“Steroids” have become a catch-all term for a lot of different infractions in professional sports as of late. Whether the term itself is used correctly or incorrectly, there is an overall common theme that it is associated with – athletes giving themselves an unfair advantage over their competitors.
MMA and steroids have been synonymous with one another since near inception of the sport. I look at MMA and I look at other professional sports, and in no other sport have I seen so many of the elite caught using banned substances, from the lowest fighter to the sport’s elite there have been many who have seen their star fall (sometimes before it had a chance to rise): Royce Gracie, Alistair Overeem, Nate Marquardt, Vitor Belfot, Chael Sonnen, the list goes on and on.
The steroid debate in the UFC specifically was re-ignited more recently when UFC 153 headliners, Stephan Bonnar and Dave Herman both tested positive for banned substances. Bonnar tested positive for anabolic steroids, whereas Herman tested positive traces of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) in his urine. In my personal opinion Bonnar was the more detrimental offender in this case, as he actually had the mens rea that he was going to cheat. There have not been any cases to-date where it has been proven that marijuana improves a fighters performance (Herman lost his fight, Nick Diaz who was also recently busted for the same infraction lost his fight as well) – someone just liked to party a little too much!
Why so many of MMA’s elite have fallen? Is it because, MMA fighters use steroids more than other athletes in other professional sports? The answer is an unequivocal: no.
The reason that so many MMA fighters are caught is that, unlike most other professional sports, the UFC (and other professional fight organizations) test their fighter for banned substances both before fights and after their fight. The testing rigour that professional fighters are put through is above beyond what most other athletes face. It’s one of the reasons that I can respect professional fighters and the talent and endurance that they have relative to other sports.
Since the fall-out of the steroids controversy in baseball, most specifically related to Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, many fans of sport have had a hard time believing that any record that is being set today is based on true athletic ability. Is it fair to compare what Barry Bonds did versus Hank Aaron? In MMA we have a true control cell in which to a compare fighter of yore versus those of today. Because of the sports relative infancy a lot of more modern approaches to screening for banned substances have been in place a lot longer. Many of the fighters in the early day of MMA/UFC were caught for using banned substances (e.g. Josh Barnnett, Tim Sylvia, Kimo Leopoldo), in line with those of today.
What are the implications of consistent banned substance testing across MMA’s history? We know that those fighters today who are truly great, are so because of their physical talent, and not necessarily because they are using substances that were in place in years past. I look at Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Jon Jones and I can tell that these fighters have a level of talent that just didn’t exist years ago. They are such dominant fighters, not because they are enhancing their physical performance, but because they look for different and innovative ways of beating their opponents. Each of the aforementioned fighters is unique in the manner in which the fight – there is a certain bravado that they have that others don’t.
Some might argue, that today’s fighters are just better at hiding their infraction, and everyone is using (a la Lance Armstrong). I am sure there are some who slip through the cracks, but I think those are few and far between than one might think.
Other professional sports could take an example from the UFC. I am not saying that every baseball player should be tested before every game – but, monthly testing isn’t necessarily something that could be completely out of the question. Until other sports organizations start to take a page out of the UFC’s, with more regular testing, we will have to continue to wonder if those we are watching are truly spectacularly talented examples of men or just another Lance Armstrong.
Sunday night’s game features two teams, one undefeated, one overrated. The 7-0 Atlanta Falcons are at home in the dome facing off against Tony Romo and the 3-4 Dallas Cowboys. For a team that is undefeated, Atlanta has many doubters; rarely are they mentioned with the league’s elite teams. If there was going to be a place to prove the doubters wrong, it would be on prime-time television, in front of a massive audience, against “America’s team”. Fun fact: Cowboys have faced three teams that have been at least 7-0 in the last 21 years, and the Cowboys are 3-0 in those games.
