span><a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/22663218/2013-mlb-all-star-game-live-updates-as-rosters-are-revealed" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Wright</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> should start the game (even if the team may have explored some unique channels to stuff the </span><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/metsblog/votes_approached_cougar_wright_dating_wv1f7U9q7UKHtsRNhzigcO" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ballot box</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). But </span><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8666" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ike Davis</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, while finally lifting his OPS above .500, is still batting well below the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendoza_Line" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mendoza Line</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and does not deserve a single vote. Ruben Tejada hasn’t played a major league game since May and obviously should not even be a candidate for ASG 2013.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which brings me to my next gripe. Where do they come up with the players on the ballot? I mean, could they pick the candidates any sooner? Poor Scott Sizemore, the Oakland Athletics’ candidate at 2B, only managed six April at bats before re-tearing his ACL. As my neighbor, a two-time ACL-tearing survivor, has told me: life gets a little tougher after the second surgery. </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish Scotty a speedy recovery, but the chances of him being healthy enough to play in Queens this summer are slim to none. Why even keep him on the ballot? I know MLB has to print paper ballots and distribute them to each ballpark, but at least wait a month. You can't even tell who is a real all-star and who is just faking it until mid-May. Putting Derek Jeter on the all-star ballot is like leaving </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebc3UfAXs-M" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donald Trump</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on the 2012 Presidential ballot.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the ballot itself has some flaws. If that were the end of it, I would be fine. But the voting system itself openly favors larger markets. Fans get to vote for the starting lineup and that gives larger markets a better shot at seeing their favorite players.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not that I’m bitter, but if Josh Donaldson played for a New York or LA team, I’m pretty sure he would have at least made the all-star team as a reserve with his slash line of .319/.388/.536. In a larger market the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BringerOfRain20" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bringer of Rain</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, with 15 HRs this season (including 8 bombs in 41 games at cavernous O.Co.), would probably be in the Homerun Derby, too.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure, 3B is stacked in the AL but Oakland deserves at least one hitter in the all-star game this year, considering only 7 teams have scored more runs in all of baseball. The small market works against Oakland year in and year out. The last batter to be invited was </span><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6258/gamelog;_ylt=AqmzGkhblJs6T625ngwoOKuFCLcF?year=2003" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ramon Hernandez</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in 2003. Really? In the last 10 years Oakland hasn't produced a <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2370/frank-thomas">better hitter</a> than Ramon Hernandez?</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That said, it looks like fan votes got the starters right this year. I’m sure you could nitpick and few of the starters on the NL team (Paul Goldschmidt’s 73 RBI is only good enough for a reserve spot??). </span><a href="http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/by-and-large.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By and large</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the masses did pretty well.</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-2e9f11fa-bc59-3758-a2c8-bb17592dd070"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, why am I taking such umbrage with an exhibition game? The internet makes it a little too easy to vote. There is nothing better than voting in person at the ballpark (making the same hanging Chad joke year after year). And, because in case you didn’t hear: </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/sports/baseball-players-union-accepts-change-to-the-all-star-game.html?pagewanted=print" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It counts!!</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Comment below with your votes for this year's MLB All-star game (And be honest all you SPT'ers). Here's my ballot:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomnNQw7KGHc7AiLfBKMpL7ds4FVlenJi1U-6eew5rM-BUpF5WkPIRuBcoJ-YnoBSOVsniP5WDYBp4jKWuDyrXrfed3zruliga6p0sHmy2G4rjbT_UlBA-uYm7gCh_TnDE7lN1Hsx816M/s1600/2013+MLB+All-star+vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomnNQw7KGHc7AiLfBKMpL7ds4FVlenJi1U-6eew5rM-BUpF5WkPIRuBcoJ-YnoBSOVsniP5WDYBp4jKWuDyrXrfed3zruliga6p0sHmy2G4rjbT_UlBA-uYm7gCh_TnDE7lN1Hsx816M/s1600/2013+MLB+All-star+vote.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Follow my blog and I promise to post more than once per year.</span></span></div>
Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-74746177743841317362012-08-15T20:27:00.000-04:002012-08-15T21:55:24.855-04:00Catching PerfectionPitching a perfect game is a rare thing. When something has happened only 23 times, that's pretty rare. But that makes catching a perfect game equally as rare. I've got to wonder if the catchers get snubbed a bit in all the hub-bub surrounding a perfect game. Maybe not by their battery mates (King Felix was very gracious during the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXbFxYtz99w&feature=plcp">post game interview</a>), but by us fans.<br />
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Jaso, in particular, may deserve a little more credit than usual for helping Felix over the hump. The Mariners traded for Jaso last November. From where? Tampa Bay -- the franchise that drafted him, groomed him through the minors and eventually shipped him to the Pacific Northwest for <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/luekejo01.shtml">this guy</a> and cash. You can believe that Mr. Jaso brought a lot of information about his former teammates with him.<br />
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It's not like King Felix was some undeserved bum, but he and Jaso seem to be cosmically linked this season. King Felix had been close to a no hitter before. On April 11, 2007 at Fenway he took a no-no into the 8th. He had already hurled 3 complete game shutouts (5, 3 and 2-hitters, respectively) this season. Coincidentally, on June 28th versus Boston, Jaso was dramatically involved. He did not catch Felix's 5-hit shutout versus Boston, but he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth and drove in the winning run in a 1-0 affair.<br />
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When Felix 2-hit the New York Yankees 10 days ago. You guessed it. John Jaso was right there. Not only did the California native squat behind home plate with an above average understanding of AL East hitters. He also crossed home plate in the 2nd inning for the only run of a 1-0 win.<br />
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Again it was Jaso who played a leading role in Felix's brilliance. Today, Jaso called the game of his life, using his insider knowledge, and The King hurled them both into the record books. Take a look at the company they keep. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_game">THE PERFECT GAME CLUB</a><br />
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<br />Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-53993136108538109012012-05-25T10:35:00.002-04:002012-05-25T14:27:23.010-04:002012 French Open Preview: Davids vs Goliath<b id="internal-source-marker_0.42884310660883784" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know many of you are getting prepared for Memorial Day barbecues this weekend, and that’s cool. But while you are thawing some burgers laced with </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/pink-slime-ammonia_n_1404287.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pink slime</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I will be preparing my French Open bracquet (no typo). This year’s field of 128 has me particularly excited. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Big Three (Sorry, Murray. You’re out.) are rolling to start the year. Djokovic put on a commanding performance at the Australian Open. Fed has four titles already this year, including one on the dreaded blue clay at the Madrid Masters. And Nadal continues to prove why he is the greatest clay court tennis player who ever lived (sorry, Bjorn), storming through the field in Rome last week.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my opinion, any one of the Big Three would make a sensible championship pick. All of them should get through to the semis, with Federer having the toughest potential draw (an encounter with either Berdych or Del Potro in the quarters). However, successfully picking the semis does not win you a Grand Slam bracquet these days, my friend. The Big Three have made the Grand Slam semis something like 2,712 consecutive times. Bracquets are won during the first week. Let me help you with that.</span></b><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.42884310660883784" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.42884310660883784" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My pick to join the Big Three in the semis this year is David Ferrer. At 5’9”, Ferrer has guts, a much improved serve and a clay court game to challenge all comers. He fought Nadal hard for a set last week in the semis, earning more than his fair share of chances (1 for 10 on break points in the 1st set). But gave way in a tight tiebreaker and then dumped the second set at love. Which, as I see it, is more of an affirmation of Nadal’s greatness than an indictment on Ferrer.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also on my watch list -- John Isner. I know. I know. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_in_Paris_(film)#Academy_Awards"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An American in Paris</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hasn’t won anything since a near sweep of the Academy Awards in 1951, but the big fella can compete on the dirt. With the best serve in the game, he can compete anywhere. If his </span><a href="http://rythesportsguy.blogspot.com/2012/02/davis-cup-delirium-in-fribourg.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Davis Cup performance</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> against Federer this year didn’t convince you, then hopefully his Davis Cup heroics in Monte Carlo a month later did. While Isner’s results </span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.42884310660883784" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on clay</span></b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> have been fairly pedestrian when not competing for his country, the 10th seed has earned a friendly draw -- a clear path to the 4th where he could potentially meet the 20th seed, Marcel Granollers. Things could get considerably more difficult in the quarters where Mssr. Ferrer might be waiting.