Hey, anybody watch the Rangers/Islanders game? Can I get some help here?
I went to work out at the YMCA and I was running the treadmill. They have these 12-inch TV's in a row up on the ceiling and I could barely make out the Rangers/Islanders game. In one of the intermissions, the panel discussion was on Cam Jannsen, but the TV was muted and I couldn't read the captions.
Anybody catch the general drift among the experts? Thanks.
It's Spring Training. I call it meaningless, you all call it meaningless, the world screams "Meaningless!" in unison, and then the commercial is over.
But, to be honest, it's not entirely meaningless. Not for the guys making the team, not for the guys rehabbing injuries, not for the youngsters trying to show their skills, not for the old-timers going to prove they have enough left in the tank, not for the manager to see what his problem spots and his strengths are. There is more meaning here than you realize, it's the results that don't amount to anything.
For right now, you have the Reds as you've known them. Their offense has carried them to 5 wins and 0 losses. Their pitching has been suspect and their defense unamazing, though better.
This is in direct contrast to what Narron and Krivsky are all about this year. They wish to sacrifice offense for pitching and defense, they've said it only so many times before you realize that they mean it. What they've been getting on the field is not quite the opposite, but not what they imagined. This gives me more optimism as I look forward to the season.
I know, I know. I am optimistic about the Reds because they are scoring all these dang runs and they are undefeated and that's stupid and I am stupid for doing so. Probably. But it gives me optimism that I wouldn't have had if they were 0-5 and were having problems scoring runs. That's not the case. I think the offense that we all think is going to be missing from this year's team is still around. It won't be anywhere near as good as we have seen thus far, but it will be there. I hope it will be more opportunistic and daring, but I think it will be there. The pitching is still of concern, and these spring training games are proving some of that. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but the guys in the middle and late innings and doing pretty well so far. They are taking care of business. Our defense is not where anyone wants it, but we know it will be better up the middle because Gonzalez is playing with Phillips and EdE can't be as bad as he has been the past couple of years. If we keep Conine out (stay bad, back!) and can platoon Hatteberg with Bellhorn instead and keep the outfielders young and fast and offensively solid as well as defensively solid, this team could be pretty dang good.
It doesn't take much to write this as the Reds stand atop the Grapefruit League standings. I mean, come on, grapefruits? That's pretty lame. But they do stand up there, and it's not sheer randomness, they are playing well. None of it really translates into seasonal success, but don't you at least feel better that your team is playing well? I do.
While their current identity may not be what Narron and Krivsky visualized, it's working right now. I think it's more important to accentuate the positives and try and fix the mistakes, rather than turning a team in a direction that it's not equipped to turn.
As I promise not to cover Spring Training, I find myself doing it. Not a whole lot else to do 'round here.
NOTABLE THINGS
Pitching: Brian Meadows picked up the win, and John Ennis got the loss and a blown save. Paul Wilson started and was shaky at best. 2.1/3 innings, 7 hits, 3 walks, 3 K's, 5 earned runs. Saarloos took over for the final out of the third and pitched another two, allowing 5 hits (including a homer by Carlos Ruiz) and 2 earned runs. Only 1 more run (not earned) would be allowed by the rest of the pitching staff as Bray, Stanton, Meadows, and Ligtenberg went an inning each and looked strong, Bray in particular. Not sure what this means for Wilson. Not much yet, but certainly not a good sign after everyone was so high on him. Saarloos wasn't impressive either, as he had 3 groundball outs but 3 flyouts. I thought this guy was going to keep his pitches down. Ah well, but he's got time. What was impressive was he inherited a bad inning from Wilson and didn't let the guys score.
Hitting: Another great day in this regard. You just knew somebody would hit a 2-run homer as that's how things have gone. Well, Phillips led off and was the 2/4 with the aforementioned 2-run homer, his third so far. Hamilton only had two plate appearances, but he made the most of them by hitting a single and taking a walk. Jerry Gil did a good job as his backup, going 2/3 with a homer that tied it up in the 8th inning. Dunn had a 2-RBI single. Denorfia continues to struggle, as does Norris Hopper, making the rise of stardom to Josh Hamilton that much more likely. Chad Moeller, the man whom no one wishes to see behind the plate, got the game-winning RBI on a well-executed suicide squeeze. Nice way to win the game, a return to "small ball" if you will.