Dallas Offense
Led by Tony Romo, who leads the league in interceptions with thirteen, the Cowboys’ offense never seems to be at full power. One week they are unstoppable, and the next week they resemble an elementary school flag football team. Injuries have certainly halted their progress, due to the fact that DeMarco Murray has already been deemed out and Dez Bryant has been playing with a hip injury. Murray’s backup, Felix Jones, has never lived up to his hype; whenever he has the chance to succeed, something always impedes his way. Last week, this offense was inches away from a victory, but Dez couldn’t keep his fingertips off of the white line in the end zone. After an ending like that, Dallas better come ready to play Sunday night.
Dallas Defense
Key offseason addition in cornerback Brandon Carr has allowed the Cowboy D to only allow an average of 187.7 passing yards per game. If they want a chance to win this one, their defense has to play to their potential. Matt Ryan has made a case for himself to be this year’s MVP and the Dallas D are going to have to do everything they can to stop him. An unfortunate injury has caused their starting LB, Sean Lee, to miss the rest of the year with a toe injury. Can the rest of their defense stick together and play hard to stop Atlanta’s superb passing game?
Atlanta Offense
To this offense, 7-0 means nothing; they could finish 16-0 for all they care. All this offense wants is a shot at the big prize, the Super Bowl. After last year’s disappointment in the playoffs when Atlanta’s only points come off of a safety, they have stepped it up this year with the eighth best passing offense in the league. Three of Atlanta’s pass-catchers rank in the top 30 in receiving yards and they will have to continue that pace to overcome the Dallas D. Roddy White and Julio Jones might be the best 1-2 punch at Wide Receiver in the NFL, and Tony Gonzalez is an all-time great at Tight End. Can Matt Ryan continue his all-pro season, or will Dallas be too much to handle?
Atlanta Defense
Thirteenth worst in yards allowed but seventh best in points allowed, the defense bends but it does not break. A good offseason acquisition of Asante Samuel has allowed the defense to move forward from a Brent Grimes injury at the beginning of the year without stumbling to the depths of despair. If Asante and his 46 career interceptions can cause Tony Romo to falter more than he already has, Atlanta should be well on their way to winning this game. But if not, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin may be too much for this secondary to handle. Only time will tell.
Prediction: Although Atlanta is undefeated, numbers never lie, and as such I believe Rob Ryan will contain Matt Ryan’s passing game and cause Atlanta to lose at home. Dallas just does not lose to teams who are undefeated late in season. I give the edge to the Cowboys, 27-21.
Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects“. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of my them here.
With the CHL seasons now well over a month old, I thought now would be a good time to look at the potential lineups for the World Junior Championships. On Wednesday I started with Team Canada and yesterday moved on to Team USA.
Today I look at the Rest of Pool B, which includes Russia, Slovakia, and Germany. Now I’m not going to be able to do an entire lineup the way I did with Canada and the United States, as unfortunately, my viewings of European Junior Leagues is not near as extensive as my viewings of the CHL, USHL, and NCAA. As a result, instead, I’m going to focus on a few players to watch today.
Based on the latest in the NHL lockout, I am going to assume that the NHL and NHLPA will not resolve their issues and that premium talent will be available. I’m also going to assume that AHL clubs who have some of these junior-aged players will release them for the tournament.
So lets get started.
Germany: Germany is back in the top division of the World Junior Championships, but have unfortunately found themselves in the tougher of the two pools with Canada, USA, and Russia all having Gold Medal hopes. Expect to see the Germans fighting in the relegation round of the tournament as its unlikely they can knock off the top dogs this year. However they will be hoping to stay in the top division for 2014.
credit: imago.de cc
Tobias Rieder, Centre/Left Wing: Rieder will clearly be Germany’s biggest threat in this tournament and should lead the team in all areas. He plays for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, and had 42 goals and 85 points for the team last season. This year Rieder is back on the Kitchener top line and has 15 points in 15 games. The Edmonton Oilers draftee, Rieder is offensively talented with a very good wrist shot and release, along with an excellent one-timer. He also has good vision and can be a playmaker even from the wing. He’s also a good defensive player who backchecks hard, plays on the Rangers PK, and is pretty good at faceoffs when ht gets the chance. The knock on Rieder is that he’s undersized at 5’10”. It will be interesting to see how he performs in this tournament but keep in mind most teams will check him closely and he has very little in terms of support on the German club.
