The Habersports blog started in January 2009. This blog is dedicated primarily, although not exclusively to Pittsburgh sports. It is inspired by three things; my love of sports my unfulfilled desire to be a sports writer and my wondeful fiancee Emily. My goal is to bring a different perspective to sports than is presented by the mainstream media.
The blog previously was carried by LiveJournal.com. That being said, I have migrated it to this site effective April 2010. I also brought over my last two entries from Live Journal since they relate directly to subsequent blogs.
All of my entries from LiveJournal are maintained on that site as noted below.
http://ahaberman35.livejournal.com/
I hope you enjoy.
Habe
Thursday, April 29, 2010
April Madness - First Round NHL Playoff Predictions
http://ahaberman35.livejournal.com/13865.html This is an archive entry, originally published at my previous site, livejournal.com (April 14th, 2010).
After all of this Big Ben mess, it’s time to get back to good old fashion sports. And no better time than the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, my favorite time of the sports year. Here’s hoping I get my cable working tonight and/or find a bar that has actually heard of Versus (Last year I had to explain to a hotel worker that Versus is a TV channel like NBC or Fox…seriously).
This year, my annual Stanley Cup playoff predictions come with a new twist. Just as my idol the Sports Guy (Bill Simmons) posts his picks and his wife’s (the aptly named, sports gal), I’m including Emily’s picks as well. Amazingly, we picked all eight series the same (and I swear independently).
For the record I was 12 and 3 last year, even though my first round picks were made 35,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean. And of course there was absolutely zero Penguin bias in those picks.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Ottawa Senators (5)
Who would have thought back in October that the Pens and Sens would be hooking up for the 3rd time in four years? Ottawa seemed like a playoff long shot at best when the season started.
I have some concerns about the Pens going into this series. There has been something, not quite right about this team the last few months. It’s nothing terrible and nothing I can put my finger on. Maybe its fatigue, maybe they are pacing themselves, maybe they’ve lost interest in the regular season. In any event, we are counting on the boys to turn it on in April.
I’m not sure yet if this Penguin team is good enough to win another cup but I’m pretty sure they are good enough to beat Ottawa. I’m not ready to throw myself on the Brian Elliott bandwagon and I still think Spezza and Alfredsson are soft post season players. The Senators are also without enigmatic star Alex Kovalev which quite honestly could be good or bad. On the other hand, Sid and Geno woke up right on schedule the last week of the season. If Fleury follows in goal, everything will be okay.
The Pens need to seriously step up their game if they want to beat New Jersey and/or Washington but I think they are more than ready to take out an Ottawa team that overachieved this season. I’m also looking for a true breakout post season from Jordan Staal. Even without Scary Gary Roberts to torture Ottawa…PENS IN 6 (Emily…Pens in 6).
Washington Crapitals (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
I would love nothing more than to see Ovie and his boys get slapped out in the playoffs in the first round. Truthfully, the Craps have jumped slightly ahead of the Goons as the team I hate the most.
Alas, I see little or no chance of that happening. Montreal is a perfect match-up for Washington. They will give them too much room to skate and allow too many offensive opportunities. Ovie will be lighting up the scoreboard and we will have to hear that obnoxious horn leading on the Washington bandwagon.
Sadly, Montreal does not have a superstar that Alex Semin can rip in Russian before Semin goes ten games without a goal. And they do not have the firepower to take advantage of Washington’s questionable blue line or the debacle that is Jose Theodore in the nets.
At least we will get to enjoy seeing Montreal fans poor out their anger and frustration on Theodore. And maybe Propecia boy will get re-acquainted with the Montreal bars he was rumored to spend so much time in during his days as a Hab (Kapper...that's Hab, not Habe). Alas, he could be hung over in goal and I still think Washington would win 6 to 4.
Unfortunately we will have to endure more discussion about how great Ovechkin, Semin, and Green are…at least until Sid and Geno get a shot to slap them out of the playoffs again. Only because Halak will steal one game…CRAPS IN 5 (Emily, Craps in 5).
(2) New Jersey vs. (7) The Eastern Pennsylvania Orange and Black Goon Squad
This year’s, who do you root for series? The Penguins most hated rival or the team they went 0 and 6 against that prides itself in sucking the life out of every game? They’ve even found a way to make Ilya Kovalchuk seem boring. In the end, I’ll just ignore this series and hope it goes away.
I know New Jersey has struggled in the post season and I know Melanie Brodeur’s ex husband has had some rough moments in recent big games (Playoffs/Olympics). That being said…MARTIN BRODEUR VS BRIAN BOUCHER…Devils in 4 (Emily – NJ in 7).
(3) Ryan Miller and Company vs. (6) Boston Bruins
Who do you pick in a series of long time, bitter division rivals where one team over achieved all season (Buffalo) and the other under-achieved beyond belief? A tough call indeed.
I’m not impressed with Boston but frankly I’m not overly impressed with the Sabres either. I think they are way too dependent on the Great American Hero. I also think that either Boston goaltender, Tuukka Rask or Tim Thomas is capable of matching him in a long series (Thomas may just stare at him for two minutes with that creepy look a la his NHL network commercial).
Honestly, if Marc Savard were playing in this series, I would take Boston. Alas, thanks to his rough meeting with the Cooke monster, the Bruins just do not have enough fire power. That means they hit the goal course early and Claude Julien hits the unemployment line. After all it’s Boston, it’s always the coach’s fault.
With some hesitation…BUFFALO IN 7. (Emily – Buffalo in 6)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
San Jose Chokes (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (8)
I do not know much about anything but I know this. If San Jose manages to lose to another 8th seed, especially one like Colorado, a lot of Sharks are going to have new addresses next year.
Last year I gave serious consideration to picking Anaheim to beat the Sharks. I felt it was a bad match-up since Anaheim had no business being an eight seed. In the end, I backed off for exactly the reason Anaheim ending up winning. I did not think Jonas Hiller could steal a series. And I claim to know all about goaltending.
So have I learned my lesson? Absolutely not. I do not think Colorado matches up well with the Sharks. And I do not think Chicago product Craig Anderson can steal a series. Please make a note of my comments when Anderson is carrying the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP in June.
This is the last chance in my mind for Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Johnny Nabokov. If those guys choke again, I think San Jose has to break up the band and start over. I’m not sure they will get past the second round given Thornton’s desire to hang on the perimeter and make pretty passes but I think they are good enough to survive the Avalanche. Barring a Patrick Roy/Joe Sakic revival…SAN JOSE IN 5 (Emily – SJ in 6).
Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Nashville Predators (7)
I’m going to ghost write this prediction as Emily. The Hawks will win because Antti Niemi will be brilliant start to finish, Patrick Kane will dominate offensively. Jonathan Toews will lead by example, Duncan Keith will own the blue line, and Patrick Sharp will be the surprise offensive hero (and sharp dressed man). They also have some winger who used to play for Detroit.
Actually all of those things can happen. And for those of you outside of Chicago who do not know, Niemi has played brilliantly this season. He’ll have to prove it in the post season but like most people here in the windy city, I’d prefer Niemi blindfolded and drunk over the ghost of Cristobal Huet.
Nashville is a plug and chug team. They lack a true superstar and win with the hard working, team concept that worked so well in the dead puck era. They’ve had the same head coach for 47 years in spite of never winning a playoff series; a guy with no neck who looks frighteningly like Edward G. Robinson (watch The Ten Commandments, you’ll understand).
If this were not a division rivalry I would go Hawks in a sweep. Alas it is so…CHICAGO IN 6 (Emily – Niemi, er, uh, Chicago in 5).
Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. LA Kings (6)
I’m not sure why so many hockey media folks are on the Vancouver bandwagon. I think literally they take the best Canadian team each year and desperately try and convince themselves they are championship caliber. Rarely have I seen it more pronounced than this year.
Yes, Henrik Sedin lead the NHL in scoring and shockingly continued to play while his twin brother was injured (I thought they would suffer all injuries simultaneously). Yes the Nucks have some talented players. So does LA, they just do not get any headlines. Plus they have Rob Scuderi to blanket Sedin and hold him to just 12 points or so.
I hate to always make things about goaltending (well, that’s not true) but lets face it, Vancouver is built around Luongo. And Luongo has been bad…really, really bad of late. It’s eerily reminiscent of the Dan Cloutier days when Vancouver had an incredibly talented team but could not overcome their shoddy goaltending. They don’t even have Moose Hedberg to throw in if things get worse.
I have rarely seen a player whose reputation so grievously exceeds his actual accomplishments than Luongo. He’s a regular season stud and a playoff ghost. Unless he channels his inner Flower, it’s going to be a long offseason for Bobby Lu and the Twins.
I don’t know much about LA but they have a talented young team and I just feel and upset here…KINGS IN 7 (Emily’s Pick – Kings in 7)
Phoenix Coyotes (4) Vs Detroit Dead Wings (5)
I’m just so sick of the Dead Wings. I would love to see them get beat by this young, overachieving Phoenix team that could not pay its rent six months ago. What a story that would make if we could send home Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Datsyuk and the rest of the Dead Wings early.
Sadly, I do not see it happening. Detroit may eventually run out of gas but they are too seasoned and too experienced for the Desert Dogs. The only good thing is we probably will not have to endure another two month Chris Osgood love fest from Mike Emrick…probably. It truly hurts me but…Dead Wings in 6 (Emily’s Pick – Dead Wings in 6)
All hail the mighty Penguin, blessed be the Penguin, for it is good !
After all of this Big Ben mess, it’s time to get back to good old fashion sports. And no better time than the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, my favorite time of the sports year. Here’s hoping I get my cable working tonight and/or find a bar that has actually heard of Versus (Last year I had to explain to a hotel worker that Versus is a TV channel like NBC or Fox…seriously).