Fielding & such: Crosby stole his first base, as I'm assuming there will be more. Encarnacion had a bad throw.
Goals:
First Period: Aaron Ward, Bruins (Bochenski, Kessel)
Second Period: Marco Sturm, Bruins (SH) (Bergeron)
Third Period: Mike Rupp, DEVILS (Gionta, Martin)
Brandon Bochenski, Bruins (Kessel, Chistov)
Shots on Goal: 29-27 Bruins
Penalties: Devils - 6 minutes, Bruins - 8 minutes
--FIRST PERIOD--
Devils facing Joey MacDonald in goal tonight. Not sure who the heck that is, but apparently he was just acquired from the Red Wings. Testing him early would be a good idea. Devils have the Chara-killer, Brian Gionta, back tonight. About dang time. This can only help. Devils start out by getting good pressure early, but to no avail and even worse, Paul Martin slashes early to give the Bruins an opportunity right away. Not a big deal, though as the Bruins didn't register a shot on goal with the Devils clamping down on the penalty kill. The Devils don't seem all that motivated ore energized, but they are probably just playing that patient style that pisses everyone off, waiting for opportunities. To their credit, the Bruins don't look much better either. It doesn't seem like they pose much of a threat, but we'll see. A lot of back-and-forth action, with the Devils mostly controlling the flow of the game. The Bruins keep the puck in the Devils zone for quite a while, moving it around and eventually scoring as the captain Aaron Ward throws the puck at Brodeur and it gets in. Disappointing, but I'm not too concerned as it seems the Devils are playing with confidence. That was just not enough pressure in the defensive zone, not enough urgency or collapse on the puck. No time to fret. Ever since the goal, the Bruins have definitely taken the momentum in the period. The action was fairly even, but Boston has the advantage right now. The Devils are somewhat slow to react, but have mounted a couple chances. Nothing too serious, however. Would be good to see some offensive pressure, or at least hanging on to the puck for a while. They haven't had a chance to really set up an offensive scheme. The only highlight for New Jersey was Madden breaking in on MacDonald, but he shot it too high. He was able to draw a hooking call, though. The Bruins were sufficient in killing it off, playing the kill pretty well. It was pretty clear that Boston won the first period, not only in the score but in the general flow of the game. They had twice as many shots on goal, and pretty much every faceoff win. I'll say the Devils will come out strong in the second.
--SECOND PERIOD--
Couldn't be more wrong, as Sturm scores right away on a shorthanded goal. Sickening. The Devils worse than flat right now. Lack of motivation, lack of determination, lack of offense, lack of execution, lack of physicality. LAX. Not much to get excited about. It's as if the Devils, knowing they are good, expect to win. And by expecting to win, they just play with the attitude that they'll win, so why try all that hard? Well, maybe that's too harsh. They have played well all year and that's a pretty big rip. I'm just saying that's how it appears for THIS GAME, it's not a syndrome or anything like that. I'm just getting that vibe as it stands right now, and they are not attempting to prove that notion wrong whatsoever. They are playing like it should be given to them and are not attacking in any way. Devils start picking up the tempo about halfway through, getting some good shots on MacDonald, but not screening well and allowing Joey to see the shots pretty much all the way through. At least something positive is happening. Still turning over the puck and not making sharp passes. If you're MacDonald, you're glad the Devils are not shooting all that much, obviously. But hopefully by picking up the offense, considering it's late, maybe that will throw him off a little bit. We can only hope. Another power play goes awry and the Devils pick up only 2 more shots the final 6 minutes or so. Down by 2 goals with one period left to play - that's not the Devils game. Hard to believe they can come back, but I wouldn't count them out just yet. Their play is attempting to prove me otherwise. Boston is clearly the better team tonight.
