NHL's Time to Shine

Many die hard Hockey fans often ask the question, "Why is Hockey not more popular in the US?" My answer to this question was always something along the lines of, people lead busy lives, after Football, Baseball and Basketball, there just isn't enough time to get in to more sports. This in my opinion also explains why Soccer and NASCAR haven't taken off in the US. Easier access to these sports via the internet or increased cable access has raised their popularity, but are still dwarfed by the "Big 3" (NFL, MLB and NBA). The NHL has the most potential for expanding significantly, the best Hockey players in the World play nightly in various arenas around the US and Canada.

Just some of the Superstars in the NHL

The NHL has been offered a golden opportunity with the NFL currently locked out, and the NBA destined for a lock out which is meant to be as bad if not worse than the current NFL lock out. Baseball season would be all but over when the Hockey season comes around again too. So this may be the most important Summer for Hockey in recent years. Hockey must be extremely pro-active in establishing itself for the new season. Promotion of the biggest stars (Ovechkin, Crosby, etc etc), put on a bunch of events where fans can meet the players, get the games on primetime and putting in a huge effort to promote Fantasy Hockey worldwide. A huge contingent of the players are European, the NHL should look in to having some games played across various locations in Europe, where Hockey is extremely popular.


Hockey is best experienced live, the main goal of the NHL should be to get new people to come to games, by doing this you can convert many people to Hockey fans. I myself never cared much for Hockey until I went to see the Boston Bruins take on the Ottawa Senators in downtown Boston at the Garden, in the Spring of '09. Being at an actual game was one of the greatest sporting experiences of my life. The crowd especially in Boston go crazy for their teams, the atmosphere was infectious, and I couldn't help but get off my seat and shout at every crushing hit, jump up in excitement when Boston scored and shout and root along with everyone else there. The experience was just awesome. The next best Hockey experience was watching the Finals of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. USA vs Canada Final, USA scored with less than a minute left to tie it up and take it to overtime, where Canada eventually scored for the win. That may have been one of the most action packed finishes to a game that I have seen in years.

Ryan Kessler's goal in the final minute on Canadian Roberto Luongo was one of the best sports experiences I have seen

What are the most exciting 5 minutes in Sports? For me, it's in Hockey, the final 5 minutes in a tie game, where the action is so back and forth, fast and furious, that you almost can't contain your excitement. Then comes that slapshot, the puck moving so fast you can't see it, until it hits off the back of the net and you hear the horn. Everyone screams in happiness and the players throw off their gloves and you watch the replay over and over in amazement. Don't get me wrong, I love the 9th inning in Baseball, I love the 2 minute drives in football and I love the the anxious final minutes in Basketball, but there is just something about the ending to a Hockey game which is unmatched. The only problem? People don't know about it.

Hockey must do a better job of making the people in the cities with a Hockey team care about that team. For example, the San Jose Sharks, sure they have a strong following in San Jose, but there is such huge potential for the entire Bay Area. If Hockey can get the Bay Area hooked? They have immediately got the Sharks fanbase and made it 10 times bigger. Hockey must also improve promoting the history of the game. Younger generation doesn't know about Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, or even the miracle on ice where during the Cold War, USA defeated the heavily favored USSR in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

  The 'Miracle on Ice' is considered one of the most patriotic moments in US sports

I won't pretend to have all the answers, and I certainly wouldn't make any guarantee's that everyone will feel the same way about Hockey as I do, but I do expect the NHL to make a HUGE effort in the coming months. If not? Hockey will destine to be forever the back burner to the other major sports. And all I could say if that happens, is "I told you so".

The Greatest Sports Moments I have witnessed

San Francisco Giants - Show Me the Money

The San Francisco Giants are quite a mystery, they have in recent years given out god awful contracts. Yet in 2010 they were able to win the World Series, and this with their 2 highest paid players essentially being on the bench or non-factors in the playoffs (Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand). However, it doesn't stop there, in 2011 not much has changed, they are still paying outrageous money to Zito and Rowand, and lets not forget Mark DeRosa who has been one big injury with the Giants. Furthermore, so far in 2011, Miguel Tejada and Aubrey Huff have been underwhelming to say the least, and this year they are earning a combined $16.5 million, with a stat line of .210 AVG 1 HR and 16 RBI for Tejada and .219 AVG 5 HR and 24 RBI for Huff. Just awful production for what these guys are being paid*