This year, my annual Stanley Cup playoff predictions come with a new twist. Just as my idol the Sports Guy (Bill Simmons) posts his picks and his wife’s (the aptly named, sports gal), I’m including Emily’s picks as well. Amazingly, we picked all eight series the same (and I swear independently).
For the record I was 12 and 3 last year, even though my first round picks were made 35,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean. And of course there was absolutely zero Penguin bias in those picks.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Ottawa Senators (5)
Who would have thought back in October that the Pens and Sens would be hooking up for the 3rd time in four years? Ottawa seemed like a playoff long shot at best when the season started.
I have some concerns about the Pens going into this series. There has been something, not quite right about this team the last few months. It’s nothing terrible and nothing I can put my finger on. Maybe its fatigue, maybe they are pacing themselves, maybe they’ve lost interest in the regular season. In any event, we are counting on the boys to turn it on in April.
I’m not sure yet if this Penguin team is good enough to win another cup but I’m pretty sure they are good enough to beat Ottawa. I’m not ready to throw myself on the Brian Elliott bandwagon and I still think Spezza and Alfredsson are soft post season players. The Senators are also without enigmatic star Alex Kovalev which quite honestly could be good or bad. On the other hand, Sid and Geno woke up right on schedule the last week of the season. If Fleury follows in goal, everything will be okay.
The Pens need to seriously step up their game if they want to beat New Jersey and/or Washington but I think they are more than ready to take out an Ottawa team that overachieved this season. I’m also looking for a true breakout post season from Jordan Staal. Even without Scary Gary Roberts to torture Ottawa…PENS IN 6 (Emily…Pens in 6).
Washington Crapitals (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
I would love nothing more than to see Ovie and his boys get slapped out in the playoffs in the first round. Truthfully, the Craps have jumped slightly ahead of the Goons as the team I hate the most.
Alas, I see little or no chance of that happening. Montreal is a perfect match-up for Washington. They will give them too much room to skate and allow too many offensive opportunities. Ovie will be lighting up the scoreboard and we will have to hear that obnoxious horn leading on the Washington bandwagon.
Sadly, Montreal does not have a superstar that Alex Semin can rip in Russian before Semin goes ten games without a goal. And they do not have the firepower to take advantage of Washington’s questionable blue line or the debacle that is Jose Theodore in the nets.
At least we will get to enjoy seeing Montreal fans poor out their anger and frustration on Theodore. And maybe Propecia boy will get re-acquainted with the Montreal bars he was rumored to spend so much time in during his days as a Hab (Kapper...that's Hab, not Habe). Alas, he could be hung over in goal and I still think Washington would win 6 to 4.
Unfortunately we will have to endure more discussion about how great Ovechkin, Semin, and Green are…at least until Sid and Geno get a shot to slap them out of the playoffs again. Only because Halak will steal one game…CRAPS IN 5 (Emily, Craps in 5).
(2) New Jersey vs. (7) The Eastern Pennsylvania Orange and Black Goon Squad
This year’s, who do you root for series? The Penguins most hated rival or the team they went 0 and 6 against that prides itself in sucking the life out of every game? They’ve even found a way to make Ilya Kovalchuk seem boring. In the end, I’ll just ignore this series and hope it goes away.
I know New Jersey has struggled in the post season and I know Melanie Brodeur’s ex husband has had some rough moments in recent big games (Playoffs/Olympics). That being said…MARTIN BRODEUR VS BRIAN BOUCHER…Devils in 4 (Emily – NJ in 7).
(3) Ryan Miller and Company vs. (6) Boston Bruins
Who do you pick in a series of long time, bitter division rivals where one team over achieved all season (Buffalo) and the other under-achieved beyond belief? A tough call indeed.
I’m not impressed with Boston but frankly I’m not overly impressed with the Sabres either. I think they are way too dependent on the Great American Hero. I also think that either Boston goaltender, Tuukka Rask or Tim Thomas is capable of matching him in a long series (Thomas may just stare at him for two minutes with that creepy look a la his NHL network commercial).
Honestly, if Marc Savard were playing in this series, I would take Boston. Alas, thanks to his rough meeting with the Cooke monster, the Bruins just do not have enough fire power. That means they hit the goal course early and Claude Julien hits the unemployment line. After all it’s Boston, it’s always the coach’s fault.
With some hesitation…BUFFALO IN 7. (Emily – Buffalo in 6)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
San Jose Chokes (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (8)
I do not know much about anything but I know this. If San Jose manages to lose to another 8th seed, especially one like Colorado, a lot of Sharks are going to have new addresses next year.
Last year I gave serious consideration to picking Anaheim to beat the Sharks. I felt it was a bad match-up since Anaheim had no business being an eight seed. In the end, I backed off for exactly the reason Anaheim ending up winning. I did not think Jonas Hiller could steal a series. And I claim to know all about goaltending.
So have I learned my lesson? Absolutely not. I do not think Colorado matches up well with the Sharks. And I do not think Chicago product Craig Anderson can steal a series. Please make a note of my comments when Anderson is carrying the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP in June.
This is the last chance in my mind for Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Johnny Nabokov. If those guys choke again, I think San Jose has to break up the band and start over. I’m not sure they will get past the second round given Thornton’s desire to hang on the perimeter and make pretty passes but I think they are good enough to survive the Avalanche. Barring a Patrick Roy/Joe Sakic revival…SAN JOSE IN 5 (Emily – SJ in 6).
Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Nashville Predators (7)
I’m going to ghost write this prediction as Emily. The Hawks will win because Antti Niemi will be brilliant start to finish, Patrick Kane will dominate offensively. Jonathan Toews will lead by example, Duncan Keith will own the blue line, and Patrick Sharp will be the surprise offensive hero (and sharp dressed man). They also have some winger who used to play for Detroit.
Actually all of those things can happen. And for those of you outside of Chicago who do not know, Niemi has played brilliantly this season. He’ll have to prove it in the post season but like most people here in the windy city, I’d prefer Niemi blindfolded and drunk over the ghost of Cristobal Huet.
Nashville is a plug and chug team. They lack a true superstar and win with the hard working, team concept that worked so well in the dead puck era. They’ve had the same head coach for 47 years in spite of never winning a playoff series; a guy with no neck who looks frighteningly like Edward G. Robinson (watch The Ten Commandments, you’ll understand).
If this were not a division rivalry I would go Hawks in a sweep. Alas it is so…CHICAGO IN 6 (Emily – Niemi, er, uh, Chicago in 5).
Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. LA Kings (6)
I’m not sure why so many hockey media folks are on the Vancouver bandwagon. I think literally they take the best Canadian team each year and desperately try and convince themselves they are championship caliber. Rarely have I seen it more pronounced than this year.
Yes, Henrik Sedin lead the NHL in scoring and shockingly continued to play while his twin brother was injured (I thought they would suffer all injuries simultaneously). Yes the Nucks have some talented players. So does LA, they just do not get any headlines. Plus they have Rob Scuderi to blanket Sedin and hold him to just 12 points or so.
I hate to always make things about goaltending (well, that’s not true) but lets face it, Vancouver is built around Luongo. And Luongo has been bad…really, really bad of late. It’s eerily reminiscent of the Dan Cloutier days when Vancouver had an incredibly talented team but could not overcome their shoddy goaltending. They don’t even have Moose Hedberg to throw in if things get worse.
I have rarely seen a player whose reputation so grievously exceeds his actual accomplishments than Luongo. He’s a regular season stud and a playoff ghost. Unless he channels his inner Flower, it’s going to be a long offseason for Bobby Lu and the Twins.
I don’t know much about LA but they have a talented young team and I just feel and upset here…KINGS IN 7 (Emily’s Pick – Kings in 7)
Phoenix Coyotes (4) Vs Detroit Dead Wings (5)
I’m just so sick of the Dead Wings. I would love to see them get beat by this young, overachieving Phoenix team that could not pay its rent six months ago. What a story that would make if we could send home Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Datsyuk and the rest of the Dead Wings early.
Sadly, I do not see it happening. Detroit may eventually run out of gas but they are too seasoned and too experienced for the Desert Dogs. The only good thing is we probably will not have to endure another two month Chris Osgood love fest from Mike Emrick…probably. It truly hurts me but…Dead Wings in 6 (Emily’s Pick – Dead Wings in 6)
All hail the mighty Penguin, blessed be the Penguin, for it is good !
It’s Not Illegal to be a Jerk
NOTE: This blog was published April 13th, 2010 at LiveJournal.com before changing my blog site. This is an archive entry. The Habersports Blog - It’s Not Illegal to be a Jerk
The Ben Roethlisberger crime saga has been resolved. For the second time in eight months, Ben has been survived a serious accusation without criminal consequences. To be honest, the situation played out much as I expected.
That’s not to say I’m some kind of clairvoyant genius. I just looked at the facts as they were presented. A high profile, superstar athlete and a 20 year old college student are at a bar. They both have too much to drink, get a little too enamored with each other and decide to take their relationship to the next level. They decide to do this in a bathroom at a bar which is probably the most disturbing part of the story. Then there is some remorse, combined with alcohol and finally a police report.
The conclusion I came too early on was that Ben was likely guilty of extremely poor judgment and public behavior but not a crime. There is a huge difference between the two. Criminals go to jail. Celebrities who act like idiots in public get their imaged smashed around on ESPN and TMZ and lose their endorsements, at least for awhile.
I had serious issue with how some of the media treated Ben after the first allegation last summer. Everything we’ve heard about that situation indicates that Ben had a stalker out west. Her own friends testified that the woman off her rocker when it came to Big Ben. I did not like that she was being protected as a “potential victim of sexual abuse” while his image was being kicked around. We should protect legitimate victims of abuse, not people who file a civil suit one year later because a guy does not return their phone calls.