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, my dark horse pick to make a deep run in Paris is another David. No, not Duchovny, the wiley Argentine -- Nalbandian. His current ATP ranking of 40 is no indication of his talent level. He has great touch, both at the net and with the droppers. In fact, his talent has never really been questioned. It’s his heart that has a shaky reputation. But at the age of 30 the guy can still run for days, and, whether you like it or not, he knows how to conserve energy in best-of-five set matches (17-13 in 5 setters). Not helping his cause is a potential 2nd round encounter with Mssr. Federer... but that’s what makes him a true dark horse, right? </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the end, I don’t think any of the Davids, or anyone else for that matter, can topple the Goliath of Roland Garros. Nadal wins his 7th French Open title.</span></b>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-18281395807953669252012-04-19T12:23:00.003-04:002012-05-25T11:04:05.184-04:00World's Latest Movie Review of Moneyball<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5234100876841694" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a long-time Oakland A’s fan I was very nervous to see Moneyball. So nervous, in fact, that I waited over year to see it. It wasn’t until a homemade DVD fell into my lap recently that I actually sat down to watch it. Boy, am I glad I did. I thought it was Hollywood where it should have been and baseball where it needed to be.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ever since I read the book (4 years after it was written) there were rumors circulating about Brad Pitt producing <i>Moneyball: The major motion picture</i>. My apprehension to see the movie started with those early rumors and you could really boil it all down to two main thoughts:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) I know how the movie ends... and it hurt the first time I lived through it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Movies rarely live up to the lofty standards of their best-selling print counterparts.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.5234100876841694" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First let me address apprehension number 1. While the movie is bookended with historic footage of playoff disasters, the middle third focuses on a win streak for the ages. A win streak that featured multiple comebacks and walk-off hits by </span><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tejadmi01.shtml" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2002’s eventual AL MVP</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Miguel Tejada.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During one particularly dramatic scene Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) gives Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) the old </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Talladega Nights</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “If you ain’t first, you’re last” speech late in the 2002 season. Essentially admitting that without a championship, the consecutive wins record would be meaningless. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before seeing the movie I might have agreed, but reliving August of 2002 all over again renewed my appreciation for that historic moment. Having grown up an A’s fan starting later in 90’s, that streak stands out as the greatest memory of my baseball fanhood.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m sure it would be great to reminisce a great win streak that led to a championship, like the 19 game win streak of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_World_Series" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1947 NY Yankees</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or the </span><a href="http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CAR/2006_games.html" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two 9-game win streaks</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that the ‘05-’06 Carolina Hurricanes experienced on their way to a Stanley Cup, but what can you do? The film version helped remind me that while the great Athletics teams of the early 2000’s all ended their seasons with losses, the streak (which also jumpstarted their race to a Division crown) was something special. The film was able to do that in a way the book could not - using live action highlights.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As for apprehension numero dos, Hollywood actually may have improved upon the storyline of the book a little bit. The key departures made in the screenplay really helped walk fans through the toils of running a Major League Baseball franchise. The fact that Peter Brand was an composite character didn’t affect me in the least (actually, the scene when Billy meets/hires Peter was one of my favorite scenes in the movie, even if that wasn’t how it “really” happened). </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so what Philip Seymour Hoffman portrayed Art Howe as a cock-sure, gruff old manager, when in reality he was probably more like PSH’s role in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Lebowski" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Big Lebowski</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I also enjoyed seeing the story of Billy Beane’s flameout career develop throughout the movie as apposed to crammed into the opening chapter of the book.