--THIRD PERIOD--
The Devils start with some urgency and Parise draws an early penalty. The power play is the best it's been all night with plenty of shots. Problem is the shots aren't on goal, they are all over the place. Not much time to figure things out, but it's not time to panic yet. Just keep firing. As the power play just expires, Paul Martin fires a shot on goal, Gionta tips it, MacDonald saves it, rebound goes right to Mike Rupp who buries it in the empty net. Goal! So basically a power play goal, but it won't stand as one. You can expect the Devils to turn up the heat now. Haha. Get it? If not, you should check your IQ, because it's an easy one to understand. At least MacDonald's shutout bid is history. That would have been embarassing. Bruins still don't have a shot on goal. Good chunk of time left to get another one. We shall see. Sure enough, as soon as something goes right for the Devils, it's back to going wrong as the Bruins score right afterwards and then Jamie Langenbrunner high sticks and draws blood, so he has to sit for 4 minutes. The Devils killed it off, but they're down by 2 goals with not much time left. It's just not their night tonight. Brodeur is pulled and the Bruins throw one in the empty net. It was evident that the Bruins were the better team tonight, but I think the Devils could have been. They didn't seem into it at all, but give the Bruins credit for their solid defensive play tonight. Big loss for the Devils. They better figure things out. On the quick.
Reds are 4-0 in Spring Training games. Or 5-0, if you count the B Team's 5-0 win today.
NOTABLE THINGS
Pitching: Homer Bailey has an ERA of 13.50. He's off the team. 2 innings, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 K, 2 wild pitches. Eh......Coffey got the win, striking out 2 in his inning. Tom Shearn pitched the final 2 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 2 K's.
Hitting: Josh Hamilton continues to be THE MAN, as he goes 2/3 today with a run scored and an RBI. He's hitting .533. Crosby was 0/3 with a K, but scored twice. ??? Makes limited sense. Hatteberg had another 2-run homer. Janish keeps K'ing it up. Joey Votto had a 2-run blast. Bellhorn has been smart, taking a lot of walks thus far in the year. Denorfia was 3/5 and poor Jeff Keppinger who goes in for the pinch hit and instead takes a pinch shot in the body by the pitcher from Pittsburgh. He's out for a while.
Fielding & such: No errors today, great job. There was a passed ball by Moeller, but Bailey was wild all the way around. Castro had an "SF." Anybody know what that means? Somebody help me out here. Lots of guys left on base again today, many in scoring position. Hard to complain about offense, though.
The last time I didn't start with "Mavericks" on the title, that was 15 games ago. 15 straight wins. 50-9. Ridiculous? You be the judge, but only if the answer is yes.
Big 3: Jason Terry led the charge, with 29 points, as well as an astounding 15 points. He was plain aggressive. He was back to his playoff form last year when he went crazy. He was just all over the place, playing a great game. Granted, the guys had to hit their shots for him to get an assist, but he was passing and stroking it well tonight. Nowitzki had his: 24 points and 9 rebounds. Josh Howard rounding out things with 21 points.
For the Magic, you assume Dwight Howard will be the stud and he was, getting 25 and 10. That's points and rebounds.
Nice to know the Mavs can win a gut check game, or back-to-back gut check teams against two good teams from the East. Granted, they beat them both on their home floor, but they played fourth quarters very well against both teams and managed to come out with a lead. This is huge for the playoffs as they are clearly the team to beat and continue to prove so every night.
The retro jerseys looked nice for Orlando, but it just didn't help them.
Blah blah, there was a game, blah blah CAM JANSSEN IS T3H 3VIL MAN!!!!
Not that I'm arguing for Cam's behalf. I didn't see the hit, nobody liked the hit, and I can't condone a late hit on a guy who is completely unaware that it's coming. Cam got his 3 game suspension and thousands-buck fine. It works out. Everyone is flipping out about it, because it was bad I'm sure. I can't help but think some of it is due to anti-Devils bias, though. It seems a little too thick, a little too vibrant and passionate and maybe overdone. I don't think the Devils needed any more ammunition, Mr. Janssen. Thanks anyway.