Now lets take a look at the team as a whole. The Giants are 8th in the Majors in payroll, thus we know that the owners are willing to spend quite a large amount of money and they are. Unfortunately as I have pointed out, the majority of the money is going to the wrong people. It is almost mind blowing how the Giants could win a World Series, with so much money basically being flushed down the toilet. Lets take a look at the 5 worst contracts currently with the Giants. Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand, Mark DeRosa, Miguel Tejada and Huff. We have already taken a look at the numbers in the Tejada and Huff contracts. Let's now combine all 5 of these players contracts. The money those 5 players are making is, get ready for this, a whopping $54.6 MILLION. For this incredible number the Giants are getting: "6th" starter on the team (Zito), 5th Outfielder (Rowand), walking injury (DeRosa), backup caliber SS (Tejada) and a way under performing 1B (Huff).

      Barry Zito has been one of, if not the biggest Free Agent Bust in recent history

I am no expert when it comes to Major League contracts, I don't fully understand exactly how the arbitration works, or all the increments of how a contract is formed but I will do my best with where I think that money should go once it's off the books. Let's take a look at the guys who absolutely have to be re-signed long term by the Giants: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Brian Wilson. Now I don't wanna get in to too much detail as I could probably write an entire book as to where the money should go. So lets focus on the previously mentioned players the Giants must re-sign (in my opinion). For the sake of simplicity, lets assume that the contracts will be given out when they are needed and they can be structured to be front loaded or back loaded. I will just give the average salary the player will earn each year. Basically what I will be doing is, using the $54.6 million in bad soon to be finished contracts to re-signing the stars on the team. Here goes.

Tim Lincecum - This year earning $14 million, I think Timmy gets a contract approximately the same as Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee. Maybe a 6 year $123.6 Million contract, average salary = $20.6 million. So an increase of 14 to 20. So we take $6.6 million off the total. Now we have $48 million of the total left.

Matt Cain - This year Cain earns $7.33 million, next year he gets $15.33 million. I think Cain will get a contract along the lines of 6 years $92 million, therefore an average of $15.33 million and an $8 million increase over this years contract. So now the total is $40 million left.

Brian Wilson - Fan favorite Brian Wilson makes $6.5 million this year, the top closer in the game Mariano Rivera makes $15 million/year, I don't think Wilson will quite get that. I think Wilson will get something like a 6 year $69 million contract. Making an average of $11.5 million/year and therefore an increase of $5 million leaving $35 million left on the total.

            The Giants future will be in good hands by keeping this trio intact 

Buster Posey & Pablo Sandoval - Both of these guys are making around $500,000 this year and are currently hurt, Posey for the year and Sandoval is scheduled back in the next 2 weeks. Both are major faces of the franchise, and are destined to be part of the heart of the order for a long time. Posey and Sandoval are to the Giants, what Mauer and Morneau are to the Twins, except the Giants players are younger and have just as much if not more potential. I think you basically throw the rest of the $35 million at these guys. Again to compare to the Twins, Mauer is making $23 million/year and Morneau $15 million/year, I think the Giants can get Posey locked up at an average of $20 million/year and Sandoval if he can prove to stay in shape and hit well, could get up to an average of $15 million/year. Both of these guys will hit .300+ AVG, 20+ HR and 90+ RBI for the next decade. 

We can argue about the numbers, we can argue about the years, I was just giving examples of what the Giants could give these guys. The main point I wanted to show here was that the Giants can and should use the huge sum of money they currently have invested in minimal impact players, to lock up all their stars. Not only are these players extremely talented, but they are all so charismatic, AT&T gets sold out regularly to see these guys play, they are in essence, Giants in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

*Wrote that prior to the game today, where Aubrey shut my mouth by hitting 3 HR's with 6 RBI

MLB Weekly Power Rankings

This is the 2nd week of my Baseball Power Rankings. Just like the first week I will do the top 5 and bottom 5 teams in my opinion. There will be quite a few changes to this week's rankings, especially at the top. My Rankings are based on overall record and how well the teams have done from one week to the next. Lets get this started.

Top 5

1 (2) - St. Louis Cardinals (33-23) - This team has been hot as of late (7-3 in last 10 games), the Cards have an excellent road record (18-13) and they have played 6 more games on the road than at home. The Cards SP has been much better than expected, Salas has stabilized the 9th inning woes and they are tied with the 2nd most runs in the Majors, and with Albert Pujols struggling.
My question is, how will you stop the Cards offense when (not if) Pujols starts hitting .320 with power, and you also got Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, Colby Rasmus and clutch hitter Yadier Molina to worry about? Yikes. People talk about the Brewers being the best team in the Central? Really?