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conclusion, I gave </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moneyball</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a rating of 3 Strikes and 1 Ball. It had all the good qualities and characters a great sports movie needs. And while the rag-tag team doesn’t win the big game (come to think of it, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moneyball</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a lot more like </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bad_News_Bears" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bad News Bears</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> than I thought), I still came away from the movie with fond memories. The only pitch to miss the plate for me was Billy’s family dynamic, but Hollywood’s got to do what Hollywood’s got to do, I guess.</span></b> <br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Next up in the series of World's Latest Movie Reviews - The Blind Side. Stay tuned.</span></div>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-23195650598463721952012-03-16T12:35:00.002-04:002012-05-25T11:04:36.261-04:00Brackets, Brackets Everywhere<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5295318670105189" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been fully engrossed in college basketball lately and all of the brackets that go along with it. I’m not talking about THE bracket. You know, the bracket that even the </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/obama-bracket-2012-ncaa-tournament-north-carolina_n_1344468.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">President fills out</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I am talking about conference tournament brackets. This year I filled out three conference tournament brackets: America East, Big East and ACC.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right now you are probably thinking... “You filled out an America East bracket? Really?” And the answer is YES. Brackets are the greatest invention since Velcro! When one of my colleague prints out a bracket, I fill it out. I can’t help it, I am addicted to the simplicity of (most) brackets. The Big Dance? Of course. The Frozen Four? Absolutely! Grand slam tennis? You betcha. MLB, NHL, NBA and NFL playoff brackets? Yes, yes, sometimes and YES!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brackets offer you the ultimate risk/reward scenario. Pick chalk (low risk) and you might follow the herd to glory. Pick upsets (high risk) and you might be laughing all the way to the bank. But if you want to win your office pool there is only one thing you need to do - pick winners. At least pick more winners than the next guy. Just be right.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.5295318670105189" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being “right” is not always as easy as it sounds when you are talking sports. So many sports discussions are subjective and bold claims start flowing like Guinness on St. Patrick’s day. For example, “The 1997 Marlins were the greatest team of the steroid era.” Or, “</span><a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2580/drew-brees"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drew Brees</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is better than Peyton Manning.” See how easy that was? It’s tough to refute either of those statements with any real certainty.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Likewise, it’s really hard to make any substantiated claim that the 1976 Montreal Canadiens would beat the 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins in a seven game series. Unless, perhaps you were to create a </span><a href="http://bestteamofalltime.bolesh.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">video hockey tournament</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that would have the greatest historical teams of all time battle it out. But even that does not provide a concrete answer to the question at hand.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brackets are different. Brackets are singular. Brackets are final. Brackets are so agonizingly simple, while the tournament outcomes are seemingly so random. Case in point, in my Big East pool this year seven people picked Syracuse as the champion and three chose Marquette. No one even picked Louisville to make it to the semis. Luckily there were enough sheep in my pool that I was able to win despite the chalkiness of my Syracuse pick.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even more important than winning, brackets are a lot of fun. Brackets invite discussion and debate. Brackets make you pay attention to sporting events, or matchups that otherwise would not interest you. Typically, </span><a href="http://www.americaeast.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=14000&ATCLID=205395528"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vermont vs. Stonybrook</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> would not be must-see TV, but that 51-43 slugfest held major bracket implications for me. So at 11am Sunday on morning that’s what I was watching.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure the intense competitor in me wants to win every bracket I fill out, but, as it turns out, I stink at brackets (Tom Brady would use a </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftx3P3HrqK4"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">different word</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). The correlation between the effort and research put into a bracket and eventual success seems to be hovering right around zero. Does that get me down? No, I keep coming back for more. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the years I have reached somewhat of a zen-like state with brackets. I am able to float above the bracket and enjoy the spirit of the competition. When Kansas went down in the second round of the 2010 NCAA tournament and completely sunk my bracket, was I upset? Maybe a little, but the underdog story of watching the Northern Iowa Kurt Warners triumph was entertaining enough to pull me out of the dumps. And when Northern Iowa fell in the next round to Michigan State, all of us could cheer for Butler. A 5th seed that was just seconds aways from cutting the nets down in Indy - a whopping six mile drive from campus!