As far as the actual game goes, it was pretty interesting. People told me to beware the Maple Leafs, but I said to them, "Maple Leafs?" I mean, you're talking about the least intimidating mascot of all-time, right? And they punched me. Hard.
They scored 3 goals. And then 3 goals in the shootout. To have them get 4 goals overall. That makes sense, right? Maybe, maybe not. The Devils also got 3 goals. And 2 goals in the shootout. To end up with 3 goals.
Brodeur was doing fine with shootouts until this game. He let in every goal. Every stinkin' one. The Devils had this game, then allowed a collapse and gave away 2 points. At least they hung on to get 1 of them back. The Devils have to play well. It's crunch time. The Penguins are not going away, Tampa Bay is crazy right now, Buffalo keeps winning. The East is going wild, and so is the West, which makes things pretty flippin' exciting.
Get back to winning, fellas.
P.S. How was Marty the second star of the game?
What has happened since I stopped paying attention to meaningless spring training baseball games? I've missed THE CRAZINESS, that's what. The Reds swept the Twins in their weekend series with scores of 5-2 and 14-1.
That's FOURTEEN. Runs, not hits. Hits were 25, get real.
First up was Reds 5, Twins 2.
Notable things - Pitching: Lohse sucked it up, and hit Torii Hunter in the head. Didn't last an inning. Brian Meadows cleaned up his junk, finishing the first and pitching the second, only allowing a run. Stanton was fine, Bray was fine, Belisle was a little rusty but got the win, The Lizard was nice, and Kershner walked one but got the save.
Notable things - Hitting: Hopper was not a good leadoff, going 0-for-3. Bubba Crosby had a 2-RBI hit, so maybe he makes the team after all. Votto (single, double) and Encarnacion (single, homer) were the stars of the night, and Moeller, yes, Chad Moeller had an RBI!
Notable things - Fielding & Such: Freel has a competitor in Bellhorn for caught stealing. They both have 1 as it stands. Machado made the error for the Reds.
Second up was Reds 14, Twins 1.
Notable things - Pitching: Starters were winners and losers tonight as Harang got the win and Bonser got the loss. Harang was alright, striking out two in 2, and allowing 5 hits and an earned run. Bonser gave up 3, including a 2-run homer to Hatteberg. Bobby Livingston followed and pitched the same 2 innings (well, they were different) and struck out the same numbe of 2 guys, but allowed only one hit. So he is the new #1 starter, ladies & gents! Victor Santos followed, doing almost the same thing, but striking out one fewer. Ligtenberg went the next two and struck out one, and Shackelford was on for the save (hey, the Reds could give up 12-13 runs in the ninth) and walked one and got the heck outta there.
Notable things - Hitting: Where to begin? Probably with Josh Hamilton, the kid that will probably make the team. And rightfully so, thankfully as he went 3-for-4 today (2 dubs) with a run scored. No ribbies, though. Freel, the true leadoff man, went 2/3 and scored. Hatteberg homered and went 2/2. Crosby was 2/3, Phillips the same (with a homer) and Paul Janish was 3/3 with 2 RBI's. The Reds stranded SEVENTEEN baserunners. Holy wow.
Notable things - Fielding & such: Error on Joey Votto tonight. Not the prospect you thought he'd be? He'll be riding the doghouse for weeks now. Right? I mean, because Narron hates fielding errors, right? And he's done everything in his power to correct them, yeah? Come on.
GO REDS (even in meaningless games)
HUGE goings-on today, primarily just because Tampa Bay is emulating Oakland (which I've said before) but doubling up on them as they acquired TWO of the top veteran QB's in landing Jeff Garcia and trading for Jake Plummer. The deal with Plummer is that he may retire. If not, the Bucs have Plummer, Garcia, and Simms. Ridiculous. I mean, that's all it is.
The Raiders did not do much except cut Tyrone Poole and restructure the contract of Barry Sims. The Sims thing had to be done, and I'm glad it was. I'm glad he was man enough to get it done, he must see some light at the end of the tunnel. Poole was a true vet, but didn't do a whole lot for us. That's how it goes in this business. Langston Walker was lost to free agency today, and not too many people cried about it. Just because of the porous offensive line last year, though I think Walker could be (and has been) good at times. We'll miss his blocked kicks, that's for sure.
