Lancaster signs off. We'll miss ya.

The Jim Bowden Pipeline

The Cincinnati-D.C. train keeps a-chuggin' along. Brandon Claussen, oft-used pitcher for the Reds over the recent years went to our nation's capital. I liked the guy, he performed well sometimes and othertimes not so much. That's the case for every pitcher we've had lately, though they err on the negative side more often than not. I was just high on him because he came from the Yankees and as much as I hate the Bronx Bombers, they usually know what they're doing with pitching. And he was pretty decent with him. Oh well. So long, Pickle Man.

Ray Guy a Finalist for the Hall of Fame

Long overdue.

He was the punter for the Raiders, and hands down the best punter in the history of the NFL. But is a punter worthy of the Hall of Fame? That's a hard call. Is Ray Guy worthy of the Hall of Fame? A slightly different question, and one that leads more to an affirmative answer. I don't know if he's got a legitimate shot or not. I thought the list looked relatively weak, but there are some star names on it and of the names on the list,

"Dent, Grimm, Guy, Hickerson, Irvin, Kuechenberg, Monk, Derrick Thomas, Thurman Thomas, Wehrli, and Zimmerman have all been finalists in previous years."

So those guys might be favored. But hey, at least Ray Guy has a chance.

Reds moves

Schoenweiss went to the Mets. I liked that guy, so that's sad.

The Reds got infielder Jeff Keppinger from the Royals in exchange for pitcher Russ Haltiwanger. Most of Kepp's time was in the minors and he put up decent numbers. Still don't know what the need is, but Haltiwanger I've never heard of, and he may not amount to much. The roster move bothers me as Kepp coming in meant Ray Olmedo is out. I like Ray. He works hard and is a fast guy. A good worker. Looks like he might not be around anymore, which is sad.

Shawn says it's no biggie.

Mama says she might miss Olmedo. I hope he doesn't leave!!!

Tom wonders what the crap is going on, and factors Brendan Harris into the equation.

Not big news. Just stuff.

Blues 3, Devils 2

This one was pretty dang embarassing. I mean, it wasn't a bad game, just a team that is so dang easy to beat.

The scary part? John F called this game. He said that the Devils should rest Brodeur for this game with Marty needed for the big ones coming up. That was evident when Brodeur was not on top of his game, as Clemmensen could have given up 3 goals and it would have been expected. It just seemed that this game was pissed away when it could have been salvaged, pardon my language there. Also, John F called it when he said the Devils have a disturbing trend of playing down to the level of their competition and waiting for them to act so they can simply react. Maybe I made up that last part, but it seemed to make sense. Anyway, both of those things were key factors in the game. So congrats to that man because he nailed it. Sadly, he nailed two key negative things, and when negative things happen, negativity happens and then you lose to a crappy team like the Blues. Ah well.

The weird part? One of the kids on my dorm floor is in love with the St. Louis Blues. We talked the first couple weeks of school back in August and then haven't really talked since. He came in my room LAST NIGHT to use my microwave and then heard the hockey game on the radio and checked it out for a while as the Blues won. It was annoying, but at least he wasn't in my face about it. It's just weird because the Devils hardly ever play the Blues. Incredibly weird timing.

Sad game. We'll get over it.

Mavericks 99, Blazers 74

Bad. Poor. Not fun.

You'd think I was describing the Portland TrailBlazers, and in a way, I am. But I was actually describing the Mavericks. They played this game pretty poorly almost all the way through, and they still wind up with a 25-point win. This is the stuff of legend. The defense clamped down and the Blazers couldn't hit the broadside of a universe last night. It's nice to know that when the Mavs don't look that great, they can still pull it off in convincing fashion.

Nowitzki was a non-factor, as Jason Terry and Josh Howard led the way, with their modest contributions of 20 and 17 points respectively. 3-pointers was the story of this game as they helped the Mavs pull away at key times, and kept the Blazers from getting anywhere close. Dallas was 10 for 16, as Devean George went on his usual 0 for whatever night, this time only 0 for 1. What is up with that guy? It seems I check the box scores and George has maybe a few points, but mostly has no points and shoots tons of 3's and doesn't make any of them. It's kind of annoying. I guess they pay him to play defense. I'll take that. Anyway, Portland didn't make a single 3-pointer. And they shot it 11 times. Wow. Hardly ever will you see a stat like that. It certainly helped the Mavs win, and contributed to the team shooting under 40% for the game. Sad. The Mavs barely won the rebounding matchup, but they did thanks to Dampier who played a huge chunk of time in this one. Still only came away with 2 points, but whatever.