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is these types of unlikely scenarios that make brackets so difficult and so much fun at the same time. When your bracket is busted, don’t tune out the tournament. Don’t be a hater. There is still a great deal of excitement to go around.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So for all you bracket junkies that picked VCU to make it back to the </span><a href="http://www.ncaa.com/championships/basketball-men/d1"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Final Four</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this year (first off, congrats on picking the annual 5-12 upset) no one can tell you that you are wrong... until you ARE wrong. And even then, there’s always next year. And for those who can’t wait until next year, you are in luck, there is </span><a href="http://challenge.atpworldtour.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">another bracket</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> starting next week. I know I can’t wait!</span></b>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-29323995094993580462012-02-29T19:31:00.007-05:002012-03-02T14:41:48.648-05:00AJ Burnett Deal Great for the Yankees, Financially Speaking<span>Much of the talk in the media revolves around how the <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/196011/new-york-yankees-pay-20m-for-a-j-burnett-to-pitch-in-pittsburgh/">Yankees are still paying $20 Million</a> of the money due on AJ Burnett’s contract. This statement is accurate, however, misleading. The Yankees were on the hook for $33 Million over the next two years, regardless of whether AJ pitched for them or not. If they gave AJ the title of pie maker for post game celebrations, they would have paid him $33 Million. This economic reality is known as ‘sunk cost.’ Therefore, the Yankees aren’t still paying him $20 Million; they are <span style="font-style: italic; "> only </span> paying him $20 Million.<br /><br />In order to access whether the return of $13 Million the Yankees received was a good deal, one only needs to look at the stats. Over the previous two years AJ Burnett was one of the worst pitchers in baseball. AJ had the third worst ERA for a qualifying pitcher both in 2010 and 2011 (<a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/burnea.01.shtml">5.26 and 5.15, respectively</a>). In fact, the third worst finish was the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791890-aj-burnett-the-model-of-inconsistency-for-the-new-york-yankees">only thing consistent</a> about AJ Burnett over the previous two years. This begs the question, how much would a team spend on a comparable pitcher in free agency? Brad Penny, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pennybr01.shtml">who had a similar year last season to AJ</a> – not to mention a similar career path, was signed for $4 Million … by the Softbank Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League. Now, AJ has been a durable starter whereas Penny was injured in 2010, however, the similarities lead to AJ being exiled from MLB. Is this a fair assessment? Probably not, as AJ has shown flashes of his former self over the past two seasons, which is precisely the reason the <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ycn-10995158">Pirates are willing to take a chance on him</a>.<br /><br />The Yankees were left with a purely economic decision. What is AJ’s marginal value over the other available options, mainly <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/27255/25q25d-who-will-be-the-fifth-starter">Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia</a>? In the end, the answer was far less than $13 Million. In the end, the Yankees would have been justified outright cutting Burnett, if he did not return to form. Such is the harsh reality of a sunk cost. The Yankees just received $13 Million for an asset worth close to zero to them – and that is the business reality of the game.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-72893283447228006522012-02-28T11:57:00.003-05:002012-05-25T11:24:59.359-04:00Liverpool’s Carling Cup Magic Versus Cardiff City<span id="internal-source-marker_0.22716391365975142" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those who weren’t glued to the television on Sunday for a hot sports lineup which included the NBA all-star game, WGC match-play final, the Memphis ATP 500 series final, a rained-out Daytona 500 and the Academy Awards (sorry </span><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moneyball/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moneyball</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), you might have missed one of the best soccer matches of the year. I know it’s still early in 2012, but this year’s Carling Cup final had a number of intriguing elements leading into the opening kickoff. And the emotions that come with a cup final turned this match into an instant classic.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On paper this final looked like David (Cardiff City) versus Goliath (Liverpool). T</span><a href="http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/ChampionshipHome" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he Championship</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> versus the English Premier league. Wales versus England. Cardiff had the chance to become the first Welsh team to win a major trophy since 1927. And Liverpool has lifted the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Football_League_Cup_winners" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Football League Cup</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> more than any other team, but had gone trophyless over the last six years. Thankfully, the game did not dissappoint.