"He (Lebron James) was great all night, so I thought one of them for sure was going in," said Dirk, who had a 24-11-7 night. "We dodged a bullet there, obviously."
It's just what Sefko was writing about earlier, the Mavs are the Anti-Lebrons. Lebron James, the new god of basketball, will get his. You know this. The Mavs tried everything they could, the Mavs being a dang good team, and the guy scores 39 points. All of the highlights, all of the recap, was about Lebron James. Good for him. The problem? He wasn't on the winning team. And that's just fine with the Mavs. Put Lebron out there, show his dunks and crazy 3-pointers and his excellent skills, and then just sort of tack on the fact that the Mavs won their zillionth straight. They are fine flying under whatever radar they can at this point. They keep winning. It doesn't stop.
Nowitzki had 24, Jason Terry had 20, Josh Howard had 17. Do you notice how the Big 3 always produce? Good, because I do. Nowitzki had 11 rebounds and 7 assists. So he's shooting a million for double-doubles, he's shooting a .000 for triple-doubles. But the guy gets dang close. Howard had 10 rebounds himself. Dampier had a solid game with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The Mavs also swept the Western Conference Monthly Awards, getting the Player (Nowitzki) and Coach (Johnson).
It's everywhere, folks. Actual important news first.
The Raiders signed Tommy Kelly to a one-year deal for $1.35 million. This takes care of almost the entire defense, if not all of it. This is a good deal and was the right thing to do, as Kelly would have been able to test free agency waters. Time to focus on the offense.
The Broncos got EVERYWHERE BETTER by getting Dre Bly for Tatum Bell and George Foster. Bell is good, don't get me wrong. But the Broncos have at cornerback Champ Bailey (who I can't stand) and Dre Bly (who I like a lot but now I have to hate). There is no other team anywhere close to beating that combination, and oddly enough, the Raiders are close to being one of those teams chasing.
Some guy named Charlton Keith, who was on the Browns practice squad last year, signed with our beloved Raiders. Yes, the CLEVELAND BROWNS. Practice squad. Hmm.........
Apparently, this Jeff Garcia thing is gaining a lot more traction and looking a lot more apparent than I gave it credit for earlier. I have nothing against the guy, I would just be skeptical (and rightfully so, yeah?) of having another journeyman QB come in and play a year for the Raiders. Some people say this move actually signifies selecting JaMarcus Russell with the #1 pick. That would make me feel better about it. But what about Andrew Walter? Is last year the whole basis for making him a career Tuiasosopo? I hope not. And, what if Russell is not the savior we all believe he is? Then we're in trouble, folks.
This is hardly worth reporting, but Daniel Graham, former tight end of the legendary Patriots, is scheduled for a visit. If the price is right, better do it.
Sports Illustrated reports that "The Trade" with Green Bay, Rodgers for Moss, has never even been talked about. That's what I love about the Internet, the stupid rumors fly and anyone can get away with anything pretty much. Stupid kids.
Not really sure what I'm doing. I can't imaging recapping baseball games as I do basketball and hockey games, because there are simply too many of them, and because crunch time for classes occurs after Spring Break. And plus, this is preseason, so what a bunch of hogwash. But here I go.
If this is the return to small ball, pitching & defense that the Reds were talking about, it's a sad beginning. I know it's not the season yet, but this had the feel of Reds vs. NLC opponents the year before last and the one before that. The fact that the Reds made it closer in the ninth inning by allowing two more runs and sloppy play isn't great, either. Five errors. Five??? This is what you get for stressing defense and fundamentals?? Let's hope they can put it together.
Paul Wilson got the win, good for him. Salomon Torres got the loss, as he chucked up 4 runs in the fifth.
These players got homers: Dunn, Phillips, Bellhorn (huh?), Keppinger (who?), and Hamilton. The highlight was Hamilton's as it was blasted further than Dunn's. I think that means he gets an automatic roster spot now. Oh well. For the Pirates, Matos got two homers, off the starter Milton and the winner Wilson.