In that case I’m not sure Ben did anything wrong other than perhaps lead somebody on. In this case, well just see what I wrote above. Ben exercised EXTREMELY POOR JUDGMENT. And for that, his reputation should take a public beat down. His Q rating should fall and Dick’s Sporting Goods should have Hines Ward hawk their products instead of Ben. If a 28 year old celebrity wants to act like a 20 year old college student in public, I see it as justifiable punishment to deal with having his image tarnished.
Still, it is a long way from that to committing a crime. And it’s a slippery slope to start suspending players or running them out of town based on unsubstantiated accusations. We still live in a society where you are innocent until proven guilty. All we know for sure about Ben is that he put himself in a bad situation. If he really did commit this crime he should go to jail, but we simply do not have enough facts to say that he did.
It is easy to paint this scenario as the big bad football player taking advantage of the poor young college girl. There may be some truth to that but it’s far too simplistic for the real world. I think we all have a right to expect Ben to live and act at a higher standard than this but that does not let his accuser off the hook either. She was equally complicit in this situation. I will not make naïve statements about her being under 21 in a bar. Anybody who has spent time in Oakland knows that’s more the norm than the exception.
That being said, let’s not forget how many times athletes have been the victims of false accusations. We all remember the Duke Lacrosse players a few years back. I also remember some members of the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s were also accused of rape. A few weeks later, the woman admitted she was angry and had fabricated the entire story. In both cases, it was easy to believe the women. The Cowboy players were not exactly known as model citizens and I’m sure the Duke Lacrosse actions at their infamous party would not have made their families proud.
I do not feel bad for the Duke Lacrosse players because they ultimately did not end up in jail. They will move on with their lives with the biggest penalty being a lost season of Lacrosse. If you don’t believe me, I challenge you to name one individual on that team. I’m guessing most people just know them as those Duke Lacrosse players and that’s it. I have no doubt that some horrifying things went on at their party last night and I can only imagine what they said to those women that made them so angry. Given that, I think their ultimate punishment fit their crime.
Ok, maybe not crime since they did not commit one but you get my point. And the same is true for Big Ben. You may not like what he did but IF HE DID NOTHING ILLEGAL, we all need to get past it. He is an NFL football players, he’s not trying to be the next pope. To reiterate my theme of this blog, it’s not a crime to be an immature jerk. Even better, there is high potential for rehabilitation.
That same logic applies to Santonio Holmes. He clearly has some serious maturity issues and by all accounts he’s not the most beloved guy in the locker room. Like Ben, there were accusations made against him that looked bad but were likely not true. Also, there was a rush to judgment against Holmes that I found a bit disturbing, albeit his moronic twitter comments did not help.
So why did the Steelers dump Holmes for a bag of footballs and keep Big Ben? I’m hoping it related to his latest drug charge and the belief that he’s not going to change his ways. I will grudgingly accept the deal they made if they are convinced that Holmes is the next Ricky Williams; far more concerned with smoking pot than playing football. If they did it just in reaction to the charges in Florida, I will be disappointed.
To be quite honest, I think the Steelers decided to make an example of out Holmes. They needed a high profile enough player but one they felt that could move on without. You don’t trade your franchise QB in his prime so you trade an erratic number one wide receiver who at times plays like a superstar. That’s a pretty loud message albeit a tad hypocritical.
In the end, if you take away the drug situation (and maybe you can’t); Holmes is guilty of the same things as Big Ben. He’s guilty of exercising bad judgment, acting like a jerk, putting himself in a bad situation, and being falsely accused of something. We do not have to like that but none of this is a crime. I guess you could say that if he does not go to jail, that’s sufficient. Nobody has a right to be an NFL football player or a Pittsburgh Steeler. And Holmes does have to pay the price for his drug use at the NFL level.
To repeat…it is not a crime to be an immature jerk.
We need to rid ourselves of this notion that professional athletes are choir boys because for the most part they are not. There are a lot more athletes out their acting like Ben Roethlisberger than are acting like Peyton Manning or Sidney Crosby (see Woods, Tiger). The key is image protection and/or not getting caught. Michael Jordan and Tiger both became iconic athletes because they cultivated an image as great people; while hiding and protecting what was really going on.
I do not feel any sympathy when the house of cards comes flying down. That being said we need to ask ourselves why we even care. Do we root for Ben and the Steelers because we think he’s a great guy or because we want to win Super Bowls? Do we watch Tiger because we think he’s a loving husband and father or because he might be the greatest golfer ever? I’m guessing in both cases it’s that latter.
I am not excusing their behavior, nor am I suggesting we should not push these folks to live a higher standard of values. I’m disappointed in Ben to the point that I probably will not be pulling on my #7 jersey for quite awhile. That being said, I’m sure most of us have moments in our lives where we acted poorly or displayed poor judgment. We just did not have to account for our actions on ESPN.
In the end, I’m a Steeler fan and I want to see the Steelers win. The best chance of that happening…BY FAR…is with Big Ben behind center. I do not consider it selling my soul to say I’m willing to root for a guy who is great at his job but not the kind of guy I would want my sister to date. There are a lot more of those folks in sports than we want to admit.
Let me conclude with this, I do not thing Ben should be suspended. Why? For what I’ve said over and over above. It’s not a crime to be an immature jerk and it’s a slippery slope when you start suspending players for that. I would agree if Ben were a teacher or a priest that such behavior was suspension worthy. He’s not; he’s a professional football player. Let’s grudgingly accept that for what its worth and move on. That’s all we can do.
The Ben Roethlisberger crime saga has been resolved. For the second time in eight months, Ben has been survived a serious accusation without criminal consequences. To be honest, the situation played out much as I expected.
That’s not to say I’m some kind of clairvoyant genius. I just looked at the facts as they were presented. A high profile, superstar athlete and a 20 year old college student are at a bar. They both have too much to drink, get a little too enamored with each other and decide to take their relationship to the next level. They decide to do this in a bathroom at a bar which is probably the most disturbing part of the story. Then there is some remorse, combined with alcohol and finally a police report.
The conclusion I came too early on was that Ben was likely guilty of extremely poor judgment and public behavior but not a crime. There is a huge difference between the two. Criminals go to jail. Celebrities who act like idiots in public get their imaged smashed around on ESPN and TMZ and lose their endorsements, at least for awhile.
I had serious issue with how some of the media treated Ben after the first allegation last summer. Everything we’ve heard about that situation indicates that Ben had a stalker out west. Her own friends testified that the woman off her rocker when it came to Big Ben. I did not like that she was being protected as a “potential victim of sexual abuse” while his image was being kicked around. We should protect legitimate victims of abuse, not people who file a civil suit one year later because a guy does not return their phone calls.
In that case I’m not sure Ben did anything wrong other than perhaps lead somebody on. In this case, well just see what I wrote above. Ben exercised EXTREMELY POOR JUDGMENT. And for that, his reputation should take a public beat down. His Q rating should fall and Dick’s Sporting Goods should have Hines Ward hawk their products instead of Ben. If a 28 year old celebrity wants to act like a 20 year old college student in public, I see it as justifiable punishment to deal with having his image tarnished.
Still, it is a long way from that to committing a crime. And it’s a slippery slope to start suspending players or running them out of town based on unsubstantiated accusations. We still live in a society where you are innocent until proven guilty. All we know for sure about Ben is that he put himself in a bad situation. If he really did commit this crime he should go to jail, but we simply do not have enough facts to say that he did.
It is easy to paint this scenario as the big bad football player taking advantage of the poor young college girl. There may be some truth to that but it’s far too simplistic for the real world. I think we all have a right to expect Ben to live and act at a higher standard than this but that does not let his accuser off the hook either. She was equally complicit in this situation. I will not make naïve statements about her being under 21 in a bar. Anybody who has spent time in Oakland knows that’s more the norm than the exception.
That being said, let’s not forget how many times athletes have been the victims of false accusations. We all remember the Duke Lacrosse players a few years back. I also remember some members of the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s were also accused of rape. A few weeks later, the woman admitted she was angry and had fabricated the entire story. In both cases, it was easy to believe the women. The Cowboy players were not exactly known as model citizens and I’m sure the Duke Lacrosse actions at their infamous party would not have made their families proud.
I do not feel bad for the Duke Lacrosse players because they ultimately did not end up in jail. They will move on with their lives with the biggest penalty being a lost season of Lacrosse. If you don’t believe me, I challenge you to name one individual on that team. I’m guessing most people just know them as those Duke Lacrosse players and that’s it. I have no doubt that some horrifying things went on at their party last night and I can only imagine what they said to those women that made them so angry. Given that, I think their ultimate punishment fit their crime.
Ok, maybe not crime since they did not commit one but you get my point. And the same is true for Big Ben. You may not like what he did but IF HE DID NOTHING ILLEGAL, we all need to get past it. He is an NFL football players, he’s not trying to be the next pope. To reiterate my theme of this blog, it’s not a crime to be an immature jerk. Even better, there is high potential for rehabilitation.
That same logic applies to Santonio Holmes. He clearly has some serious maturity issues and by all accounts he’s not the most beloved guy in the locker room. Like Ben, there were accusations made against him that looked bad but were likely not true. Also, there was a rush to judgment against Holmes that I found a bit disturbing, albeit his moronic twitter comments did not help.
So why did the Steelers dump Holmes for a bag of footballs and keep Big Ben? I’m hoping it related to his latest drug charge and the belief that he’s not going to change his ways. I will grudgingly accept the deal they made if they are convinced that Holmes is the next Ricky Williams; far more concerned with smoking pot than playing football. If they did it just in reaction to the charges in Florida, I will be disappointed.
To be quite honest, I think the Steelers decided to make an example of out Holmes. They needed a high profile enough player but one they felt that could move on without. You don’t trade your franchise QB in his prime so you trade an erratic number one wide receiver who at times plays like a superstar. That’s a pretty loud message albeit a tad hypocritical.