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span id="internal-source-marker_0.22716391365975142" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David took the lead in the 19th minute and Goliath was on his heals until Liverpool converted off a corner in the 60th minute. Heading into extra time tied at 1-1, Liverpool was earning the better of the chances. But in the 108th minute, the Flying Dutchman, Dirk Kuyt fought hard for a rebound and buried the opportunity inside the near post to give Liverpool a 2-1 advantage late in extra time.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cardiff City was not to be denied, earning their very first corner kick with aggressive play in the 116th minute. That chance went begging after Kuyt was able to clear a certain goal off the line with a header. After coming so close to scoring, the Bluebirds were able to tuck away the tying goal on their second corner kick of the game in the 118th minute. Cardiff’s #25 Ben Turner out-wrestled Kuyt, who was unable to be the savior on this occasion. The game was headed to penalties - marking just the third time that has happened in a League Cup finals over the 50 year history of the competition (Liverpool winning the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Football_League_Cup_Final" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2001 League Cup final</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in a penalty shootout).</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephen Gerard won the coin toss and chose the end of the field boasting more Liverpool supporters, Cardiff would shoot second. Liverpool’s skipper Kenny Dalglish again turned to his captain, Stephen Gerrard to take the first penalty. However, it was Cardiff’s goalkeeper, #22 Heaton who would steal the spotlight, making a top-shelf save diving to his right. Advantage Cardiff City. But the Bluebirds could not capitalize. Cardiff’s #9 Miller stepped to the mark and rocketed a shot off the right goalpost and out. The teams were level after round one.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was Scotland’s first team veteran </span><a href="http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/football_player_profile.cfm?page=32&playerID=33550&squadID=1" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charlie Adam</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to take the next penalty for Liverpool. He uncharacteristically launched his attempt high and wide left, missing the frame by several yards. Could Cardiff take advantage of this second opportunity? Bluebirds’ #8 Don Cowie answered that question with a resounding YES - striking an excellent penalty high into the left corner of the goal.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With his team trailing 0-1 in the penalty shootout, Dirk Kuyt would come up big again. Scoring a terrific penalty in which he had the keeper diving in the wrong direction. Cardiff would hit their second post of the shootout, leaving the score tied 1-1 after three rounds. Liverpool’s #19 </span><a href="http://www.goal.com/en-us/people/england/1995/stewart-downing" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stewart Downing</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Cardiff’s #7 </span><a href="http://www.goal.com/en-us/people/england/1191/peter-whittingham" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter Whittingham</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> would each convert on similar-looking efforts to the left side of goal. The score notched at 2-2 heading into a fifth round and sudden death</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Glen Johnson roofed his 5th round penalty leaving Cardiff’s Anthony Gerrard to face the pressure of a must-make penalty in the biggest game of his professional career. Ultimately the moment proved too great for the young man; his penalty </span><a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4158583/Anthony-Gerrard-This-miss-will-haunt-me-for-ever.html" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">missed the target</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> low and left. The mixed emotions of the moment were crystal clear with Pepe Reina jumping for joy as the kick dribbled wide and other Liverpool players collapsing in a pile with excitement. While several Cardiff players could be seen shedding tears. Cardiff City had delivered a valiant effort but it was Liverpool’s night to lift the League Cup trophy for a record 8th time.</span></span>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-87840793172399725202012-02-24T19:58:00.003-05:002012-05-25T11:25:16.516-04:00Davis Cup Delirium in Fribourg<b id="internal-source-marker_0.0037708396557718515" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the first post focused on the Superbowl, but I didn’t really have a dog in the fight (are we allowed to say that anymore?). I enjoyed the game as a moderately impartial sports fan. </span><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For my second post, I plan to reveal a little bit more of my fandom. There are two things I should make clear: </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) I love USA athletics.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) I love tennis.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the United States of America has a sports team that competes against other countries - I will watch. Team USA badminton? Yes, please. Team USA curling? Give me a double-helping with the hammer on the side. And when you start talking Team USA Davis Cup tennis, a combination of two sports passions, forget it – clear my calendar. Round one of this year’s Davis Cup competition saw Team USA travel to Fribourg, Switzerland, to battle Federer and Co.