My man Freel is batting 1.000 thus far, and got off to his usual base-running: 1 stolen base, 1 caught stealing. Phillips, Bellhorn, and Hamilton has 2 RBI's.
Milton did not look good (2 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 homers), but that's to be expected. Wilson did better than I would have predicted (2 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts), but he was given a lot of credit by a lot of the players and staff, so maybe he'll be good for us again. Saarloos had a great 2 innings with straight 0's across the board (no hits, runs, walks, strikeouts). Same with Coffey's one inning. Cormier wasn't hot, and neither was Salmon.
In much bigger news, the Reds finally got around to signing Dustin Hermanson as the potential closer. Truth be told, we don't need many more relief pitchers, but this guy has the capability to be lights out as a closer, as he was just a couple years ago. It's worth a shot. But then what with Weathers, Cormier, Stanton, and crew? Forget it.
P.S. Marty & Thom Brennaman were making their first starts as father-and-son broadcast team. The fun fact for me about Thom Brennaman is that he called play-by-play for the amazing 2007 Fiesta Bowl where Boise State defeated Oklahoma 43-42.
Jerry McDonald's going CRAZY over there.
Here's what you do: Pick JaMarcus Russell, make Walter the starter, get a veteran backup (Trent Green?) to help out when necessary, and get ready for '08.
So, you're the Reds. Hi, Reds.
You have a current "logjam" in the outfield. It's early, so don't sweat. I'll break it down nice and easy for you.
The story, from what I hear, is that the outfield has four spots that are locked down. I count three, but you tell me where I go wrong.
1. Dunn
2. Griffey
3. Freel
They want you to think that Conine is #4, and that could be true. I'd rather not see it. I'd rather see that man get STRICT platooning at first base, relieving Hatteberg (or Votto) only when necessary. I've got nothing against the man, we just don't need him around all that much. Making relief appearances at first base should be enough. No need to hog any outfield spots. But, if we're sticking to the script, that's four.
4. Conine
So now, you've got the competition for the fifth spot. It's ultimately between Norris Hopper, Chris Denorfia, Josh Hamilton, and Bubba Crosby. All have been featured with special stories, so let's not cry.
Since Denorfia is a starter for me, he's five.
5. Denorfia
1. Dunn (starts LF)
2. Griffey (starts RF)
3. Freel (relief duty)
4. Conine (???)
5. Denorfia (starts CF)
Now, there is debate amongst Reds folks that the club could go with 6 outfielders. Fair enough, let's give them that option.
6. Norris Hopper
Sorry, Mr. Hamilton. You could make this spot, it's true. You just have a longer way to go. If the Reds take my suggestion and get Conine the heck out of there, you're in. But if not, Hopper is in. I wasn't a Hopper fan last year, but when I looked at him during the offseason, I slapped myself and wondered why. He has been a trooper in the minor leagues, getting better all the team, and truly made the most of his major league call-up last year. He has nothing left to prove, he has done the job. He can do more. He can also pinch hit when he is not in the lineup, something I would be reluctant to give to Hamilton.
Bubba Crosby, sorry kid.
Very, shall I say, interesting. You get it? Heck yes, the joke!
I like these "stories," because they can be right or wrong and the people get it right either way. Very wise move. Jeff Garcia to Oakland? I'm assuming that's being fueled by the fact that the Raiders have a penchant for taking veteran QB's. That doesn't mean the cycle ALWAYS keeps going. It could, don't get me wrong. It's just annoying when veteran QB's are out there and so Oakland is always listed as a possibility, just because they've done it quite a few times. That's basically what it comes down to, you don't need any other information, just observe a trend and attribute that trend to be the end result of some event that is currently being looked at. Apparently the Raiders are interested in Carr, Plummer, Huard (not anymore), and every other QB who isn't locked up with their current team. That doesn't mean anything to me. The Raiders could keep grabbing up the veterans, but I am assuming that this is the year they turn that around, getting a fresh face and having the new guy and Walter be the tag-team combo of the future.