Not a biggie. A game they couldn't lose. And by that, I mean it was impossible for them to lose. They sort of tried for a while, but realized it wouldn't be a great idea.

P.O.D. and the Chargers

I suppose this is Raiders related, but it gets the yellow. Because this is about one of my favorite bands of all-time, Payable on Death, and one of my least favorite sports teams of all time, the San Diego Chargers. Being from the Sandy Egg, P.O.D. likes the Chargers. And they are performing at a Chargers playoff rally and writing a new "theme song" for the Chargers. I found this out on their MySpace page.

"P.O.D. will be performing today at the San Diego Chargers Playoff Power Rally which runs from 3PM to 6:30PM in the Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot (Section F2) in San Diego. The band is out to support the San Diego Chargers by recording a theme song for the team. "Turns out the song is blowing up in Southern Cali and is already being played in the stadium at the games," the band stated in their official newsletter. Fans can check out the "Charger Anthem" right here! Details are being worked out to get the "Chargers Anthem" available on iTunes soon!"

This saddens me.

Check out this post

If you're into the Devils just a little smidge, read John's post over at In Lou We Trust. He breaks down the All-Star selections today, which I noticed making my rounds this morning. Didn't see any Devils. I really expected only one of them to be there. That would be Martin Brodeur, who I expect to see every year. Hard to argue against Ryan Miller, my second-favorite goalie. Easier to argue when Brodeur has been better than this guy, but hard to ignore Buffalo's success in last year's playoffs when Miller was dominant with his unorthodox and in-your-face style. And hard to ignore Buffalo's domination this year. But, like John says, Brodeur will be in the All-Star game. There's no way to leave the guy off the list. He's a beast. There's also links to a couple articles that you should read, they are worth your time. One in particular, which we Devils fans get a lot of, the BORING trap defense. I'll admit, it bores me sometimes, but it's more complex than it looks. And guess what? It gets the FREAKIN' JOB DONE. So eat it, because you sure as heck can't beat it.

Link

Asomugha named second team All-Pro

Good for him. He earned it. Too bad his team didn't.

Link

Mavericks 108, Jazz 105

Crazy game right there. The Mavs were down at halftime, and that's not a good sign when you're playing a tough Utah team at home where they are even better. But Stackhouse went nuts and killed everybody in the face and then yelled at everyone else, and Dirk went crazy in a different way, by scoring 38 points. That was helped by the fact that he took 15 shots from the free throw line, making 13 of them. The Mavs scored on 53% of their shots, which is one of their highest tallies on the road, so that no doubt helped. Mr. Consistent, Josh Howard, had his usual 21 points and 9 boards. After being really solid for a while, Dampier has fallen off the map. Solid contributions from the guards again tonight, Jason Terry and Devin Harris still playing well. For Utah, it was Carlos Boozer as everyone could expect throwing in 29 points. But he didn't really dominate, which is a good thing. Extremely tough road trip, Spurs-Lakers-Jazz. Winning two out of three was a great victory, it would be almost unheard of in recent years except for the fact that the Jazz came out of nowhere this year. Hosting the Portland TokeBlazers tonight.

Reds odds & ends

Lancaster at the Cincy Post does some work. The big talk is what of the rotation? Homer Bailey or no? The guy's first name is HOMER and he's a pitcher, which is funny I suppose, but he's dang good. I've made the case to not rush him, so that's what Cincy brass will do. Harang & Arroyo will do well. Milton I don't care for and he will give me plenty of reasons why in this upcoming year. Lohse was suprisingly solid for a while, but probably won't be that good. I hope he becomes a pleasant surprise. I like El Lizard for a spot, though he tanked late last year. Victor Santos, 5-9 with a 5.40 ERA for Pittsburgh last year, is also in the mix. I don't know about that one. He's a proven pitcher, but he loses games and the Reds roughed him up. But he could be alright.

They're also talked to the season-enders on the DL - Mercker, Wilson, and Gordo. Mercker is solid, but expendable now. Gordo would be great to have back, as he could anchor the 9th inning like he did for a little bit last summer. Paul Wilson?? Does anyone remember his Opening Day 2004?? Because that was a joke. And he hasn't been good since. I want this guy outta here.

That's probably it.

If you live in Sark, are you a Sarkisian?