In the end, if you take away the drug situation (and maybe you can’t); Holmes is guilty of the same things as Big Ben. He’s guilty of exercising bad judgment, acting like a jerk, putting himself in a bad situation, and being falsely accused of something. We do not have to like that but none of this is a crime. I guess you could say that if he does not go to jail, that’s sufficient. Nobody has a right to be an NFL football player or a Pittsburgh Steeler. And Holmes does have to pay the price for his drug use at the NFL level.
To repeat…it is not a crime to be an immature jerk.
We need to rid ourselves of this notion that professional athletes are choir boys because for the most part they are not. There are a lot more athletes out their acting like Ben Roethlisberger than are acting like Peyton Manning or Sidney Crosby (see Woods, Tiger). The key is image protection and/or not getting caught. Michael Jordan and Tiger both became iconic athletes because they cultivated an image as great people; while hiding and protecting what was really going on.
I do not feel any sympathy when the house of cards comes flying down. That being said we need to ask ourselves why we even care. Do we root for Ben and the Steelers because we think he’s a great guy or because we want to win Super Bowls? Do we watch Tiger because we think he’s a loving husband and father or because he might be the greatest golfer ever? I’m guessing in both cases it’s that latter.
I am not excusing their behavior, nor am I suggesting we should not push these folks to live a higher standard of values. I’m disappointed in Ben to the point that I probably will not be pulling on my #7 jersey for quite awhile. That being said, I’m sure most of us have moments in our lives where we acted poorly or displayed poor judgment. We just did not have to account for our actions on ESPN.
In the end, I’m a Steeler fan and I want to see the Steelers win. The best chance of that happening…BY FAR…is with Big Ben behind center. I do not consider it selling my soul to say I’m willing to root for a guy who is great at his job but not the kind of guy I would want my sister to date. There are a lot more of those folks in sports than we want to admit.
Let me conclude with this, I do not thing Ben should be suspended. Why? For what I’ve said over and over above. It’s not a crime to be an immature jerk and it’s a slippery slope when you start suspending players for that. I would agree if Ben were a teacher or a priest that such behavior was suspension worthy. He’s not; he’s a professional football player. Let’s grudgingly accept that for what its worth and move on. That’s all we can do.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Tearful Goodbye to the Great Eight – Second Round Playoff Predictions
Before I start my second round playoff predictions, I would like to congratulate the Washington Crapitals on a truly brilliant regular season. In fact, let us all take a minute to recognize one of the great regular season’s in NHL history:
In the mean time let us say goodbye to the Great 8 until next season. We will miss you. We will miss Alex Semin and his keen observations about Sidney Crosby. Congrats InvisibALEX, that was one darn pretty assist you totaled in seven games.
We will miss Green needing a map to find his own defensive zone. We will miss Jose Theodore holding on to his starting job for all of 70 minutes of playoff hockey. We will miss Bruce Boudreau complaining about the refs (and prefacing with, “I don’t want to sound like I’m whining but…”). We will miss the Crapital bandwagon, filled with fans who were fortunate enough to discover the sport of hockey post 2007.
Seriously, we’ll miss it all, while we watch the Pens in round 2.
Actually, I have somewhat mixed emotions on this. The Penguins have won three Stanley Cups in their history and every one of them including some sort of humiliating beat down of Pittsburgh south. Maybe it’s a bad omen to not steam roll the Washington speed bump on the way to the Cup. And quite frankly I was looking forward to knocking those overrated hacks out again. Alas, I’ll just have to settle for that shell shocked, Hossa-like look of disbelief on Ovie’s face after losing to a team they finished more than 30 points ahead of.
One final thought before I get to my second round predictions. Remember how Ovie mocked Jaroslav Halak after game 2? Do you think he regrets that decision after Halak stopped 131 of 134 shots in the last three games? To quote Rudy from Fat Albert, “Ovie, you like a school house at night…you got no class !”
With that lovely introduction, here are the matching second round predictions from Emily and me. We fired off a mediocre 4 and 4 record in round 1 but I’ll happily exchange one victory’s worth of pride for that beautiful Crapital humiliation.
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
What I liked about the Pens first round victory over Ottawa. Sidney Crosby was absolutely dominating scoring 14 points in 6 games. Evgeni Malkin found his game as well scoring 4 goals and 8 points in six games (pretty solid numbers when not compared to Sid). And the Pens grinders once again raised their games in the post season. That includes 3 goals from the Jordan Staal line in game 6 and a total of 7 goals from their 3rd and 4th line guys.
What I did not like. The Pens continued to be very sloppy defensively and allow way too many quality scoring chances. Marc-Andre Fleury was better than his statistics but only after a rough performance in game 1. The team was frequently sluggish at the start of games, especially the last two games of the series. And the penalty killing, a huge strength in the regular season was terrible in this series.
The reality is that Ottawa was ripe for a beating, especially given their ECHL caliber goaltending pair of Brian Elliott and Pascal Leclaire. Now the Pens will play in Montreal, where they are historically bad against a goaltender who might have just posted the greatest three game stretch in playoff history. Imagine what Halak could have done if he were not so clearly intimidated of Ovie and his minions.
That being said, the Pens are much better than Montreal. There is a reason Halak just had a historic three game performance; the Habs defense is historically bad. I know the Pens miss Hal Gill but when he’s your top defensemen that’s a real problem. And unlike the Craps who make Joe Thornton look like Gary Roberts, the Pens have playoff experience and playoff toughness. The will not stand on the perimeter and fire unscreened 50 footers at Halak.
I’m still concerned about the boys and I have some fears about this series. That being said, I expect Sid, Geno, and Matt Cooke to strap the team on their back and a Pens win in 6 (Emily’s pick, Pens in 5).
Boston Bruins (6) vs. The Eastern Pennsylvania Orange and Black Goon Squad (7)
Moments after the winter classic, I wrote a blog stating that the game would be a preview of a great second round playoff series. I pointed out, just as Tim Thomas was being honored as a U.S. Olympian that he would lose his job to somebody named Tuukka and Tuukka would outplay Ryan Miller in the first round. I noted that Bobby Boucher, who was sitting on the Philly bench that day, would rediscover his form from 2000 and actually impersonate a real NHL goaltender.
Alas I got fired up pondering all the wondrous possibilities of the BCS and forgot to publish it. That’s my story.
I guess I have to fall on my sword in regards to the Goons. I picked them to get swept out of the first round, in large part because they were playing a third string goaltender against a future first ballot hall of famer. I picked that result even before I found out they would be without Jeff Carter and Simone Gagne. If I had known that I would have picked Devils in 3.
As for Bruins, I just did not believe that they had enough offense after Marc Savard’s encounter with the Cooke Monster. Amazingly after sinking my fantasy hockey team all season, David Krejci and Company woke up just in time for the post season. And isn’t that the same Marc Recchi who scored the game winning goal against them in game 6…OF THE 1991 PLAYOFFS?
How do you pick a series between two teams that have no business being in the second round? I’ll do what I always do and look at the goaltenders. The red hot Rask and/or Paul Steigerwald’s man crush Tim Thomas against Boucher; or if the Goons get lucky and he returns from injury, long-time minor leaguer Michael Leighton. Given that…Bruins in 5 (Emily’s pick, Bruins in 6).
Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. the Western Canadian Blue, Green, and White Goon Squad (3)
How about a rematch of last season’s incredibly exciting second round series. The Windy City Warriors, lead by the talented trio of Kane, Toews, and Keith (plus some guy who used to play for Detroit) against the Canucks, lead by Bobby Lu and the freak twins. That would be Roberto Luongo whose glove turns to stone in big games and the Sedin twins who give me nightmares but more in the Freddy Krueger way than the Jaroslav Halak kind.
These two teams do not like each other which is understandable because seriously, who likes the Canucks? They are the biggest bunch of slash and run pansies in the NHL. Last year I saw these teams engage in a brawl fest at the United Center and things were not much prettier in the post season. The Hawks took down the favored Nucks in six and put up a humiliating seven spot against Luongo in game 6.
The Hawks deserve credit for the most dramatic victory of round one, specifically there short handed game tying goal with 13 seconds left in game 5. Duncan Keith gets the YouTube moment of the year for squirting the idiot Predator fan from the penalty box with the water bottle (is the term “Predator fan” an oxymoron?). Antti Niemi gets credit for given the Hawks big time playoff goaltending and continuing to bail out Dale Tallon’s post all night drinking binge signing of Cristobal Huet.
The Canucks continue to have the entire Canadian media contingent on their bandwagon. I continue to have no idea why. If Terry Murray had not lost his mind and demoted his best goaltender to the minors, I think the Sedins would be playing golf with Ovechkin and Semin right now. Since they stuck around for one more round, I’ll go…Hawks in 6 (Emily, Hawks in 4…this girl’s got confidence).
San Jose Chokes (1) vs. Detroit Dead Wings (5)
Give San Jose credit. They did everything possible to maintain their reputation as playoff chokers. They kept an inferior opponent alive for six games. They made an above average goaltender look like Patrick Roy (or maybe Jaroslav Halak). They lost a game where the only goal they could score was a perfect shot by defensemen Dan Boyle…against his own goaltender. And the NHL’s softest so called superstar Joe Thornton, along with fellow softies Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley combined for 1 GOAL IN 6 GAMES.
And yet the Sharks managed to stumble into the second round in spite of themselves. They got a strong performance from Joe PAVELski and finally got big time playoff goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov. So what is their reward for surviving the first round?
That’s right, a match-up with the two time defending western conference champion Detroit Red Wings. That’s right, a team that almost always rises to the occasion in big games against a team that almost never does. That’s Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Lidstrom, who were last season bombarding Phoenix in game 7, against Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley who were last seen in mid March. Isn’t it near time for Heatley to demand another trade?
Gee, let me think about it…Wings in 6 (Emily, Wings in 6).
