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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Day: April 22, 2012

Rory MacDonald Leads Strong Canadian Showing at UFC 145

Posted on by Mark Modeski

All eyes last night were focused on one fight, and one fight alone: the main event. The main event of UFC 145 was hyped up by a heavily anticipated, heavily delayed, match-up between Jon “Bones” Jones and Rashad “Sugar” Evans. However, as the fight card went on last night, in the build to the main event, most were surprised to see that the excitement of all the fighters on this card were going to make for a night of surprises and excitement.

Not since UFC 140 in Toronto has such a strong Canadian contingent been present on a card. The Canuck crew would meet with mixed results last night, but strong performances were present for all:

  • To start the night off one Canadian was assured a loss in a tilt between two Canuck rising stars Jon Alessio and Mark Bocek. Unfortunately, for Alessio, the superior ground game of Bocek was too much. Bocek walked away with a clear decision.
  • After back-to-back losses, Mark Hominick was looking to rebound against Eddie Yagin. After two strong first rounds by Yagin, Hominick put it out on the line and tired to put away the clearly gassed Yagin. Unfortunately, Hominick’s efforts were too little too and he ended up losing the split decision.
  • The Welterweight division has been abuzz with names like Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit and Georges St. Pierre over the last year. Through all of this one of the most promising prospects has been overlooked, in Rory MacDonald. Last night MacDonald continued to impress with a second round TKO against up-and-comer Che Mills.

Watching the Canadian group would have been enough to leave any fight fan satisfied, but there was still more. Two other fighters on the card last night, were in a situation where redemption was a must for each. Miguel Torres was the first of these two fighters, coming back after a “twitter-related” suspension; once considered one of the P4P, needed to prove he ready for a title shot. Unfortunately, Torres was KO’d in brilliant fashion by the up-and-comer, Michael McDonald. The second of the aforementioned fighters, was Ben Rothwell. The former IFL champ has never looked too impressive in the UFC and was solidly positioned on the chopping block. Rothwell saved his job, a forwarded himself “into the mix” within the heavyweight division with a devastating KO over Brendan Schaub.

This all brings us for the fight that we have all been waiting for: Would Jones cement his position as one of the best in the world? Or (as Kenny Florian put it), would this set-up the greatest Light Heavyweight trilogy since Lidell v. Couture? While Jones put together a solid decisive decision, the fight could not be characterized as much more than anti-climactic. Both fighters looked a little too tentative at times, and the explosions were few and short-lived. This being said, I think the result of this fight was more important than the fight itself; for Jones this meant he has already firmed his position as the most dominate champion in the toughest weight class in the UFC.

Does this mean Jones has achieved Anderson Silva or GSP status? Not yet. He still has not yet cleaned out the division, and has a tough roadblock in his way in Dan Henderson. In all fairness to Jones though, in recent memory he has put away tougher competition than either of those fighters combined.

When all is said and done, I give UFC 145 a solid B. Most of the fights were a great watch, and fun to watch – however, the main event was a little bit of a let down.

… and that is the word.

Is it the End of the Road for Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh?

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

With the Penguins being bounced from the 2012 NHL Playoffs this afternoon at the hands of the Philidelphia Flyers, does this spell the end of Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh?

I concede that Philly was a very tough draw for the Penguins, but I just can’t help but think that goaltending was the difference.  To be clear, Philidephia had less than stellar netminding as well, but Marc-Andre Fleury was just horrible.  Its been bad goal after bad goal against, whether it be Max Talbot’s dribbler in game 2, or Gustaffson’s wrist shot today, and numerous others, the goals he’s given up in this series have been absolutely deflating for the Penguins.

For the third consecutive post-season, and the fourth consecutive playoff round the Penguins keeper finishes the playoffs with a less than .900 save percentage.  At a time when a goalie should be at his best, he was at his worst, especially this year.  Combine that with a goals against average of around 5.

Pittsburgh did not need Fleury to be good.  Rather, they just needed him to be capable of supporting the offence they have, lead by two of the world’s best.  He was out of position, scrambling awkwardly for the puck, and seemed “shaky” for much of the series.  A goalie’s most important job is to make the big save when his team needs him most, Fleury quite simply did not do that for the Penguins in this series.  Not often enough.  Just look at 2009 when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, Fleury was good, not great, as his save percentage in those playoffs was a mere .906.

A goalie is your team’s most important penalty killer.  The Flyers are scoring at an absurd rate on the powerplay.  They were at nearly 50% for the series.  A big cause of this has been Fleury’s inability to control his rebounds.  How many goals have the Flyers scored merely by getting the puck to the net and scoring on a scramble?

So, does bowing out in the first round warrant Pittsburgh management to search for options this summer?  At the very least the Penguins are going to need to get a better backup than Brent Johnson.  It is obvious by the fact that Fleury continues to play despite his struggles, that the Penguins have absolutely no faith in their backup.  Can we argue a reason other than goaltending for how Philadelphia handled Pittsburgh?  Or was this an evenly-matched series between two offensively-minded powerhouses?

…and that is the last word.

Did "Diving Culture" Cause the Death of Piermario Morosini?