A lot of articles out there about Steve Sarkisian, USC QB Coach and Former Oakland Raiders QB Coach. One article was funny, talking about how he left USC to be with the Raiders and then started to miss winning games, so he went back to USC. YEAH SHUT UP!!!! Alright.

This guy intrigues me more than before. And there was a good take by somebody saying that people should prefer Sarkisian over Ryan, because what Rob Ryan does is defense and he does it dang well and he should be able to focus on just that instead of everything else that goes with head coaching. A valid point. Sarkisian is clearly the front-runner, but that's simply because he's the only prominent name that's interviewed thus far. But he seems like a better choice than before, which is fun.

A future post - the thing nobody wants to talk about, but I will. What if the defense....................?

Article: Prudential paying $105.3M for naming rights on Devils arena

That name is cool with me. I like Continental Airlines Arena, but that's just because I'm comfortable with it. The problem with stadiums, as has been the case since maybe the mid-90's or so, is that more and more until almost all of them are taken over entirely by corporations and so the stadium name changes. So instead of having a fun stadium name, it's named after a company. Thankfully there are still Fenway & Wrigley out there and a couple others. But "The Prudential Center" is a pretty good name. It's obviously named after Prudential, Inc. which has the rock. Which is cool because they mention calling it "The Rock" in the article as does Tom Lycan at his blog. But Tom was well ahead of the curve, doing it back on December 21. I dig it.

Link

Lakers 101, Mavericks 98

Yeah well, every 13-game win streak needs to be broken at some point. Maybe by the 13th game. That seems to make sense. The Mavericks simply CANNOT figure out the Lakers on the road. It just can't be done. And it wasn't really Kobe's doing this time, though he came alive in the fourth quarter. The Mavs played far better than they usually do, and if Smush Parker doesn't stuff Jason Terry on a layup, maybe the recap has a different story to tell. But he did stuff him, and Devean George did miss a 3-pointer at the end of the game (how fitting, ex-Laker). Tough game, but the Mavs are still hot. Nowitzki's 29 and 13 led the way for the Mavs, as he has been dominating play recently. That's fine with me, good to see him not sit around, content with Josh Howard running the show. Howard did add another 20 points, however. The shooting just wasn't close, the Lakers got 55% and the Mavs got 42%. The defense was just not there, which is usually the case in Los Angeles. Oh well. Up next - the Jazz in Utah. Another tough one. We'll see.

Raiders coach

Here's the short list thus far:

Rob Ryan (Defensive Coordinator - Oakland Raiders)
John Shoop (Offensive Coordinator - Oakland Raiders) (even though this article says otherwise)
Steve Sarkisian (Asst Head Coach, QB Coach - USC) (Former Oakland Raiders QB Coach)
Tom Coughlin (Could-be Former Head Coach - NY Giants)

As will no doubt be the case, I stand behind the decision to pick Rob Ryan. And JaMarcus Russell with the #1 pick, unless we trade down due to a sweet deal. Just NOT a longsnapper, please.

Devils 3, Canadiens 0

Goals:
First Period: Michael Rupp, Devils (Martin, Rafalski)
Brian Gionta, Devils (Rafalski, Gomez)
Second Period:
Third Period: Brian Gionta, Devils (PPG) (Elias, Gomez)

Shots on Goal: 37-28 Devils

Penalties: Canadiens - 12 minutes, Devils - 2 minutes

Wow, the Devils are just rolling right now. They are STEAMROLLING these teams. I figured today they would have to outshoot Montreal. I should have actually predicted that and told you beforehand, but that's honestly what I was thinking and no doubt the Devils were thinking it as well. Huet played pretty well under the circumstances but the Devils know that in order to beat the man they need to send many pucks his way. It proved to be one of the differences today. Gionta again had two goals and has been giving great effort as well as being in the right place in the right time. He now leads the team with 19 and is looking to break away from the pack, like he did last year en route to leading the team with 48 goals. What can you say about Marty Brodeur? He has been so good lately, and his success/domination over the Canadiens has been incredible. He got his 7th shutout of the year, the most in the NHL, by stopping all 28 shots that came his way. And he got his 25th win today, the most in the NHL. He also owns the second-best GAA and the third-best Save Percentage in the league. His domination has been incredible to witness. A lot of great effort out there and a very well-played game. This team is downright scary right now, and that is fun to be a part of. Kinda scary scenario for Brad Lukowich as he lost a lot of bad on a particularly nasty high stick that cost Michael Ryder four minutes in the penalty box. I hope he's okay. Great game yet again.