It's only a matter of time before Pujols (see above) finds his swing again. Watch out Baseball, here come the Cards.

2 (1)- Cleveland Indians (32-20) - They have definitely cooled off as of late, however, the Indians still have the best winning percentage (.615) in the Majors. While we knew they would come back down to Earth, it appears that this Indians team is for real and if they can continue to get good all around production, they should be in my top 5 for quite some time.

3 - Arizona Diamondbacks (30-25) - This team has resembled the weather in Arizona and been extremely hot lately. They have won 13 of their last 15 games, taken a lead in the NL West from the now Buster Posey-less Giants and appear like a legit contender in that division. The last 2 weeks they have had an outburst of offensive production, scoring 15, 11, 9, 8 and 7 in games, while also showing the ability to win the close low scoring games too. They will cool down, but they have a realistic shot in the wide open NL West.

4 - New York Yankees (31-23) - The Yankees have won 4 in a row, while rival Boston has lost 4 in a row. The Yankees have the best run differential in the Majors (+67) and all this with A-Rod and Mark Teixeira not hitting what we know they can. Both Bartolo Colon (3-3 3.26 ERA) and Freddy Garcia (4-4 3.34 ERA) have been pleasant surprises for the Yanks.

5 (3) - Philadelphia Phillies (34-22) - The Phillies do have the best winning percentage in the National League (.607) but just edged out the surging Brewers. They also have allowed the 3rd fewest runs in the Majors even with Cliff Lee having a few rough outings. The Phillies would be higher but losing to the Nationals in 2 straight games when you roll out Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt to the mound doesn't impress me too much. The offense needs to become more consistent.

Bottom 5
26 (28) San Diego Padres (24-31) - The Padres have a bottom 5 winning percentage in the Majors with a meager .436, add to this they are tied for scoring the fewest runs too. It's hard to win consistently when you don't score runs. There is a positive, the Padres have won 4 in a row and are only 6 games behind in a winnable NL West. If they can get some offense going, then they cannot be counted out yet.

27 (27) Kansas City Royals (24-30) - The one thing you gotta like is that they have been pretty decent at home, posting a respectable 18-14 record. That is basically where the good ends for this team, 6-16 on the road, played 10 more home games than road games, and they are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Said it before and will say it again, lets check back with the Royals in 2012 or 2013.

   Rookie 1B Eric Hosmer will be a big piece in Kansas City's Puzzle moving forward

28 (29) Houston Astros (22-34) - The Astros have a dreadful .393 winning percentage, with only the Twins having a worse percentage. Allowing the 2nd most runs is gonna spell disaster for any team, however they are showing some signs of life having just swept the Cubs in Wrigley. Hunter Pence has been extremely productive this year and could be a huge trade asset as we get closer to July.

29 Chicago Cubs (23-31) - This team is slumping bad. They just got swept by the aforementioned Houston Astros at Wrigley Field. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games, they have an awful record at home (12-19) and have allowed the 3rd most runs in the Majors. To add insult to injury their only power hitter Alfonso Soriano is now on the DL. Pray for the Cubbies.

30 (30) Minnesota Twins (17-36) - This team is just awful right now. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have by far the worst run differential (-91) and winning percentage (.321) in the Majors. Nothing more to be said here.

Some things to note, had I done a full 30 team power rankings, my San Francisco Giants would have fallen quite a bit from their 4th place last week. Losing Buster Posey and going 4-6 in our last 10 would have a lot to do with that. Also just missing out on the top 5 are the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Marlins.

And there we have it for this week folks. Let me know what you guys think, agree or disagree with my rankings? Let me know in the comments section.

NFC West - Free Agent Moves That Need to Happen

As I wrote in one of my previous posts, the NFC West is unquestionably the worst division in football. All 4 of the teams in this division have a lot of work to do. Here are some free agent additions I think each of the teams should make. These additions should be taken in conjunction with the trades that I wrote about before. Hence, the following trades have occurred:
Arizona gets Carson Palmer, Seattle gets Kevin Kolb and the one change I wanted to make was St. Louis trades for Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers instead of Chad OchoCinco. Smith has already stated he wants out, and while Smith is not drama free, he won't be as much a distraction as 85 and would provide a receiver that would fit perfectly with Sam Bradford. Also will add a trade the 49ers could explore in addition to a Free Agent signing.

