Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Recap
I told you all that you shouldn't have listened to me. Don't I always tell you not to listen to me!
NHL PLAYOFFS (5-3, with one right on games)
So I was right about the goaltending battle in the Calgary-Anaheim series, I just got the wrong guy... Colorado and Milan Hejduk showed that they were better than I thought (7 points in the 5-game shellacking)... Nobody picked Edmonton... I went 4-0 in the East, nailing the Ottawa-Tampa series, except it was "Johnny" Grahame getting most of the blame... I picked Marty Gerber as the MVP in the Montreal-Carolina matchup, little did I know my favorite backup goalie Cam Ward would get a chance to prove himself... Lindy Ruff really is good, I still don't know any of the Sabres.
NBA PLAYOFFS (7-1, hitting the games on three)
I'll say that Detroit really did want another home game... VC did it again, though eventually in this playoff he will revert to his late-Raptors form and bring the whole Nets team down with him (why in the world doesn't anyone just foul him hard... do it early and often, you won't need to worry about him for the rest of the series)... King James lived up to the billing, again... The only Western series I didn't nail was thanks to Bonzi Wells, who just made himself an extra $25 million... Boris Diaw (18-6-6) in the 1st round was pretty bang on, another whoops from the Hawks (maybe they'll draft Rudy Gay so him and Marvin Williams can sit on the bench together)... Kenyon Martin is the new definition of goat, I hope he likes New York... And finally allow me a small chuckle at the expense of Memphis, as the playoff curse we Vancouverites put on it continues.
Some other stuff to chew on while I have your attention...
I'd love to see a Phoenix-Dallas Western Final, so that'll be my call. It'll be tough for both to get there, but it would be a fantastic series. In the East, despite New Jersey's Game 1 romp, I still think Detroit and Miami are on a collision course so long as Miami stops taking 20 minutes off here and there.
As for the great frozen game, every series is at 2-0 so it's pretty tough to bet against any of the series leaders right now. I think San Jose is too much for Edmonton to battle back from... The Ducks are a fantastic looking team, even if Ilya Bryzgalov goes from "Otherworldly" to "Pretty Good," they should still advance... Jersey's heartbreaking loss last night would cripple just about any team, but they've been there before and you never, ever count out the Devils with Marty Brodeur in net... Finally, Ottawa is down two going to Buffalo (who are even better than I could have imagined, especially with Ryan Miller playing so well). Normally that would be the kiss of death, but this team is way too talented to be counted out yet, one big win could make the Sabres think twice.
Jeff Francis is starting to turn it around. My favorite pitcher is still walking too many batters, but he's helped the Rockies to a 20-13 mark and first place in the NL West. Over the past 4 games, he's started to look more like the guy who won Minor League Player of the Year a couple years back (26.2 IP, 17 H, 3 ER, 11 BB, 16 K, 1.03 ERA, 1.05 WHIP). For the year, he's now 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. If he can keep cutting back on the walks, the Rockies will have their ace.
One of the talented lefties Francis watched as a kid, Tom Glavine, is off to a fantastic start. I throw harder than he does, but he's got 41 K's in 46.1 IP to go with a 1.94 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The Mets are establishing themselves as the team to beat in the NL East, and word is they might make a move for a guy like Barry Zito. Being in the anti-Zito camp, I think handing over Lastings Milledge (and more) would be a mistake. Not a Kazmir-for-Zambrano type mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. I don't think Zito is a bad pitcher by any means, I just see the Mets having to give up too much for a guy who WAS a Cy-Young winner, but now pitches like a #2. Speaking of Oakland, the famous Nick Swisher is really starting to turn into what Oakland hoped for (.327-10-28). Now if Bobby Crosby can do the same, maybe my Rance Mulliniks fantasy team can stop sucking.
The Mariners are torturing me. 14-20, last in the AL West. Eddie Guardado (0-2, 6.94 ERA, 1.97 WHIP) is out as closer. King Felix (1-4, 5.40, 1.64) has struggled, and may be tipping his pitches. The two big-splash free agents from two years ago are horrible busts... Adrian Beltre (.221-1-9, 9 SB's) is running at least and hitting .313 in May (no power still), while Richie Sexson (.190-3-17) is pretty much stinking all around (.111-1-2 in May). Joel Pineiro finally looks like a real pitcher again (4-2, 3.72, 1.22), but it's of little consolation to me right now. Maybe I'll put on the classic Vin Baker Sonics jersey I picked up on friday and go drown my sorrows somewhere.
Finally, the Ottawa Lynx are still struggling at 14-17, good for the basement in the IL North. There's nothing blatently wrong, they're mostly middle of the pack in every category... but that's not a recipe for success. The third-worst team WHIP but reasonably low ERA tells me that things could get worse. On the bright side, we still have Fernando Tatis (.287-3-9 in 28 games... he even stole a base!). We love you Fernando, don't ever leave Canada again.