The other story is similar, but seems to have more merit. On the Packers side, anyway. Hard to tell with the Oakland side. I don't really care. I've said before, I was so excited when the Raiders got Moss and now I couldn't care less. At least I can make up my mind if he were go to the Packers, then I could hate him for sure. Otherwise, I'll continue to be indifferent towards him. The Packers are trying to make a triangle out of the Raiders-Buccanneers connection. All this trading players between teams is getting quite ridiculous.
No way, man. Another shutout? Not that hard for Brodeur these days. He's got 12. The next guy has about half of that. Three more of where those are coming from, and you've got the new 2nd-most shutouts by a goalie, which would be Brodeur with 95. But did you think it would occur in this game? Did you think it would happen in any game against the Penguins? The mighty, high-flying Penguins? No sir. But it did happen. The Devils only scored once, and if that's all you were told before looking at the recap, you would fear the worst. But then you would see that Brodeur shut them out and you would have a quizzical look on your face for a bit, and then accept it. For Brodeur does unthinkable, great things all the time. And this is one of them.
The goaltending wasn't the only impressive feat defensively for the Devils, as you can clearly tell that nobody from the Penguins scored. That would be no scoring for Crosby and no scoring for Malkin, who both score all the time. Their point streaks were snapped last night, thanks to their shots being stopped, but thanks to shots not being there in the first place. Great defensive work to shut them down last night. Crosby, Malkin, and Gonchar were on the ice all the time, and the Devils countered by giving heavy minutes to Madden, Lukowich, Pandolfo, and Martin. And those guys were pretty dang impressive, showing some grit I hadn't seen for a while. This newfound attitude would serve them well if they were to continue it.
The offense is not quite as cool, obviously. A lot of that has to do with Gionta being out. Because, right now, the first line does pretty much nothing pointwise. They get their open ice showcase stuff done, but it's not tangible, it's not practical, it's not reaping rewards. The second line continues to be the best, and Langenbrunner with the only goal, proves it again. A Power Play goal???? Only Langs, man. Only him.
Lots of penalties, but it didn't feel like a sloppy game. Felt GOOD. Dang good.
Also, David Hale was traded to the Flames for a 3rd-rounder. A 5th-rounder was given up. Not a big deal, I thought Hale was just fine, but wasn't a huge fan. Apparently, the important thing is this clears up room for Matvichuk to make his return to the ice. (UPDATE = More importantly, this appears to be making room for Andy Greene, as Lou said it himself.)
The score would appear to give you the indication of being a grinder, but that's not really what it was. Maybe for the Wolves, but it was just another day at the office for the Mavs. Winning by almost 30. Winning 13 straight games again. Just winning, really. That's what they are used to. The Wolves have fallen off the map since the All-Star Game, and that's to be expected. Stopped following that team a long time ago, although I think I'm undefeated in times I've seen them in person. I've never seen Dallas at Minnesota, however. That would be pretty fun. Anyway.
Nowitzki was the man, scoring 23 and snagging 14 boards. That's plenty good stats, my friend. Howard contributed 17 points and 7 boards, even though he's playing on a funny ankle. The man is becoming a beast. Jason Terry rounds out the usual Big 3 with 18 points and 7 assists. Other notables are Diop, who snagged 10 rebounds and also scored 6 points. That's the same as Dampier, with 6 more rebounds. Dampier is becoming obselete again. He had a stretch, what, in mid-December maybe, of being pretty dang good for a while. Forget that, he's totally inconsistent, being pretty lame over quite a long stretch now. For the Wolves, it was Garnett and Ricky Davis with 15 a piece. Lame.
Here's some thing to keep in mind: 65 points is the fewest allowed in Mavs history. Not losing in a month (granted, it's the shortest one) hasn't happened until now in Mavs history. The Mavs are 11-0 in the second game of a back-to-back, whereas most teams (even the great ones) are around average.
What more can you ask? An NBA Championship, perhaps? Sure.
While we're on the subject of great quotes, this one's a doozy:"I'm the only one it's been happening to and I know it's not fate. Somebody's telling somebody to do something."
And there you have it.