Slovakia: Much like Germany, Slovakia is not likely to advance to the medal round in this group as they just can’t challenge the group’s big 3. Expect to see the Slovakian squad also playing to avoid relegation as the tournament moves on.
Marek Tvrdon, Left Wing: The Vancouver Giants Left Wing and Detroit Red Wings draftee will be expected to lead the offence for Team Slovakia. He is a power winger who plays a tough and gritty game. A natural goal scorer Tvrdon can take the puck to the net and bury his chances in tight or can score with his hard, heavy wrist shot, and quick release. His work in the corners digging out pucks and wining board battles keeps plays alive and gives him an added dimension as a setup man. He had 31 goals and 74 points in 60 games for the Giants last year and has 10 points in his first 10 games this season.
Martin Gernat, Defence: The Edmoton Oil Kings defenceman, and Edmonton Oilers draftee has not yet played a game this season as he injured his shoulder in training camp. Initial word when he got hurt was that he would be back in October, then there was word he would be back in November. Now, this week we are hearing his recovery may even head into the New Year. This has put his participation in the tournament in doubt. Slovakia are desperately hoping that he can return in time for the tournament though, as his puck-moving skills, and offensive ability from the blue line just cannot be replaced.
Russia: Hosts of the tournament, the Russians will be bringing a strong team. Last year they were silver medalists, losing 1-0 to Sweden on an Overtime goal by Mika Zibanejad. Two years ago, they pulled a shocking 3rd period comeback to defeat Team Canada in the Gold Medal game. This year they will be looking to reach their third straight final, and to take the gold again. They certainly should have a powerful team.
credit: Resolute, commons.wikimedia.org
Nail Yakupov, Right Wing: The first overall pick from this past June’s NHL Entry Draft, Yakupov would surely be playing for the Edmonton Oilers and unavailable for the tournament if not for the NHL lockout. Instead, he is playing in the KHL where the sniper has 8 goals and 10 points in 11 games so far, extremely impressive numbers. He’s an incredible skater with great hands, and a great shot and is not afraid to get his nose dirty to score goals. Yakupov could be the most dangerous player in the tournament and will certainly get a ton of attention in the opposition’s game plans. If Russia is to realize their goal of winning gold on home ice than Yakupov will need to play to his potential and be one of the best forwards in the tournament. He’s certainly capable of doing so and being the ultimate gamechanger/game breaker for the squad.
Mikhail Grigorenko, Centre: The Quebec Remparts centre and Buffalo Sabres draftee will be Yakupov’s partner in what should be a dynamic duo for the Russian Squad. The two should mesh well as Grigorenko is a talented playmaker, and of course, Yakupov is the sniper. Grigorenko comes into the tournament with a major chip on his shoulder after falling from a potential top 2 drafts pick all the way down to 12th overall and having his heart and desire questioned. A major tournament like this could be the coming-out party for Grigorenko to show that it was the combination of an injured ankle and bout mononucleosis that was bothering him down the stretch and into the playoffs last year in the QMJHL, and that the Buffalo Sabres got a major steal on draft day. He’s playing well right now with 30 points in his first 15 games for the Remparts.
Alexander Khokhlachev, Centre/Left Wing: Everyone is talking about the big duo on this squad, and rightly so, but with players like Khokhlachev the Russians will be nan offensive powerhouse and have strong secondary scoring as well. He’s a fast skater with good acceleration and top-end speed which makes him extremely dangerous off the rush. He’s also a good stick-handler and has an excellent shot and release making him a dangerous sniper whether he plays in the middle or off the wing. If there is a weakness here though, its his defensive game, and other squads may be able to take advantage of him in his own end, as his positioning is not good, and he just doesn’t seem to give the same effort along the boards in his end of the rink as he does in the offensive end.