Devils 3, Senators 2

Goals:
First Period: Zach Parise, Devils (Zajac, Langenbrunner)
Patrick Eaves, Senators (Schubert, McAmmond)
Second Period: Brian Gionta, Devils (Hale, Gomez)
Third Period: Brian Gionta, Devils (Gomez, Elias)
Tom Preissing, Senators (Kelly, Redden)

Shots on Goal: 35-29 Senators

Penalties: Devils - 6 minutes, Senators - 6 minutes

For some reason, this game seems really important to me. It wasn't a must-win game, it was a game that tells me the Devils are for real. It was a huge road win against a team in the Ottawa Senators that is a tough to beat and has been for years, particularly to New Jersey. Brodeur was incredible in net, as he has been all year. Is anybody else having flashbacks to the late 90's when it was a race between Hasek & Brodeur to the Vezina trophy? The only thing is - Marty has stayed on the map, whereas Hasek has simply returned. Brodeur is the most consistent goalie in the league, there's no two ways about it. Parise yet again got the scoring going as the best line of the team each got a point on his goal, his team-leading 17th of the season. Well, it was the team lead until Gionta got two goals to tie him at 17, but he had it for a little under two periods. Gionta got some nice tips today, and it's about time. The little sniper plays the role pretty well, but hasn't put himself in the best of positions. He broke out today, getting two tip-in tries, and also robbing David Hale of his first NHL goal. The penalties were pretty even, the flow of the game was pretty even. It was a good game and another solid win by the Devils, who keep the points tally going strong. Here is my one concern: late goals. This is an issue. Not a big one, because it seems the three or so recent times that it's happened, the Devils have pulled it out anyway, but someday there will be a one-goal lead or there will be a tie game and the other team is going to feel confident thinking they can put the puck in the net late. It's been happening a lot. No doubt some of that is attributed to the lack of defensemen, but it may be something else. Better look at that. Besides that, great game NJD!!

NFL Playoff Predictions

Well, my predictions aren't off to a great start, but here we go nonetheless. Smart money goes to picking the OPPOSITE team of whatever matchup I pick.

Chefs @ Colts

--No, I did not make a typo. The Cheifs are the Chefs because of the funny Snickers commercial and the fact that I hate their little McDonald's uniforms and their little field and just pretty much because they are in my division and that sucks. They go to Indy. I pick Indy EVERY YEAR to go to the Super Bowl, but they always find amazing ways in which to defy me. This year will be no different, but I expect them to get out of the first round, even if they are facing Larry Johnson. Go with the COLTS here.

Cowboys @ Seahawks

--Qwest Field is quite a stadium. It's apparently loud. And the Cowboys apparently sucked a lot against the Lions (thanks Detroit, by the way) and so the obvious pick here is Seattle, who I like a lot better anyway than the stupid Cowboys. But my pick is with DALLAS. because Seattle is soft. This means that Seattle will win by at least 25 points.

Article: Nuxhall: Bailey good fit for Reds' rotation

Despite what Cincinnati Reds manager Jerry Narron or most baseball experts say, Joe Nuxhall predicted Thursday night the Reds' starting rotation could well include Homer Bailey at the start of the 2007 season.

Nuxhall was master of ceremonies at the 28th annual Knights of Columbus Sports Stag, held at the Father Butler Council in Hamilton.


"I'm saying right now, I think he's going to be in the starting rotation," Nuxhall said of the 20-year-old Bailey, the Reds' most promising prospect who was almost untouchable at Class AA Chattanooga last season.

Hey, I'm as high on Homer Bailey as any other Reds fan who knows the only way that the Reds get top pitching prospects is to grow them ourselves (or trade Wily Mo). And this guy looks legit. But come on, this better not be true. Rule #1 of life (or at least baseball) is to not waste a young arm and to not mess up a young kid's mind and whatever else about a young kid and his young arm. The Reds definitely need to sit on this kid and wait it out. I'm nervous.

Link

Uh.................so what's the deal with the Devils second line being better than their first line? Time to switch? Probably not, since the first line has all the star power. And they're pretty good. But the young 2nd line (made older by Langenbrunner) has been far superior throughout most of the year. Zajac & Parise are a great combination and Langenbrunner cleans up whatever is left. They're obviously the best line of the year thus far.