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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Month: April 2012

Hartnell Down!

Posted on by Grant Alexander

For those that don’t know what James Duthie was sheepishly “rapping” during the second intermission of the Pens/Flyers game on Sunday, or what the announcers are referring to every time Scott Hartnell lands on the seat of his pants, allow me to shed some light.

Love him or hate him, Scotty Hartnell brings charisma to the ice. Whether it’s his reddish-brown flowing locks, his tough gritty play, or his comical sense of humour, he definitely is a player that stands out from the crowd. Or sits down in Scott’s case. He is a likeable guy that gets that type of cult following by fans that love to cheer for the hard-working underdog. Kind of like Tie Domi did in Toronto. Well it was one of those “cult fans” that noticed something peculiar about Scott Hartnell while he’s on the ice. Apparently, he loses his balance a lot. So for fun, that Hartnell fan (Seth Hastings) decided it would be funny to start a site that counts how many times Scott Hartnell falls down. Well just like Hartnell’s career this year, the site took off.

http://hartnelldown.com

Scott has always had a good sense of humour, and when he first heard about Hartnell down, not only did he think it was funny, but he wanted to get involved. He proceeded to get a hold of the creator through twitter, and with his help, launched phase 2 of Hartnell Down. For “phase 2” Scott signed off on a website, and clothing line, designed to raise money for his favorite charities in which he donates regularly. His charities mainly involve helping underprivileged kids play hockey, and growing hockey in smaller communities. Here is the link to his website. You can also get there from the above address by simply clicking “enter #hartnelldown”.

http://hartnelldown.com/site

The site has received a lot of publicity since it’s creation this year, but has really caught fire lately with all of the buzz surrounding the Flyers and this year’s playoffs. So now is a perfect time to stop by the site, check out the Hartnell Down playoff meter, the campaign to get a Flyer on the cover of NHL 13, purchase some swag for charity (my favorite is the Hart Trick shirt), or just check out news or tweets from Hartsy himself. There is also a rap that was created about Hartnell Down, which I’m sure is now set to go viral. (It is also available on iTunes)

Here at Last Word On Sports, we support Scotty’s cause, and embrace the Hartnell Down phenomenon!

…and that is the last word.

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #18: Matt Finn

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted 35th overall by The Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matt Finn is one of the most improved players in the OHL this season.  This two-way defender with the Guelph Storm has really come into his own this season, and has greatly improved his draft stock.  Finn has become a leader for the Storm and hopes to continue in the tradition of Drew Doughty and Dan Girardi as defencemen developed by the club.  With his great improvement this year, Finn has pushed himself into the conversation with guys like Codi Ceci, Olli Maata, and Slater Koekkoek for the top rated defence prospect in the OHL.

Defense
Born Feb 24 1994 — Toronto, ONT
Height 6.00 — Weight 197 — Shoots L

2010-11 Guelph Storm OHL 60 3 18 21 23 0 5 0 3 3 0
2011-12 Guelph Storm OHL 61 10 38 48 58 -13 6 0 2 2 10

Matt Finn is an incredibly intelligent defenceman in both ends of the ice.  Finn is an effective two way player who makes reads the play effectively and makes very good decisions.  Offensively, Finn understands the proper time to pinch in at the line, and is effective in picking his spots to join the rush.  Defensively Finn reads the play well in both the neutral zone and the defensive end of the ice, effectively shutting many plays down before opponents get the opportunity to set up. He is a quick and agile skater, and uses these skills in all areas of the ice.

In the offensive zone Finn has a good slapshot.  At the Skills Competition prior to the CHL Top Prospects game he was clocked at 90.1 MPH.  In game situations, he keeps his shot low and accurate.  He is also able to effectively use his wrist shot.  Finn is able to find holes in the opponents defence and exploit gaps created in the offensive zone.  He is an intelligent Power Play Quarterback using his vision and skills to make great tape to tape passes and to set up teammates with good scoring opportunities.

Finn is an effective defender who is very good positionally.  He angles defenders to the outside and is rarely beaten by a forward off the rush.  He is a good shot blocker, and rarely misses his assignments.  He gets the transition game started with a good first pass, and his mobility with the puck. Finn however does need to put on some more muscle onto his frame so he can better handle bigger forwards at the next level.

If this review sounds glowing, it should.  Finn is a really solid all around player.  So why is he a mid-first rounder and not a top-10 pick?  While Finn has a number of good skills, he doesn’t have any one true great part of his game that would give him the really high celing of some of the other defenders in this draft.  However we do feel that Finn is a realtively safe pick in this draft.  Finn compares favourably to another former Storm defender.  We feel that his potential is to become a player similar to Dan Girardi of the New York Rangers, perhaps even with a little more offence.

… and thats the Last Word.

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.

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.