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b id="internal-source-marker_0.0037708396557718515" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, let me describe the format of a typical </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Cup"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Davis Cup tie</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> before I recap the exciting action. Each tie, or elimination competition, consists of five rubbers (yes, they are called rubbers), played over the course of three days. Each rubber is best of five sets and the first team to win three rubbers will advance to the next round. Day one consists of two singles matches, Day two is one doubles match and Day three includes two additional singles matches (where each individual plays a different opponent from Day one).</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One last thing you should know about Davis Cup ties, the home country selects the venue, court-surface and setup. Not all international competitions enjoy a true home-court advantage, like Davis Cup. In my mind, this is what makes Davis Cup tennis particularly special.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For individual sports - like golf, tennis or track & field - competitions are typically a neutral affair. Sure, an athlete might gain some advantage by competing in their home country. But with Davis Cup tennis, the home team can setup the court to play to their strengths or the opponents weaknesses and crowds are definitely one-sided.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the case of USA vs. Switzerland, the home side attempted to exploit the away team’s weakness by selecting indoor clay-courts. Team USA has earned the reputation of playing poor clay-court tennis. Therefore nearly all Davis Cup teams select a clay-court when Team USA roles into town. The matchup in Fribourg would mark Team USA's </span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.0037708396557718515"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">seventh straight away encounter contested on clay.</span></b><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On this occasion Switzerland’s decision backfired. Not only was the court poorly constructed (regularly sending tennis balls bouncing in unpredictable directions) but also, clay is puzzling choice of surface for the Swiss wunder duo - Federer and Wawrinka. Yes, Roger has won the French open. I agree, Mr. Federer is very good on the dirt, overall. </span></b><br />
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<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Roger has historically had better success on faster courts, specifically indoor hard-courts. As evidenced by his domination in </span><a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Rotterdam.aspx"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rotterdam</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> just one week after this Davis Cup tie, at the ABN Amro world tennis tournament (not to mention his string of indoor success to end the </span><a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Roger-Federer.aspx?t=pa&y=2011&m=s&e=0#"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2011 season</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, winning three tournaments and 15 matches in a row). </span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As for Stan Wawrinka, in meaningful Davis cup matches since 2008 he has earned four wins and two losses on indoor hard-courts versus one win and one loss on indoor clay-courts. Although, in full disclosure, Stan the man does hold a career .621 win percentage on clay during his ATP tour career. But initially, the selection of indoor clay-courts seemed like more of a defensive choice to me rather than an offensive move on the part on the part of the home team.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rubber #1 between Mardy Fish and Wawrinka was a terrific five-set encounter that featured multiple swings in momentum. Switzerland took a two sets to one advantage only to see Mardy breeze through the 4th set 6-1. Mardy needed two opportunities to serve for the match (once at 5-4) but eventually held on to win the 5th set 9-7.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The stage was set for Rubber #2. The home crowd was vocally behind their man, Roger, who looked focused from the start of the match. Federer broke the dominant serve of 6 foot 10 inch John Isner once and held on to win the 1st set 6-4. However, Big John would have the last laugh. The crowd was taken out of the match when the 2nd set went the way of the American 6-3. A highly competitive 3rd set reached a tie breaker, but the Isner serve was the difference. Team USA wins the 3rd set 7-6. With the crowd in relative shock and odd bounces seemingly favoring the American, John Isner finished the match in style, winning the 4th set 6-2.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Team USA clinched a victory in the 1st round tie on Day two with a hard-fought doubles win. After the Swiss doubles pair of Federer/Wawrinka took the 1st set 6-4, Team USA (Fish/Mike Bryan) won the next three sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Wawrinka proved to be the weakest link out there on Day two, while the team of Fish/Bryan seemed to build chemistry and gain confidence as the match wore on.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Team USA completed the 5-0 sweep on Day three with victories in the two remaining </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_rubber"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dead-rubbers</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (matches that hold no bearing on the outcome of the series). With the pressure off, Team USA captain, Jim Courier, chose to give 19 year old Ryan Harrison his first taste of Davis Cup action. The captain was rewarded when Harrison rose to the occasion, winning two tie-break sets over Michael Lammer. In Rubber #5 John Isner continued his fine play. Marco Chiudinelli was no match for the giant American, dropping the match in straight sets.