All Hail the Mighty Penguin, Blessed be the Penguin for it is good. And enjoy your early spring Ovie !
- An NHL best 121 points and 54 wins. That’s 8 points more than any other team in the circuit.
- A league best 318 goals. That’s the highest total in the NHL since the lockout and 46 more than the next best team.
- Eight players with 19 or more goals including 3 with at least 33.
- Converted over 25% of their power plays and lead the league in power play goals by 11 over their closest competitor.
- Another 50 goal, 100 point season from Alex Ovechkin plus 100 points from Nicklas Backstrom.
- A Norris Trophy finalist in Mike Green (proving you don’t need to play defense to be the league’s best defenseman).
- A regular season sweep of the DEFENDING STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Pittsburgh Penguins and a beautiful President’s Trophy banner to hang in the rafters.
- Sell out crowds in sweaty Teddy’s ice house almost every night.
In the mean time let us say goodbye to the Great 8 until next season. We will miss you. We will miss Alex Semin and his keen observations about Sidney Crosby. Congrats InvisibALEX, that was one darn pretty assist you totaled in seven games.
We will miss Green needing a map to find his own defensive zone. We will miss Jose Theodore holding on to his starting job for all of 70 minutes of playoff hockey. We will miss Bruce Boudreau complaining about the refs (and prefacing with, “I don’t want to sound like I’m whining but…”). We will miss the Crapital bandwagon, filled with fans who were fortunate enough to discover the sport of hockey post 2007.
Seriously, we’ll miss it all, while we watch the Pens in round 2.
Actually, I have somewhat mixed emotions on this. The Penguins have won three Stanley Cups in their history and every one of them including some sort of humiliating beat down of Pittsburgh south. Maybe it’s a bad omen to not steam roll the Washington speed bump on the way to the Cup. And quite frankly I was looking forward to knocking those overrated hacks out again. Alas, I’ll just have to settle for that shell shocked, Hossa-like look of disbelief on Ovie’s face after losing to a team they finished more than 30 points ahead of.
One final thought before I get to my second round predictions. Remember how Ovie mocked Jaroslav Halak after game 2? Do you think he regrets that decision after Halak stopped 131 of 134 shots in the last three games? To quote Rudy from Fat Albert, “Ovie, you like a school house at night…you got no class !”
With that lovely introduction, here are the matching second round predictions from Emily and me. We fired off a mediocre 4 and 4 record in round 1 but I’ll happily exchange one victory’s worth of pride for that beautiful Crapital humiliation.
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)
What I liked about the Pens first round victory over Ottawa. Sidney Crosby was absolutely dominating scoring 14 points in 6 games. Evgeni Malkin found his game as well scoring 4 goals and 8 points in six games (pretty solid numbers when not compared to Sid). And the Pens grinders once again raised their games in the post season. That includes 3 goals from the Jordan Staal line in game 6 and a total of 7 goals from their 3rd and 4th line guys.
What I did not like. The Pens continued to be very sloppy defensively and allow way too many quality scoring chances. Marc-Andre Fleury was better than his statistics but only after a rough performance in game 1. The team was frequently sluggish at the start of games, especially the last two games of the series. And the penalty killing, a huge strength in the regular season was terrible in this series.
The reality is that Ottawa was ripe for a beating, especially given their ECHL caliber goaltending pair of Brian Elliott and Pascal Leclaire. Now the Pens will play in Montreal, where they are historically bad against a goaltender who might have just posted the greatest three game stretch in playoff history. Imagine what Halak could have done if he were not so clearly intimidated of Ovie and his minions.
That being said, the Pens are much better than Montreal. There is a reason Halak just had a historic three game performance; the Habs defense is historically bad. I know the Pens miss Hal Gill but when he’s your top defensemen that’s a real problem. And unlike the Craps who make Joe Thornton look like Gary Roberts, the Pens have playoff experience and playoff toughness. The will not stand on the perimeter and fire unscreened 50 footers at Halak.
I’m still concerned about the boys and I have some fears about this series. That being said, I expect Sid, Geno, and Matt Cooke to strap the team on their back and a Pens win in 6 (Emily’s pick, Pens in 5).
Boston Bruins (6) vs. The Eastern Pennsylvania Orange and Black Goon Squad (7)
Moments after the winter classic, I wrote a blog stating that the game would be a preview of a great second round playoff series. I pointed out, just as Tim Thomas was being honored as a U.S. Olympian that he would lose his job to somebody named Tuukka and Tuukka would outplay Ryan Miller in the first round. I noted that Bobby Boucher, who was sitting on the Philly bench that day, would rediscover his form from 2000 and actually impersonate a real NHL goaltender.
Alas I got fired up pondering all the wondrous possibilities of the BCS and forgot to publish it. That’s my story.
I guess I have to fall on my sword in regards to the Goons. I picked them to get swept out of the first round, in large part because they were playing a third string goaltender against a future first ballot hall of famer. I picked that result even before I found out they would be without Jeff Carter and Simone Gagne. If I had known that I would have picked Devils in 3.
As for Bruins, I just did not believe that they had enough offense after Marc Savard’s encounter with the Cooke Monster. Amazingly after sinking my fantasy hockey team all season, David Krejci and Company woke up just in time for the post season. And isn’t that the same Marc Recchi who scored the game winning goal against them in game 6…OF THE 1991 PLAYOFFS?
How do you pick a series between two teams that have no business being in the second round? I’ll do what I always do and look at the goaltenders. The red hot Rask and/or Paul Steigerwald’s man crush Tim Thomas against Boucher; or if the Goons get lucky and he returns from injury, long-time minor leaguer Michael Leighton. Given that…Bruins in 5 (Emily’s pick, Bruins in 6).
Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. the Western Canadian Blue, Green, and White Goon Squad (3)
How about a rematch of last season’s incredibly exciting second round series. The Windy City Warriors, lead by the talented trio of Kane, Toews, and Keith (plus some guy who used to play for Detroit) against the Canucks, lead by Bobby Lu and the freak twins. That would be Roberto Luongo whose glove turns to stone in big games and the Sedin twins who give me nightmares but more in the Freddy Krueger way than the Jaroslav Halak kind.
These two teams do not like each other which is understandable because seriously, who likes the Canucks? They are the biggest bunch of slash and run pansies in the NHL. Last year I saw these teams engage in a brawl fest at the United Center and things were not much prettier in the post season. The Hawks took down the favored Nucks in six and put up a humiliating seven spot against Luongo in game 6.
The Hawks deserve credit for the most dramatic victory of round one, specifically there short handed game tying goal with 13 seconds left in game 5. Duncan Keith gets the YouTube moment of the year for squirting the idiot Predator fan from the penalty box with the water bottle (is the term “Predator fan” an oxymoron?). Antti Niemi gets credit for given the Hawks big time playoff goaltending and continuing to bail out Dale Tallon’s post all night drinking binge signing of Cristobal Huet.
The Canucks continue to have the entire Canadian media contingent on their bandwagon. I continue to have no idea why. If Terry Murray had not lost his mind and demoted his best goaltender to the minors, I think the Sedins would be playing golf with Ovechkin and Semin right now. Since they stuck around for one more round, I’ll go…Hawks in 6 (Emily, Hawks in 4…this girl’s got confidence).
San Jose Chokes (1) vs. Detroit Dead Wings (5)
Give San Jose credit. They did everything possible to maintain their reputation as playoff chokers. They kept an inferior opponent alive for six games. They made an above average goaltender look like Patrick Roy (or maybe Jaroslav Halak). They lost a game where the only goal they could score was a perfect shot by defensemen Dan Boyle…against his own goaltender. And the NHL’s softest so called superstar Joe Thornton, along with fellow softies Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley combined for 1 GOAL IN 6 GAMES.
And yet the Sharks managed to stumble into the second round in spite of themselves. They got a strong performance from Joe PAVELski and finally got big time playoff goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov. So what is their reward for surviving the first round?
That’s right, a match-up with the two time defending western conference champion Detroit Red Wings. That’s right, a team that almost always rises to the occasion in big games against a team that almost never does. That’s Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Lidstrom, who were last season bombarding Phoenix in game 7, against Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley who were last seen in mid March. Isn’t it near time for Heatley to demand another trade?
Gee, let me think about it…Wings in 6 (Emily, Wings in 6).
All Hail the Mighty Penguin, Blessed be the Penguin for it is good. And enjoy your early spring Ovie !
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Big Ben at a Crossroads in the Burgh
A few weeks back, before we migrated this blog to a new site, I wrote an entry on Ben Roethlisberger called, “It’s not illegal to be a jerk.” http://ahaberman35.livejournal.com/13617.html. The premise was as simple as the title. In short, you may find Big Ben’s behavior in Georgia repulsive but it’s quite a long leap from there to rapist. I did not defend Ben’s actions, which are indefensible but I did defend his right not to have his livelihood taken away from him based solely on unsubstantiated allegations.
In the end, Ben is a football player, not a teacher, rabbi, or baby sitter. His behavior would disqualify him from those positions. It does not disqualify him from throwing passes in the NFL.
If Ben had been charged with rape, I would feel categorically different on this issue. If the authorities had said something that indicated a crime was committed but they could not prove it (likely in “read between the lines” fashion), I would have felt different. They did not. What they said, or at least my interpretation of it was, the guy acted like an ignorant jerk but we just do not have any evidence that a crime was committed.
Based on that, I have defended only Ben’s right to continue as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I freely admit I would not have offered a similar defense for Kordell O’Donnell-Maddox. The simple reason is that none of those guys were hall of fame caliber quarterbacks. I’m not ashamed to admit that my belief in keeping Big Ben has a lot to do with how important he is to the success of the Steelers. And since he was not charged with any crime, no matter how much the media wants to infer otherwise, I’m somewhat comfortable with that.
At least I think I am.