Posted on by Jack Stone

Soccer has become so synonymous with diving that the latter has become a part of its culture.  Diving is a travesty to the otherwise “Beautiful Game”.  It is a serious issue that afflicts every league, by players from every nationality, even though some particular boot-shaped countries seem to get most attention undeservedly.  We see in every game players running with the ball and when they enter into a defensive trap their instinct takes over, they dive to get a free kick as it is seems the best option to keep possession.  Not only does the player take a dive to posture that he was tripped, but he finds it necessary to roll around on the ground holding his knee as if he is seriously injured, or possibly shot.  Eventually his rolling around will prompt the referee to ask for a trainer to come onto the field and spray some water on that knee and the player is now instantly back to 100% form.

The situation is getting worse.  Not only do I notice more diving, but the rolling around on the ground has reached an all-time high.  Players have been diving with increased regularity in the box, screaming for a penalty, which has been granted more frequently also.  This has even resulted in game-winning goals.

But nothing compares to the tragedy that struck Serie B with the death of Piermario Morosini.  I believe the young Italian died as a result of diving.  Let me explain.  Morosini collapsed on the field and lay motionless.  There was far too much time that passed before the referee blew the whistle to stop the play and allow trainers and medical staff onto the pitch.   Why?  Well, because he genuinely felt Morosini was not injured and quite possibly faking for the purpose of a free kick because it happens so often.  My apologies if this offends anyone, but I just wonder if he was attended to much quicker, which I think would have happened in almost any other major sport, this young man might still be with us.  This isn’t an indictment of Morosini, and it isn’t an indictment of the referee, its an indictment of the entire culture of the sport.  Soccer players have become “the boys who cried wolf”.

Basically not only does diving lead to unfair match results, but it causes less medical attention to players and this needs to change – NOW!  How do we stop it?   I believe suspending players is the only way to eliminate diving.  If leagues would review the penalty calls and find that a player has not been touched by an opponent, but decided to dive for a penalty call, this player should be suspended, and not just for a little while for repeat offenders.

Lets face it, the sport is very fast and it is hard for a referee to catch every dive during the course of a game.  And diving does work, it helps your team win as you can be awarded free kicks and penalties, so its understandable why every player is willing to try it right now.  The leagues must produce a harsh punishment for diving, and one that can be administered based on replays viewed after the games are over, or it will continue to plague the beautiful game.

…and that is the last word.

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #17: Derrick Pouliot

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted #8 Overall by Pittsburgh Penguins

As we continue through our draft profiles, a clear trend showing that the 2012 is absolutely loaded with good young defence prospects has emerged.  This trend continues with our #17 overall prospect, a strong offensive defenceman from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, Derrick Pouliot.

Defense
Born Jan 16 1994 — Weyburn, SASK
Height 6.00 — Weight 181 — Shoots L
2009-10 Portland Winterhawks WHL 7 0 1 1 0 0 — — — — —
2010-11 Portland Winterhawks WHL 66 5 25 30 38 13 21 1 3 4 16
2011-12 Portland Winterhawks WHL 72 11 48 59 79 15 13 3 9 12 10

Derrick Pouliot has certainly been at his best this season, when the scouts have been paying the most attention. He made a great first impression this year scoring 10 points in his first 7 games. Invited to the CHL’s Top Prospects Game, Pouliot put himself directly into the centre of the action, and was one of the best players on the ice, he even drew an assist on the game winning goal.  And finally Pouliot is leaving a fresh impression in scouts’ minds with an extremely impressive performance running the powerplay for the  Portland Winterhawks who are currently playing in the WHL’s Western Conference Final.  Pouliot was dominant last night in game 2 of the series, with 4 assists in helping Portland take a 2-0 series lead on the road.

Pouliot is a skilled offensive defenceman.  In terms of offensive game, we feel he compares favourably to fellow WHL Draft Prospect Morgan Rielly.  Pouliot has excellent skating, he is very fast, has excellent balance and agility, changes direction quickly and has good balance.  He is very skilled with the puck on his stick, able to carry and control it efficiently, and is a good stickhandler capable of making deceptive moves around opponents.  He makes tape to tape passes both in starting the breakout and in setting up his Winterhawks teammates with excellent chances in the offensive zone.  Pouliot’s shot doesn’t have the power of some of the other prospects in this draft, but he has a good release and his wrist shots are very accurate.  He’s able to keep his slap shot low and get it on net, which is essential for any power play quarterback.

Pouliot however is very much a work in progress in the defensive end of the ice.  As mentionned before his quick skating and good first pass are definite assets as he can effectively start the transition game.  However Pouliot needs to add some serious muscle to his frame and gain strength before he reaches the next level.  He is often overpowered by bigger, stronger opponents.  Pouliot’s defensive positioning also needs some serious work.  He often makes errors in coverage and misses his assignments leading to quality scoring chances against.  His defensive deficiencies are the difference between being ranked in the top 10 of this draft and where we’ve put him at 17.

Pouliot is still a solid prospect, especially with the emphasis on puck moving, mobile defencemen in the NHL today.  We think he may need some time, and his defensive game makes him a bit of a long term project, but one that some NHL team will be happy to take on in the first round.  If he can improve, we see Pouliot’s high end potential as an offensive defenceman who  who would be similar to Brian Campbell of the Florida Panthers.

… and thats the Last Word.