NHL PLAYOFFS (5-3, with one right on games)
So I was right about the goaltending battle in the Calgary-Anaheim series, I just got the wrong guy... Colorado and Milan Hejduk showed that they were better than I thought (7 points in the 5-game shellacking)... Nobody picked Edmonton... I went 4-0 in the East, nailing the Ottawa-Tampa series, except it was "Johnny" Grahame getting most of the blame... I picked Marty Gerber as the MVP in the Montreal-Carolina matchup, little did I know my favorite backup goalie Cam Ward would get a chance to prove himself... Lindy Ruff really is good, I still don't know any of the Sabres.
NBA PLAYOFFS (7-1, hitting the games on three)
I'll say that Detroit really did want another home game... VC did it again, though eventually in this playoff he will revert to his late-Raptors form and bring the whole Nets team down with him (why in the world doesn't anyone just foul him hard... do it early and often, you won't need to worry about him for the rest of the series)... King James lived up to the billing, again... The only Western series I didn't nail was thanks to Bonzi Wells, who just made himself an extra $25 million... Boris Diaw (18-6-6) in the 1st round was pretty bang on, another whoops from the Hawks (maybe they'll draft Rudy Gay so him and Marvin Williams can sit on the bench together)... Kenyon Martin is the new definition of goat, I hope he likes New York... And finally allow me a small chuckle at the expense of Memphis, as the playoff curse we Vancouverites put on it continues.
Some other stuff to chew on while I have your attention...
I'd love to see a Phoenix-Dallas Western Final, so that'll be my call. It'll be tough for both to get there, but it would be a fantastic series. In the East, despite New Jersey's Game 1 romp, I still think Detroit and Miami are on a collision course so long as Miami stops taking 20 minutes off here and there.
As for the great frozen game, every series is at 2-0 so it's pretty tough to bet against any of the series leaders right now. I think San Jose is too much for Edmonton to battle back from... The Ducks are a fantastic looking team, even if Ilya Bryzgalov goes from "Otherworldly" to "Pretty Good," they should still advance... Jersey's heartbreaking loss last night would cripple just about any team, but they've been there before and you never, ever count out the Devils with Marty Brodeur in net... Finally, Ottawa is down two going to Buffalo (who are even better than I could have imagined, especially with Ryan Miller playing so well). Normally that would be the kiss of death, but this team is way too talented to be counted out yet, one big win could make the Sabres think twice.
Jeff Francis is starting to turn it around. My favorite pitcher is still walking too many batters, but he's helped the Rockies to a 20-13 mark and first place in the NL West. Over the past 4 games, he's started to look more like the guy who won Minor League Player of the Year a couple years back (26.2 IP, 17 H, 3 ER, 11 BB, 16 K, 1.03 ERA, 1.05 WHIP). For the year, he's now 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. If he can keep cutting back on the walks, the Rockies will have their ace.
One of the talented lefties Francis watched as a kid, Tom Glavine, is off to a fantastic start. I throw harder than he does, but he's got 41 K's in 46.1 IP to go with a 1.94 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The Mets are establishing themselves as the team to beat in the NL East, and word is they might make a move for a guy like Barry Zito. Being in the anti-Zito camp, I think handing over Lastings Milledge (and more) would be a mistake. Not a Kazmir-for-Zambrano type mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. I don't think Zito is a bad pitcher by any means, I just see the Mets having to give up too much for a guy who WAS a Cy-Young winner, but now pitches like a #2. Speaking of Oakland, the famous Nick Swisher is really starting to turn into what Oakland hoped for (.327-10-28). Now if Bobby Crosby can do the same, maybe my Rance Mulliniks fantasy team can stop sucking.
The Mariners are torturing me. 14-20, last in the AL West. Eddie Guardado (0-2, 6.94 ERA, 1.97 WHIP) is out as closer. King Felix (1-4, 5.40, 1.64) has struggled, and may be tipping his pitches. The two big-splash free agents from two years ago are horrible busts... Adrian Beltre (.221-1-9, 9 SB's) is running at least and hitting .313 in May (no power still), while Richie Sexson (.190-3-17) is pretty much stinking all around (.111-1-2 in May). Joel Pineiro finally looks like a real pitcher again (4-2, 3.72, 1.22), but it's of little consolation to me right now. Maybe I'll put on the classic Vin Baker Sonics jersey I picked up on friday and go drown my sorrows somewhere.
Finally, the Ottawa Lynx are still struggling at 14-17, good for the basement in the IL North. There's nothing blatently wrong, they're mostly middle of the pack in every category... but that's not a recipe for success. The third-worst team WHIP but reasonably low ERA tells me that things could get worse. On the bright side, we still have Fernando Tatis (.287-3-9 in 28 games... he even stole a base!). We love you Fernando, don't ever leave Canada again.