It’s sad that I’m probably one of Ben’s most staunch defenders and the best I can offer is, “it’s not illegal to be a jerk.” When the best thing people can say about your actions is that no crime was committed, that’s not a good thing. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of people who feel far more strongly than I do that Ben should be playing somewhere else next season (or not playing at all).
And make no mistake, if he does not get his act together that’s exactly what will happen. If you want an apt comparison to Ben right now I suggest Bob Knight when he was put on double secret probation at Indiana. The administration made it clear that one more public incident and he was out the door. They used the term “zero tolerance policy.” Knight was so moved by this that he promptly went out of his way to attack a student on campus for the heinous crime of calling him Knight rather than Coach Knight (I guess I should be more careful how I address him).
You would have thought that clearly stating to COACH Knight that you will lose the job you’ve had and loved for 30 years would drive home the message that a behavioral change was required. And you would be wrong. Even after clear rules of conduct were communicated along with clear and dire consequences, the coach who demanded absolute obedience from his players violated them (I could pen an entire blog on what a hypocrite Bob Knight is but that would be off target).
So Indiana fired him. And what did Bob Knight learn from this? Absolutely nothing. He blasted the administration on the way out the door and then continued his poor behavior after Texas Tech enabled him with another job. My guess is he still blames the Indiana administration to this day and has never considered that his actions over three decades were inappropriate.
My fear is that Big Ben is another Bob Knight. Completely ingrained in a pattern of bad behavior, enabled by his talent, his celebrity and his importance to his team, and with no intention of changing, regardless of the consequences. There is a pattern of behavior that supports my premise but nothing supports it more than Ben’s supposed statement of apology on Monday.
I’ve been saying for weeks that the first step to Ben’s recovery in Pittsburgh is a very public, very sincere and very contrite apology. This is not just about words or accepting responsibility. This is about understanding and communicating that his behavior, his actions, and how he treats people is just unacceptable. Big Ben is slowly alienating Steeler nation. He is making himself a target of scorn by both fans and media. He is setting himself up to be jeered by his own fans and ripped apart by those who cover him. Maybe he really does not care about this but why go down that road?
Steeler fans are a forgiving bunch. In all likelihood, their forgiveness can be purchased at a cost of one additional Lombardi trophy. That being said, they will never truly accept and love him again unless he speaks clearly an apology and commitment to making changes in his life.
Raise your hand if you feel his three paragraph statement, issued in print through the Steelers get’s that done.
I fear that right now Ben is doing exactly what Bob Knight did. Rather then learning from his experience he’s just blaming others. Blaming the girl, blaming the media, blaming the NFL for a series of events that lead to his suspension, which he probably feels is unjust. I fear that he’s sitting at home thinking, “I’m one of the top 5 QBs in the NFL. If Pittsburgh does not want me, somebody else will. I do not need to change who I am.” And sadly, he’d be right.
Of course I have no way of knowing for sure that this is Ben’s mind set. Maybe I’m wrong and he genuinely understands the gravity of his actions. Or maybe I’m right and he’s just doing the bare minimum to shorten and get beyond his suspension. I simply do not know. All I can do, along with every other member of Steeler nation, is make inferences from Ben’s public statements. And his WRITTEN statements have been wholeheartedly unimpressive.
I’m a big believer that actions speak far louder than words. Nothing angers me more than the belief that you can get away with anything based on just an apology. That has become the nature of our culture, especially for celebrities. An apology means nothing if it does not come with a sincere effort to change the offending, or in Ben’s case offensive behavior.
That being said, it’s a critical starting point, especially for a man whose reputation and status with his fan base has been shattered. Remember, I’m one of his biggest defenders and I’ve gone from arguing with the world that’s he’s as good as Peyton Manning to accepting I will likely never put on my #7 jersey again. Most of the fan base feels the same way. They want something from Ben to show he get’s it. They want some kind of belief that he is not a monster, just a young man who let fame and fortunate go to his head.
Sadly, nearly two months after he was first accused in Georgia, he’s given us next to nothing.
You can argue that he has no obligation to any of us and I will not disagree. If he wants to just be known as a great player who is also a jerk, I guess that’s up to him. Rest assured if that’s the case he will never get his just due in the national football league. Media members have a funny way of telling a player’s story through the prism of their own emotions. I’ve been wondering for a long-time why Ben got so little respect for his great play and now I’m starting to get it. If you are in the media would you rather prop up Peyton Manning and Drew Brees or a guy who treats you like crap?
I’ve wondered the same thing about Ben for several years. Why is it that a player who has been elite almost from the day he entered the NFL has never gotten the respect he truly deserves? I think I’ve heard enough over the last 12 months to get my answer. I saw it with Tom Barrasso and I saw it with Sammy Sosa in Chicago. When the media gets an opportunity to hang a guy they do not like, they take it. Clearly Ben does not understand that.
This is not just about the media and it’s not just about Ben’s reputation. I guess ultimately it’s up to him to deal with that. It’s about two things that are far more significant:
1) Ben is now on zero tolerance probation with the Steelers. He’s one more big fall away from being an ex-Steeler QB. And after waiting a quarter century for an elite QB in the Burgh, I’m simply not anxious to see the start of the Dennis Dixon era.
2) I do not want to spend emotional capital as a fan rooting for a guy that’s completely unlikable. As I said after both accusations against Ben, I do not want him to be found not guilty; I want him to have NOT DONE THIS. I want to believe the QB I support is not a horrible monster. I’m willing to extend Ben a life line right now that he is not a criminal; just a misguiding young man who put himself in really bad situations. At this point I’m just barely able to do so. I do not think my support of him will survive another incident.
So again, I keep hoping for a sign that Ben get’s all this. I keep hoping that he understands not just the desperate need to change his ways but also to let us all know he is committed to doing so. I keep hoping that he’s not just a complete jerk, totally unwilling to accept anything less than a full sense of entitlement to whatever he wants. I’m hoping…
Sadly, to this point, Big Ben has given me little else to go on.
In the end, Ben is a football player, not a teacher, rabbi, or baby sitter. His behavior would disqualify him from those positions. It does not disqualify him from throwing passes in the NFL.
If Ben had been charged with rape, I would feel categorically different on this issue. If the authorities had said something that indicated a crime was committed but they could not prove it (likely in “read between the lines” fashion), I would have felt different. They did not. What they said, or at least my interpretation of it was, the guy acted like an ignorant jerk but we just do not have any evidence that a crime was committed.
Based on that, I have defended only Ben’s right to continue as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I freely admit I would not have offered a similar defense for Kordell O’Donnell-Maddox. The simple reason is that none of those guys were hall of fame caliber quarterbacks. I’m not ashamed to admit that my belief in keeping Big Ben has a lot to do with how important he is to the success of the Steelers. And since he was not charged with any crime, no matter how much the media wants to infer otherwise, I’m somewhat comfortable with that.
At least I think I am.
It’s sad that I’m probably one of Ben’s most staunch defenders and the best I can offer is, “it’s not illegal to be a jerk.” When the best thing people can say about your actions is that no crime was committed, that’s not a good thing. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of people who feel far more strongly than I do that Ben should be playing somewhere else next season (or not playing at all).
And make no mistake, if he does not get his act together that’s exactly what will happen. If you want an apt comparison to Ben right now I suggest Bob Knight when he was put on double secret probation at Indiana. The administration made it clear that one more public incident and he was out the door. They used the term “zero tolerance policy.” Knight was so moved by this that he promptly went out of his way to attack a student on campus for the heinous crime of calling him Knight rather than Coach Knight (I guess I should be more careful how I address him).
You would have thought that clearly stating to COACH Knight that you will lose the job you’ve had and loved for 30 years would drive home the message that a behavioral change was required. And you would be wrong. Even after clear rules of conduct were communicated along with clear and dire consequences, the coach who demanded absolute obedience from his players violated them (I could pen an entire blog on what a hypocrite Bob Knight is but that would be off target).
So Indiana fired him. And what did Bob Knight learn from this? Absolutely nothing. He blasted the administration on the way out the door and then continued his poor behavior after Texas Tech enabled him with another job. My guess is he still blames the Indiana administration to this day and has never considered that his actions over three decades were inappropriate.
My fear is that Big Ben is another Bob Knight. Completely ingrained in a pattern of bad behavior, enabled by his talent, his celebrity and his importance to his team, and with no intention of changing, regardless of the consequences. There is a pattern of behavior that supports my premise but nothing supports it more than Ben’s supposed statement of apology on Monday.
I’ve been saying for weeks that the first step to Ben’s recovery in Pittsburgh is a very public, very sincere and very contrite apology. This is not just about words or accepting responsibility. This is about understanding and communicating that his behavior, his actions, and how he treats people is just unacceptable. Big Ben is slowly alienating Steeler nation. He is making himself a target of scorn by both fans and media. He is setting himself up to be jeered by his own fans and ripped apart by those who cover him. Maybe he really does not care about this but why go down that road?
Steeler fans are a forgiving bunch. In all likelihood, their forgiveness can be purchased at a cost of one additional Lombardi trophy. That being said, they will never truly accept and love him again unless he speaks clearly an apology and commitment to making changes in his life.
Raise your hand if you feel his three paragraph statement, issued in print through the Steelers get’s that done.
I fear that right now Ben is doing exactly what Bob Knight did. Rather then learning from his experience he’s just blaming others. Blaming the girl, blaming the media, blaming the NFL for a series of events that lead to his suspension, which he probably feels is unjust. I fear that he’s sitting at home thinking, “I’m one of the top 5 QBs in the NFL. If Pittsburgh does not want me, somebody else will. I do not need to change who I am.” And sadly, he’d be right.
Of course I have no way of knowing for sure that this is Ben’s mind set. Maybe I’m wrong and he genuinely understands the gravity of his actions. Or maybe I’m right and he’s just doing the bare minimum to shorten and get beyond his suspension. I simply do not know. All I can do, along with every other member of Steeler nation, is make inferences from Ben’s public statements. And his WRITTEN statements have been wholeheartedly unimpressive.
