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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Day: April 21, 2012

Serie A Returns After Tragic On-Field Episode

Posted on by Frank Giuliano

Welcome back to Italian soccer this weekend! Seven days ago, week 33 matches were postponed due to the tragic on-field death of 25 year old Livorno midfielder, Piermario Morosini. Week 33 fixtures will feature in midweek on Tuesday April 24 and Wednesday April 25.

AC Milan will host Bologna at the San Siro in Milan. The Rossoneri will be keen on continuing to apply pressure on their Scudetto counterparts as a win will leapfrog Milan 2 points clear before league leaders Juventus’ afternoon match. However, the Rossoblu have a history of providing the Italian giants with difficult matches. In Bologna’s last 2 travels to Milan, they only lost by a one-goal margin and last won 2-1 back in 2008. The week off will have certainly benefited the Rossoneri with regaining focus and energy seeing that they have looked sluggish recently, barely scraping a win in their last encounter with Chievo Verona. This time around, the Rossoneri’s motivation may prove to be too much to handle for Bologna.

SS Lazio is currently leading the race for a third place finish with 54 points which will propel the Aquile directly into the 2012-2013 Champions League season. They will take on high-flying and relegation battlers Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico. The Puglia-based club are on a mission collecting nine out of a possible 15 points which means they remain unbeaten in their last five fixtures. Lecce currently sit three spots from the bottom with 34 points, just three points shy of salvation.

Following closely behind Lazio are the black and white stripes from Udine. Udinese have a tough battle ahead of them as they travel to Verona take on Chievo at the Bentegodi Stadium. The Friuli-based club are in fourth with 51 points and thus, are still in contention for Champions League berth. Francesco Guidolin’s men have not played well in recent times though and will aim to get back on their feet with a victory. In the past seven matches, Udinese has earned only one win.

The match of the day will feature unbeaten Juventus hosting AS Roma at the Juventus Stadium. So many are the implications of this fixture as each club are fighting for different objectives at this point. A lack of motivation will not be the excuse for the defeated as each player will be driven to provide their best performance of the season. The Bianconeri currently lead the table with 68 points, just one above second-place Milan. Juventus will be fully concentrated on earning the three points here which will guarantee the Turin-based side first spot with 5 games remaining most of which will be played against teams sitting on the lower end of the standings. It will be great to see old club captains Alex Del Piero take on Francesco Totti for a final time since the Bianconero hero will most likely be leaving the club after 19 seasons.

AS Roma are currently pushing for that final Champions League spot and sit in fifth position with 50 points, just 4 short. Although Luis Enrique’s men have provided the big clubs with tough competition, inconsistency has plagued the Lupi’s season. Which AS Roma will side show up for duty in Turin?

Other fixtures: Catania v Atalanta; Cesena v Palermo; Fiorentina v Inter; Genoa v Siena; Napoli v Novara; Parma v Cagliari.

…and that’s the last word.

NHL Hands Torres a 25 game Suspension!

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

After a vicious shoulder-to-head hit on Marion Hossa, sending the Blackhawk to the hospital, Phoenix Coyote forward Raffi Torres has been handed an extremely stiff 25 game suspension by Brendan Shanahan and the NHL.

Torres, a repeat offender (see: http://old.lastwordonsports.com/2012/04/19/the-offenders/ ), has been in hot water before, which didn’t help his cause.

Torres has become a poster-boy for dirty players in the NHL.  Much has been made over violence in the NHL, including on this very site, but I caution you that players such as Torres are not are not the same as those involved in the whole “fighting in the NHL” debate.   Players such as Torres resort to cheapshots, stickwork and suckerpunches on mostly unsuspecting opponents, whereas those involved in fighting at least are willing combatants…usually.

This ban is longer than the famous 21 game suspension Dale Hunter received in 1993 for his cheapshot on Pierre Turgeon and shows that the NHL believes Torres was  deliberately intending to injure Hossa. This is now the longest suspension impossed for an incident that occurred during the NHL playoffs.