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was an important Davis Cup Tie for Team USA - it marked their third consecutive </span><a href="http://www.daviscup.com/en/teams/team/profile.aspx?id=USA"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">victory on clay</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, dating back to 2010. Next up for Team USA is a challenging away contest against France. The tie starts on April 6th and will be played outdoors on clay. Hopefully the team can ride this positive momentum against a dangerous French team. The French captain, Guy Forget (pronounced: for-ZHAY), has four players ranked in the top 15 to choose from. Although, I expect him to </span><a href="http://www.daviscup.com/en/results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=100017647"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">select the same team</span></a><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he used in the first round match against Canada (Tsonga and Monfils in singles and Benneteau/Llodra in doubles).</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">U-S-A!!!!! </span></b></div>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951950509762614310.post-48903116096959225742012-02-07T12:47:00.008-05:002012-05-25T11:25:30.082-04:00Just Eli Being Eli<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Heading into "Big game" XVLI, the New York football Giants were two and a half point dogs to the New England football Patriots. So when a 33 yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes pulled the G-men to within two points as time expired in the third quarter, the bookies nearly had it right. Unfortunately for Pats fans, the odds-makers fell 15 minutes short with their prediction.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Instead, the fourth quarter happened. Perhaps the most exciting six-point quarter in Superbowl history. It started with a turnover (those are always exciting) and finished with a hail Mary (also a very exciting play). But the game will probably be most remembered for Eli Manning's three minute drive that resulted in the most unwanted, game-winning touchdown in the history of American football (I know, that was the second superlative used in this paragraph alone). So I will give readers what they want... my take on the final 5 minutes of Superbowl XVLI.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a name='more'></a>After a failed third and 11 play, the Patriots punter, Zoltan Mesko - perhaps the greatest name for a punter of all time (new paragraph, new set of superlatives) - pinned the Giants deep on their own 12 yard line.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Then it was just Eli being Eli. A perfect throw deep down the left sideline, followed by perhaps the greatest catch in Superbowl history (okay, now I'm laying it on pretty thick but this is the first post. Deal with it!). Exhibiting superior body control, Mario Manningham made the grab and was forced out of bounds at midfield. Many thanks to Mr. Belichick. His coaches challenge allowed us all to watch that catch over and over again, in glorious high definition. The call on the field of a completed catch was upheld.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On first down, Eli took another shot down the field to Manningham that fell incomplete. But if at first you don't succeed, Eli, try - Manningham - again. On second and 10, Eli completed a short pass to Mario who turned up field for a 16 yard gain. Just for good measure, Manning completed his third pass of the drive to Manningham, but this time Rutgers' own Devin McCourty was up to the task, holding Mario to a two yard gain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In four shotguns snaps the Giants had moved the ball 56 yards to the New England 32. Manning's next target was big number 88, Hakeem Nicks. Not to be left out, the former UNC standout made the grab and pushed up field for a 14 yard gain. On first and 10, from the I-formation, Ahmad Bradshaw powered between the tackles for seven yards. On Second down, Eli went through the air to Mr. Nicks, who was forced out of bounds but not before picking up the first down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was time to bleed the clock. New England was left with only two timeouts after the unsuccessful challenge and the Giants could convert a chip-shot field goal for the win. But Wild Bill had one last trick up his sleeve. After burning the Pat's second timeout with 1:04 remaining in the game, the Patriots defense appeared to allow Bradshaw a clear path to the end zone. It took number 44 five and a half yards to realize that something was amiss. But it was too late. Bradshaw stumbled into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Eli had orchestrated another mind-boggling fourth quarter drive that covered nine plays and 88 yards.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I'm not sure there was a single Giants fan who felt totally comfortable knowing that Tom Brady would get the ball with one timeout and 57 seconds left on the clock. The Patriots were able to move the ball to midfield (with the help of a 19 yard gain on fourth and 16), but would advance no further. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This was to be Eli's night. The youngest Manning earned his second Superbowl ring and second Superbowl MVP trophy; and subsequently became the greatest Eli to ever play American football. Maybe even the greatest Eli in America's great history, although Eli Whitney might have something to say about that. (you had to know I would end this post with one last superlative)</div>Ryan McGuirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04613807965433687035noreply@blogger.com1