I’m a big believer that actions speak far louder than words. Nothing angers me more than the belief that you can get away with anything based on just an apology. That has become the nature of our culture, especially for celebrities. An apology means nothing if it does not come with a sincere effort to change the offending, or in Ben’s case offensive behavior.
That being said, it’s a critical starting point, especially for a man whose reputation and status with his fan base has been shattered. Remember, I’m one of his biggest defenders and I’ve gone from arguing with the world that’s he’s as good as Peyton Manning to accepting I will likely never put on my #7 jersey again. Most of the fan base feels the same way. They want something from Ben to show he get’s it. They want some kind of belief that he is not a monster, just a young man who let fame and fortunate go to his head.
Sadly, nearly two months after he was first accused in Georgia, he’s given us next to nothing.
You can argue that he has no obligation to any of us and I will not disagree. If he wants to just be known as a great player who is also a jerk, I guess that’s up to him. Rest assured if that’s the case he will never get his just due in the national football league. Media members have a funny way of telling a player’s story through the prism of their own emotions. I’ve been wondering for a long-time why Ben got so little respect for his great play and now I’m starting to get it. If you are in the media would you rather prop up Peyton Manning and Drew Brees or a guy who treats you like crap?
I’ve wondered the same thing about Ben for several years. Why is it that a player who has been elite almost from the day he entered the NFL has never gotten the respect he truly deserves? I think I’ve heard enough over the last 12 months to get my answer. I saw it with Tom Barrasso and I saw it with Sammy Sosa in Chicago. When the media gets an opportunity to hang a guy they do not like, they take it. Clearly Ben does not understand that.
This is not just about the media and it’s not just about Ben’s reputation. I guess ultimately it’s up to him to deal with that. It’s about two things that are far more significant:
1) Ben is now on zero tolerance probation with the Steelers. He’s one more big fall away from being an ex-Steeler QB. And after waiting a quarter century for an elite QB in the Burgh, I’m simply not anxious to see the start of the Dennis Dixon era.
2) I do not want to spend emotional capital as a fan rooting for a guy that’s completely unlikable. As I said after both accusations against Ben, I do not want him to be found not guilty; I want him to have NOT DONE THIS. I want to believe the QB I support is not a horrible monster. I’m willing to extend Ben a life line right now that he is not a criminal; just a misguiding young man who put himself in really bad situations. At this point I’m just barely able to do so. I do not think my support of him will survive another incident.
So again, I keep hoping for a sign that Ben get’s all this. I keep hoping that he understands not just the desperate need to change his ways but also to let us all know he is committed to doing so. I keep hoping that he’s not just a complete jerk, totally unwilling to accept anything less than a full sense of entitlement to whatever he wants. I’m hoping…
Sadly, to this point, Big Ben has given me little else to go on.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Blogging the Penguins-Senators Game 4, Live from Tampa
The Habersports blog is recorded live from Buffalo Wild Wings in Tampa, Florida watching game 4 of the Pens and Sens. Ah the beauty of business travel.
I’m actually happy about this because I still do not have cable in my new condo. As a result, I actually had to go to Florida to watch the game. Amazingly, the manager at BWW is from Pittsburgh and a Pens fan. So he happily puts the Pens on the big screen and even gets me the dulcet tones of John Forslund on play by play. For once, the NHL gets priority over the NBA.
With that I give you the play by play. All times eastern daylight and clearly approximated.
7:08 – I start my crusade to have the Detroit/Phoenix game (which must have started at 3:30 eastern) removed in favor of the Pens. I am repeatedly told it’s a 7:30 start, even as I point to ESPN’s website on my blackberry. Thankfully modern technology prevails, the B-dub team believes me and I get the game just in time. Sadly I miss that pseudo military guy who sings O’Canada in both languages in Ottawa. One of life’s small disappointments.
7:20 (ish) – The Penguins are DOMINATING the first period but have not scored. I truly hate this in hockey. I always feel this is a set-up for one of those horrible losses when you outshoot a team 40-20 and lose 3-2. See Red Wings, Detroit in 2004 and 2006.
7:30 – Geno to the rescue. I have not seen Mr. and Mrs. Malkin back in the USA but their son has got his game back. After and up and down season, Geno is on fire. He rips a power play slapper past Ottawa’s Junior B goaltender Brian Elliott for the only goal of the first period.
7:45 – My co-worker is from Indiana and not really in to hockey. He humors me by watching the first period so I’m happy to discuss his alma matter, a small basketball school called Butler. Alas, he runs out of gas and splits. I’m now officially the crazy guy watching a hockey game by himself in Tampa. I wonder what other people must think as they watch my usual machinations. For some reason, “call the police” is my first thought.
8:00 – The B-dub manager from Pittsburgh stops by and we talk Penguins hockey during the intermission. He then switches topics and shockingly wants to talk about Ben Roethlisberger, who apparently is having a rough month. In other news, the sun came up this morning, republicans do not like Barack Obama and potato chips are high in fat.
8:10 – Sid the Kid strikes to give the Pens a 2-0 lead. Earlier this year, some idiot wrote a blog saying Sid did not consistently demonstrate a superstar’s 5th gear. That guy obviously knows zero about hockey. Sid has been a beast all season and he wants to single handedly win this series. Thankfully, he does not have to with Geno and the boys getting to full throttle.
By the way, Jason Spezza turns the puck over on Sid’s goal. That’s probably no more than the 50th time he’s done that in his playoff career. Spezza is not just soft, he’s Joe Thornton soft.
8:11 – The Cooke monster makes it 3-0. Assisted by the Superstar…Max Talbot.
8:12 – During the subsequent Ottawa time out after the goal I ponder one of the many unanswered questions in the universe; just how bad must Pascal Leclaire be if Ottawa has still not benched Brian Elliott? Fear not, I will soon have my answer.
8:15 – Sid scores his second goal of the game and 43rd of the series. Former NHL goaltender Darren Elliot, who to my knowledge is no relation to Ottawa’s soon to be former starter, informs us that “Elliott needs to make that save.” Right on queue, in to the game comes the long forgotten French Canadian goaltending savior, Pascal Leclaire. The Pens are going to win this one easily…er, uh, yah sure.
8:20 – Ottawa finally scores on an ugly scramble goal by Chris Neil. Even though Neil follows the goal by taking one of the dumbest penalties in playoff history, I have a feeling this game is about to get crazy.
8:25 – Daniel Alfredsson scores a power play goal to make it 4-2. It’s a pure sniper’s goal from the point by a truly underrated star player. After 41 years in the hockey purgatory that is Ottawa, Alfredsson must get up every day and think; “how many Stanley Cups would I have won if not for the fact that Patrick Lalime is FAR AND AWAY, the best goaltender I ever played with?”
8:30 – The Pens go two men shorthanded after taking 16 consecutive minor penalties.
8:33 – Fear not, Superstar Max knocks home a shorty with assist from Craig Adams. I could ponder why Adams only scores in the playoffs but instead I pose this question; “has there ever been a player who lifts his game more in the playoffs than Max Talbot?” From borderline 4th line grinder in the regular season to jack of all trades superstar in the playoffs. The guy is unreal after taxes are due.
8:35 – Fear yes, Matt Cullen scores on a two man advantage. Text from Emily…what happened to 4 to 0? Wish I knew.
8:40 – CHRIS KUNITZ SCORES, CHRIS KUNITZ SCORES. Coming tomorrow, the Cubs win the World Series, the Chicago transit authority runs busses on time and the U.S. government produces a fiscal surplus. Also, I think I have an answer to my previous question about how bad is Pascal Leclaire. He’s bad…Brian Elliott bad.
8:45 – There are two drinkable liquids that rush their way through the human body and I’ve consumed both. Ice tea (1) and beer (2). Let’s just say that I make a b-line for the men’s room as the period ends. A sane person would not have waited that long.
8:46 – Penguins score five goals in one period of a playoff game. In the owner’s box Mario is rumored to be thinking…”I did that myself once.” Somewhere, Rob Brown is smiling and Ron Hextall is chasing bunnies in the backyard with his old goaltender stick.
8:50 – Charissa Thompson interviews Max between periods. Apparently she’s tired of trying to pull answers out of Geno. Then we go back to the set and discover Mike Keenan on the set of versus. Yes, that Mike Keenan…the guy from 1984. Makes sense; why not pull in the expert opinion of a man who last won a playoff series when Sid the Kid was seven years old.
9:13 – Glass breaks again so Versus shows a game break, Detroit shuts out Phoenix. I suddenly feel an overwhelming needed to barf up my buffalo wings...but somehow I maintain.
9:17 – Versus cuts to a highlight of Melanie Brodeur’s ex husband giving up another softie on the short side. This mitigates the earlier obligatory highlight of a great sprawling save they showed earlier that had Keenan jumping out of his seat in the studio. Remember when Brodeur used to be good? Can we finally stop the non stop love fest for the guy who nearly choked away Canada’s Olympic goal medal and has not won a playoff series in four years? Let’s start celebrating real star goaltenders like Roberto Luongo and Evgeni Nabokov. Ok, never mind.
9:24 – The Pens just refuse to win this game easy. Matt Cooke takes a bad penalty to put them two men short handed and then they watch Spezza of all people circle the zone and score another power play goal. Apparently the Pens are making up for all of those power play goals they did not give up in the regular season. Something new for us to worry about next round. I’m getting nauseous again.
9:32 – Kris Letang misses the net on an open shot from the point. In other news, Ben Roethlisberger has had a bad month, the NHL aggressively promotes Sidney Crosby, and Emily likes cheese.