Meanwhile Hossa has been released from hospital, but the Blackhawks have been very quiet about the severity of the obvious concussion Hossa suffered.

Dear Mr. Shanahan,

I have little use for “goons” and even less for cheap shot artists.  Get them out of the game, yesterday.  Every time a player gets hurt needlessly he is replaced by a player of lesser quality.

Thanks,

Concerned Fan

…and that is the last word.

Biggest Contracts in Baseball: Are They Worth It?

Posted on by Mark Modeski

In recent years baseball has had a shadow cast across that has less to do with sport, and more to do with controversy. While the steroids story has started to lose some visibility, in the offseason we were treated to a new arena of debate – this one related to outrageous salaries.

The lack of a salary cap or profit sharing, has made baseball one of the most outrageous sports for sports signings in sports. Of the top ten highest sports player (total) contracts in the world, nine of those contracts are commanded by players in the MLB. As of opening day 2012, the Yankees had the highest payroll in baseball at close to two-hundred-million dollars (no big surprise there); the lowest payroll is awarded to the Padres at just over fifty-five million dollars. Some of these numbers highlight how baseball has become less about developing players, and more about buying them.

Some of the biggest names in the this last season signed enormous contracts, the likes of which have never before in history been seen. Price Fielder, Albert Pujols and Joey Votto are just a few names on this list; each of these players are now averaging over twenty-million dollars a season. The question I now ask – is are they worth it? In this stage of the season ad their careers let’s look at their return on investment.

Let’s look at the top paid players in baseball and determine whether or not they are worth it:

  1. Alex Rodriguez ($275,000,000 over 10 years, ~27,500,000 per season): Since signing his contract with the Yankees in 2008, A-Rod has had a batting average under .300, and has been averaging about 30 Home Runs a season – although he has maintained a respectable slugging % of about .475, and over 100 RBIs most seasons. Let’s cut A-Rod some slack on this, though – he has been injured quite a bit over the last few years. Is he worth almost thirty-million a season? Not even maybe.
  2. Albert Pujols ($240,000,000 over 10 years, ~$24,000,000 per season): Pujols just signed this contract with the Angels, so it’s a little early to gauge whether or not he is delivering on his investment. For the record he is only batting .276 this season thus far – BUT, he does have a career average of .328, averages about 40 HR a season, well over 100 RBIs a season with a slugging % of about .450. While he may be off to slow start, Pujols is one of the most consistent and solid hitters in baseball – and in my opinion does deserve to be one of the highest paid.
  3. Joey Votto ($225,000,000 over 10 years, ~$22,500,000 per season): In all fairness, Votto’s contract has not yet come into effect – but, let’s look at his performance to date and see if it’s warranted. Votto has only been in the league since 2007, and since that time has a respectable average of about .312, over 100 RBIs per season an astounding slugging % of .547 and had one of the highest walk % in the league. He is young and has shown a ton of potential. Only time will tell if Votto is worth the money he is being paid, but based on league expectations for contracts, he does warrant one of the higher contracts in the league.
  4. Prince Fielder ($214,000,000 over 9 years, ~ $23,777,777 per season): Fielder was signed as a hit man – and that’s it. Much like how father, he is an overweight guy who can put the ball in play (or out of play as it were). Prince has an average of about 35 HRs per season, an average under .300 and a daily caloric in-take of about 4000. He does have one of the higher slugging % in the league, and typically pulls in well over 100 RBIs. He is off to a good start this season with an average of about .354 – but, is he worth over twenty-million per season? I think he may be the most overrated player in baseball. The numbers listed about do not warrant this kind of contract in my opinion – but, at least he will be flush with Big Macs for the next 9 years.
  5. Derek Jeter ($189,000,000 over 8 years, ~$18,900,000 per season): Derek Jeter achieved this contract out of loyalty, and because he is a Yankee fixture (in my opinion). Don’t get me wrong, he does put up some respectable numbers: 20+ stolen bases per season, a career batting average of about .313, he’s a perennial all-star, and puts in more plate appearances than most players in the league by a long shot. One thing that falls outside of the stats for Jeter, is his leadership presence with the team – he is the backbone of a highly talented Yankees organization. Does he deserve the cash? Out of all the players on this list, probably outside of Pujols, he is the most deserving.