Anton Slepyshev, Left Wing/Right Wing: I was absolutely shocked that Slepyshev was not drafted in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. This is a kid who has the talent to be a late first-round pick, but fell due to the KHL factor. The only possible explanation is that NHL teams do not believe he will come over to North America, however, this doesn’t change the fact that he’s talented and will be a huge secondary scoring threat for the Russians. He’s a good skater, despite a very choppy technique, as he has good top-end speed and acceleration. Slepyshev loves to shoot and his wrist shot and snap shot both are hard, accurate, and feature a quick release. Slepyshev has very good hands and is able to dangle around defencemen. He’s not afraid to drive the net and generated chances in close with his quick hands. He is a hard worker engaging in and winning numerous puck battles along the boards and is willing to take abuse in front of the net. He is also strong defensively and could see time on the Russian penalty kill unit. After a string of impressive international performances, one more could get Slepyshev drafted with a later pick in 2013.
Andrei Pedan, Defence: The New York Islanders draftee has had an extremely good start to the season with 13 points in 15 games for the Guelph Storm. Obviously he is a talented offensive player who has good poise with the puck, strong passing skills, and a good, hard point shot. However, let’s not fall into the trap of thinking Pedan is a one-trick pony either. He’s a talented defensive player as well, playing a strong positional game, and showing grit and physicality at the back end. He’ll be the key component on the Russian defence playing huge minutes, and is used in all situations.
Nikita Zadorov, Defence: The big defenseman has been impressive early in the season for the London Knights. He’s big and mobile and just loves to hit. He’s extremely good defensively especially for a 17-year-old 2013 draft-eligible prospect. It will be interesting to see how many minutes he gets though, as his inexperience may work against him in what is traditionally a tournament dominated by 19-year-olds. Given that he can’t really hurt his draft stock if he has a bad tourney, but a good tourney could really boost him up, draft boards.
credit: Anton Yarmolenkov article.wn.com, CC
Andrei Vasilevski/Andrei Makarov Goaltenders: The Russians return the goaltending tandem that led the squad to the silver medal at last year’s tournament. Vasilvevski was incredible for them (a 953 SV% in the tourney) for all but about 20 minutes last year, nearly having a third-period collapse in the semi-final against Canada, and turning a 6-1 lead into a narrow 6-5 victory. Makarov had to come in and shut the door on Canada’s comeback attempt, and ended up playing a great game in the gold medal match, only giving up the one goal in overtime. I expect that with another year of experience Vasilevski will take the job and run with it this year. He may be the younger of the two goalies, but he’s also more talented, at least from my perspective. He’s got great size and his good technique and quick legs take away the bottom of the net extremely well. He’s a tremendous athlete with good lateral movement and a great glove hand. The goaltending battle will be intriguing to watch, in this group and in this tournament as Canada has Malcolm Subban and the United States has Jon Gibson meaning that all three clubs should have stellar netminding. The big difference here though is the presence of Makarov, as the Russians have the best backup of the bunch if any of the starters falter.
We’ll move on to Pool A, featuring the Swedes, Finns, and Czechs shortly, but for now, feel free to leave comments below and follow me on Twitter @lastwordBKerr.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to join Max Vasilyev and me on Wednesday Nights at 10:00pm when we host the hockey radio show, “Puckheads”, on the Last Word Radio Network. You can listen in live or to our past podcasts by clicking here, or by searching for us on iTunes.
Welcome to another week of The Sports Savant NFL Picks, Week 9 Edition!
Last week presented itself to be quite a challenge as I was humbled coming off of a nearly perfect 12-1 Week 7 only to follow-up with a very average 8-6 on my Week 8 picks. The silver lining was the continuation of my streak of having never picked below .500 on any week of picks since I started publishing every game pick of every week in 2011. The other good news was that I at least salvaged a .500 record against the spread, which is far more difficult to get right. It wasn’t a winning week, but at least it was a break even week. I can’t say the same for the over/under as I came up a game shy of .500 but I am still hot handed on the over/under picks on the year maintaining 55.6% accuracy. With my 77-41 record in picks to win in 2012, I still stand in 3rd place amongst ESPN’s twelve man expert panel, with Chris Mortenson and Chris Wickersham still leading the charge at 82-36 and 83-35, respectively.