 

The NFC West was a combined 25-39 last season, with 7-9 Seattle winning the division

Arizona Cardinals
Barrett Ruud - Middle Line Backer
The Cardinals added a franchise QB in Carson Palmer in my projected trades that need to happen. That along with the addition of RB Ryan Williams in the draft should go a long way to improving the offense. Now lets take a look at the defense. The Cardinals have one of the more talented secondaries in the NFL, and pro-bowl caliber lineman in Darnell Dockett. While Dockett is a vocal leader, they really need a strong presence in the Middle of the defense. With the departure of Karlos Dansby, there was a clear lack of talent at the linebacker position. Ruud, in my opinion, is perfectly suited to play in this defense, he racks up tackles and can make plays with INT's. One of the more underrated players in the NFL and could vault the Cardinals defense in to one of the better ones in the NFC. With adding Palmer and Ruud, the Cardinals would be a perfect candidate for bounce back team of the year. Something I also touched on in a previous post.


San Francisco 49ers
Jonathan Joseph - Corner Back
In the draft, the 49ers were hoping and praying that someway, somehow, LSU CB Patrick Peterson would fall to them at 7. This was not to be as the Cardinals took Peterson with the 5th overall pick. The 49ers did select talented sack artist in Aldon Smith. Now what the 49ers need is a top end CB. While the only 2 true shutdown CB's in the NFL are Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha, Joseph would be an excellent addition to the 49ers defense. Joseph gets overlooked playing for the Bengals and playing beside Leon Hall, but he is one of the better CB's that doesn't get talked about.
While the Pass Rush was a problem for the 49ers last season, their secondary was the major weakness of the defense. By adding Aldon Smith and Jonathan Joseph, the defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio would get a huge talent injection, to go along with other excellent players in Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Aubrayo Franklin (who the 49ers need to re-sign) and Takeo Spikes.

Jonathan Joseph would be the ideal consolation prize for the 49ers after missing out on Patrick Peterson in the draft

49ers trade 5th round pick to Tampa Bay Buccaneers for QB Josh Johnson
The reasoning behind this trade? 49ers HC Jim Harbaugh was Josh Johnson's college coach, and thus Johnson would be familiar with Harbaugh's offense. While I am not expecting Johnson to start, his impact would be more in helping the other QB's (Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith) in learning Harbaugh's offense. With the shortened offseason the 49ers QB's will need all the help they can get and having a guy in the locker room who spent years with Harbaugh would be invaluable. Not only this, but it was in Harbaugh's offense which put JJ in the position to be drafted where he was, and I think back in this offense he would make for a solid backup QB in the long term behind Kaepernick. Also acquiring JJ means no more David Carr which is always a good thing for any team.


Seattle Seahawks
Logan Mankins - Offensive Guard
It appears to me that Mankins is not committed to staying with the Patriots, it also looks obvious that he is after a big payday. Well it just so happens that Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen is one of the richest men in the World and when it comes to his Seahawks he is not afraid to spend money. Recently Seattle has invested high draft picks to shore up the Offensive Tackle positions (Russell Okung at LT and draftee James Carpenter at RT), but questions still remain in the interior of the O-Line. By adding Mankins, Seattle would be regaining a LG and LT combo with the potential to be as dominant as Steve Hutchinson and Walter Jones were for years up in the Pacific Northwest.
If we take my projected trades, Seattle would have added Kevin Kolb, who would immediately become the franchise QB. Not only would adding Mankins help Kolb in the passing game, but he would be a vital piece in establishing an effective run game. Seattle's biggest problem on offense in 2010 was consistency, at times look great, and at times look awful. Improving at the QB position and adding 2 major additions to the O-Line (Mankins and Carpenter) would go a long way to making the Seattle offense that much more consistent.


St. Louis Rams
Darren Sproles - Running Back/Kick Returner
The future in St. Louis is all about Sam Bradford and putting him in the best position to succeed. Trading for Steve Smith, gives Bradford a legit pass catcher and by adding Sproles, the Rams would get a change of pace back who would compliment Steven Jackson perfectly. Sproles is a home run hitter in the run game, while Jackson is more of a bruiser who excels at pounding the defense for gains of 5-10 yards. Sproles will also be a huge help in the return game, putting Bradford and the Rams offense in better field position consistently.

The NFC West has essentially been the laughing stock of the NFL the last few years, highlighted last year by the winner having a pathetic 7-9 record. The first time ever a division winner having a losing record. I believe that with the trades and free agent signings made, that would go a long way to improving this division and bringing it back to respectable.