So, that’s your top five. One point I do find interesting, is that you don’t see one pitcher on this list. While there are some very well paid pitchers (Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee), most of the top paid players even beyond this list are hitters. Why is this stranger? A pitcher is one of the few athletes in sports who can win a game for you himself – a good pitcher can completely stymy an opposing team’s offence and give his own team the chance to unleash hell. All of the great teams in history have had a great pitching rotation as a necessity; a strong hitting line-up has not always been a pre-requisite.

At any rate, I think some of these stats underscore the need for a salary cap in baseball. Teams with smaller payrolls can’t compete to the same level (not every team can have a Billy Bean). It causes people to become disenfranchised with the sport, and the game loses it’s integrity. It becomes less about sport, and more about business. When a sport is making headlines, it should be due to remarkable achievements in human physical/mental performance – not because of money, or steroids. I just hope that one day baseball can return to the days of achievement and skill, and not money.

… and that is the last word.

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #16: Olli Maatta

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted 22nd Overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins

Our next prospect was the 1st overall pick in the 2011 CHL Import Draft.  The London Knights used their pick to draft Finnish defenceman Olli Maatta (Määttä) and haven’t looked back.  With the addition of Maatta, to existing players like Scott Harrington and Jarred Tinordi, the Knights assembled one of the best groups of defencemen in the OHL.   The Knights are currently in the OHL’s Western Conference Final against the Kitchener Rangers, and are a threat to go all the way to the Memorial Cup.  Maatta joins Teuvo Teravainen in leading this year’s group of Finnish born NHL prospects.

Defense
Born Aug 22 1994 — Jyvaskyla, Finland
Height 6.02 — Weight 198 — Shoots L

2011-12 London Knights OHL 58 5 27 32 25 25 11 1 11 12 2

Maatta came to London with high expectations based on his high selection in the CHL import draft.  He has lived up to the hype.  Maatta has shown to be a solid minute eating defencemen for the 1st place Knights.  Maatta is a versatile two way player, who has greatly contributed to the ongoing success in London with his ability to contribute in any situation.

Maatta possesses good size and excellent defensive instincts.  He is adept at reading the play and has excellent positioning in the defensive zone.  Maatta is not a big hitter, but he is very good at using his size to take opposing forwards out of the play and separate them from the puck.  Maatta is a good shot blocker, and anticipates well to cut off passes.  Maatta is a key penalty killer for the Knights.  Along with Harrington and Tinordi, Maatta gives London a big 3 of shutdown defencemen and effective penalty killers.

Maatta is also capable of adding some offensive skill from the blue line.  He is a decent puck mover who starts the rush with a hard and accurate first pass.  He’s a decent PP point man who is poised with the puck and has a hard and accurate shot.  We think he can be an effective 2nd unit PP player at the next level.

Maatta could use some work on his skating.  We find that his stride is unconventional and that he lacks explosiveness.  He can also sometimes be beaten to the outside by extremely quick forwards.

In addition to playing for London, Maatta also has a wealth of international experience appearing for Finland in both the IIHF World Junior Championships and at the Under-18 World Championships.  Unfortunately an injury suffered in the first game of the 2012 World Juniors sidelined Maatta for the duration of the tournament.

We’d believe Maatta’s maximum potential to become a defender similar to what Roman Hamrlik has been in his post lockout career.  An effective defensive player who can match up against offensive players, but who can also provide a little bit of offence and is able to log 20+ minutes per game in all situations.

… and thats the Last Word.