9:34 – Pascal Leclaire gives up another truly awful rebound goal. Daniel Alfredsson breaks down crying. Ottawa is the only team in the playoffs that could upgrade their goaltending by acquiring Dany Sabourin. These guys are worse than Cristobal Huet. That’s like saying somebody had a worse winter then Tiger Woods.
9:37 – I’m starting to think there will be not be a game 6 on Saturday night for my trip to Pittsburgh. Actually, I’m starting to think; how did Ottawa win a game this season, let alone get the 5th seed with these two stiffs minding the nets?
9:38 – I’ve outlasted my waiter. The check for two dinners, two appetizers, two drinks and two beers is $41. That’s a Miller Lite in downtown Chicago.
9:39 – Progressive runs another commercial featuring my former admin assistant from work. The woman is far more versatile than we ever realized.
9:40 – The world’s most interesting man. “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” For the record, I’m drinking New Castle (you write this stuff when its 7 to 4).
9:44 – Random thought, I wonder what difference Ruslan Fedotenko would have made in this game. Answer…none. Congrats Feds, you are this year’s Petr Sykora.
9:45 – Do you think Ottawa fans might be happier if they were not awarded a franchise in 1992? Seriously, this is just a tortured organization. They are the only team in hockey that can’t be Toronto. Here’s a thought…DRAFT A REAL NHL GOALTENDER !!! Somewhere out there, Gary Roberts is smiling.
9:50 – Ottawa takes a four minute penalty with two minutes left. This probably does not bode well for their comeback chances.
9:52 – PENGUINS WIN…PENGUINS WIN!!!
All Hail the Mighty Penguin, blessed be the Penguin, for it is good !
I’m actually happy about this because I still do not have cable in my new condo. As a result, I actually had to go to Florida to watch the game. Amazingly, the manager at BWW is from Pittsburgh and a Pens fan. So he happily puts the Pens on the big screen and even gets me the dulcet tones of John Forslund on play by play. For once, the NHL gets priority over the NBA.
With that I give you the play by play. All times eastern daylight and clearly approximated.
7:08 – I start my crusade to have the Detroit/Phoenix game (which must have started at 3:30 eastern) removed in favor of the Pens. I am repeatedly told it’s a 7:30 start, even as I point to ESPN’s website on my blackberry. Thankfully modern technology prevails, the B-dub team believes me and I get the game just in time. Sadly I miss that pseudo military guy who sings O’Canada in both languages in Ottawa. One of life’s small disappointments.
7:20 (ish) – The Penguins are DOMINATING the first period but have not scored. I truly hate this in hockey. I always feel this is a set-up for one of those horrible losses when you outshoot a team 40-20 and lose 3-2. See Red Wings, Detroit in 2004 and 2006.
7:30 – Geno to the rescue. I have not seen Mr. and Mrs. Malkin back in the USA but their son has got his game back. After and up and down season, Geno is on fire. He rips a power play slapper past Ottawa’s Junior B goaltender Brian Elliott for the only goal of the first period.
7:45 – My co-worker is from Indiana and not really in to hockey. He humors me by watching the first period so I’m happy to discuss his alma matter, a small basketball school called Butler. Alas, he runs out of gas and splits. I’m now officially the crazy guy watching a hockey game by himself in Tampa. I wonder what other people must think as they watch my usual machinations. For some reason, “call the police” is my first thought.
8:00 – The B-dub manager from Pittsburgh stops by and we talk Penguins hockey during the intermission. He then switches topics and shockingly wants to talk about Ben Roethlisberger, who apparently is having a rough month. In other news, the sun came up this morning, republicans do not like Barack Obama and potato chips are high in fat.
8:10 – Sid the Kid strikes to give the Pens a 2-0 lead. Earlier this year, some idiot wrote a blog saying Sid did not consistently demonstrate a superstar’s 5th gear. That guy obviously knows zero about hockey. Sid has been a beast all season and he wants to single handedly win this series. Thankfully, he does not have to with Geno and the boys getting to full throttle.
By the way, Jason Spezza turns the puck over on Sid’s goal. That’s probably no more than the 50th time he’s done that in his playoff career. Spezza is not just soft, he’s Joe Thornton soft.
8:11 – The Cooke monster makes it 3-0. Assisted by the Superstar…Max Talbot.
8:12 – During the subsequent Ottawa time out after the goal I ponder one of the many unanswered questions in the universe; just how bad must Pascal Leclaire be if Ottawa has still not benched Brian Elliott? Fear not, I will soon have my answer.
8:15 – Sid scores his second goal of the game and 43rd of the series. Former NHL goaltender Darren Elliot, who to my knowledge is no relation to Ottawa’s soon to be former starter, informs us that “Elliott needs to make that save.” Right on queue, in to the game comes the long forgotten French Canadian goaltending savior, Pascal Leclaire. The Pens are going to win this one easily…er, uh, yah sure.
8:20 – Ottawa finally scores on an ugly scramble goal by Chris Neil. Even though Neil follows the goal by taking one of the dumbest penalties in playoff history, I have a feeling this game is about to get crazy.
8:25 – Daniel Alfredsson scores a power play goal to make it 4-2. It’s a pure sniper’s goal from the point by a truly underrated star player. After 41 years in the hockey purgatory that is Ottawa, Alfredsson must get up every day and think; “how many Stanley Cups would I have won if not for the fact that Patrick Lalime is FAR AND AWAY, the best goaltender I ever played with?”
8:30 – The Pens go two men shorthanded after taking 16 consecutive minor penalties.
8:33 – Fear not, Superstar Max knocks home a shorty with assist from Craig Adams. I could ponder why Adams only scores in the playoffs but instead I pose this question; “has there ever been a player who lifts his game more in the playoffs than Max Talbot?” From borderline 4th line grinder in the regular season to jack of all trades superstar in the playoffs. The guy is unreal after taxes are due.
8:35 – Fear yes, Matt Cullen scores on a two man advantage. Text from Emily…what happened to 4 to 0? Wish I knew.
8:40 – CHRIS KUNITZ SCORES, CHRIS KUNITZ SCORES. Coming tomorrow, the Cubs win the World Series, the Chicago transit authority runs busses on time and the U.S. government produces a fiscal surplus. Also, I think I have an answer to my previous question about how bad is Pascal Leclaire. He’s bad…Brian Elliott bad.
8:45 – There are two drinkable liquids that rush their way through the human body and I’ve consumed both. Ice tea (1) and beer (2). Let’s just say that I make a b-line for the men’s room as the period ends. A sane person would not have waited that long.
8:46 – Penguins score five goals in one period of a playoff game. In the owner’s box Mario is rumored to be thinking…”I did that myself once.” Somewhere, Rob Brown is smiling and Ron Hextall is chasing bunnies in the backyard with his old goaltender stick.
8:50 – Charissa Thompson interviews Max between periods. Apparently she’s tired of trying to pull answers out of Geno. Then we go back to the set and discover Mike Keenan on the set of versus. Yes, that Mike Keenan…the guy from 1984. Makes sense; why not pull in the expert opinion of a man who last won a playoff series when Sid the Kid was seven years old.
9:13 – Glass breaks again so Versus shows a game break, Detroit shuts out Phoenix. I suddenly feel an overwhelming needed to barf up my buffalo wings...but somehow I maintain.
9:17 – Versus cuts to a highlight of Melanie Brodeur’s ex husband giving up another softie on the short side. This mitigates the earlier obligatory highlight of a great sprawling save they showed earlier that had Keenan jumping out of his seat in the studio. Remember when Brodeur used to be good? Can we finally stop the non stop love fest for the guy who nearly choked away Canada’s Olympic goal medal and has not won a playoff series in four years? Let’s start celebrating real star goaltenders like Roberto Luongo and Evgeni Nabokov. Ok, never mind.
9:24 – The Pens just refuse to win this game easy. Matt Cooke takes a bad penalty to put them two men short handed and then they watch Spezza of all people circle the zone and score another power play goal. Apparently the Pens are making up for all of those power play goals they did not give up in the regular season. Something new for us to worry about next round. I’m getting nauseous again.
9:32 – Kris Letang misses the net on an open shot from the point. In other news, Ben Roethlisberger has had a bad month, the NHL aggressively promotes Sidney Crosby, and Emily likes cheese.
9:34 – Pascal Leclaire gives up another truly awful rebound goal. Daniel Alfredsson breaks down crying. Ottawa is the only team in the playoffs that could upgrade their goaltending by acquiring Dany Sabourin. These guys are worse than Cristobal Huet. That’s like saying somebody had a worse winter then Tiger Woods.
9:37 – I’m starting to think there will be not be a game 6 on Saturday night for my trip to Pittsburgh. Actually, I’m starting to think; how did Ottawa win a game this season, let alone get the 5th seed with these two stiffs minding the nets?
9:38 – I’ve outlasted my waiter. The check for two dinners, two appetizers, two drinks and two beers is $41. That’s a Miller Lite in downtown Chicago.
9:39 – Progressive runs another commercial featuring my former admin assistant from work. The woman is far more versatile than we ever realized.
9:40 – The world’s most interesting man. “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” For the record, I’m drinking New Castle (you write this stuff when its 7 to 4).
9:44 – Random thought, I wonder what difference Ruslan Fedotenko would have made in this game. Answer…none. Congrats Feds, you are this year’s Petr Sykora.
9:45 – Do you think Ottawa fans might be happier if they were not awarded a franchise in 1992? Seriously, this is just a tortured organization. They are the only team in hockey that can’t be Toronto. Here’s a thought…DRAFT A REAL NHL GOALTENDER !!! Somewhere out there, Gary Roberts is smiling.
9:50 – Ottawa takes a four minute penalty with two minutes left. This probably does not bode well for their comeback chances.
9:52 – PENGUINS WIN…PENGUINS WIN!!!
All Hail the Mighty Penguin, blessed be the Penguin, for it is good !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)