My week wrapped up with three trifectas and four strikeouts keeping my trifecta to strikeout ratio around 3 to 2 at 30-21. The goal is to have a 2 to 1 ratio for the year so I have work to do there. My seven trifecta week in Week 7 really helped the cause. I need another week like that one to get myself back near the goal, but the more likely solution will be to keep chipping away with a great second half of the season.
As challenging as last week was, this week may prove to be as challenging or more. As usual there was a lot of chalk in my picks, but I dared to take FOUR road underdogs this week(Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Philadelphia) and a home dog(Cleveland). These games will be the biggest difference in a big week of picks or hovering around .500. I’ve got a good feeling about this week.
Before we look at my picks for Week 9, let’s take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season…
*WEEK 8 RESULTS*
Winner: 8-6
Winner w/ Spread: 7-7
Over/Under: 6-7-1
———————————————
Trifecta: 3
Strikeouts: 4
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 0
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 0
___________
*2012 Overall Record*
Winner: 77-41 (.652)
Winner w/ Spread: 56-59-3 (.487)
Over/Under: 64-50-3 (.556)
——————————————– Trifecta: 30
Strikeouts:21
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 13 [Week 1]:New England [Week 2]: Indianapolis, San Francisco [Week 3]: Chicago, Washington, New York(A) [Week 4]:Cleveland, Philadelphia [Week 5]: Green Bay, Seattle, San Diego [Week 5]: St. Louis, Tampa Bay
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 0
NOTE: The team with a negative number in parenthesis “(-3)” next to their name is the favorite to win the matchup and the number represents how many points the favorite has to score more than the underdog to count as a winning bet. The over/under for the game is represented by a number in parenthesis with the letters o and u “(o/u 46)”. The number represents the amount of points you are wagering whether or not the two team’s combined score will be in excess of or short of. Official betting lines courtesy of www.footballlocks.comLOCKS: Games that have a “*LOCK*” logo next to the score are my spread lock picks of the week. I choose four games each week that I feel will be a lock to win the spread bet. If I have an underdog winning against a favorite and it is a *LOCK* pick, it means it is a lock that the favorite will not cover the spread, not a lock that the underdog wins the game.
Don’t forget to visit therealsportssavant.blogspot.com to check my game picks or right here on lastwordonsports.com at The Sports Savant channel. And now for my Week 9, NFL picks…
Kansas City @ San Diego(-7.5) (o/u 41.5) Savant Spread Pick: Kansas City with the points; San Diego to win ~ 23-16 Over/Under Pick: Under
Cincinnati v. Denver(-3.5) (o/u 47.5) Savant Spread Pick: Denver and the points to win ~ 24-20 *LOCK* Over/Under Pick: Under
Arizona @ Green Bay(-10.5) (o/u 43.5) Savant Spread Pick: Green Bay and the points to win ~ 31-17 Over/Under Pick: Over
Indianapolis v. Miami(-2) (o/u 43) Savant Spread Pick: Miami and the points to win ~ 20-17 Over/Under Pick: Under
Cleveland v. Baltimore(-3.5) (o/u 42.5) Savant Spread Pick: Cleveland to win ~ 20-17 Over/Under Pick: Under
Buffalo @ Houston(-10) (o/u 47.5) Savant Spread Pick: Houston and the points to win ~ 37-21 *LOCK* Over/Under Pick: Over
Carolina @ Washington(-3) (o/u 46.5) Savant Spread Pick: Washington and the points to win ~ 27-21 Over/Under Pick: Over
Jacksonville v. Detroit(-4) (o/u 44) Savant Spread Pick: Detroit and the points to win ~ 28-17 Over/Under Pick: Under
Tennessee v. Chicago(-3.5) (o/u 43.5) Savant Spread Pick: Chicago and the points to win ~ 24-20 Over/Under Pick: Over
Minnesota @ Seattle(-4.5) (o/u 38.5) Savant Spread Pick: Seattle and the points to win ~ 23-16 *LOCK* Over/Under Pick: Over
Tampa Bay @ Oakland(-1.5) (o/u 46.5) Savant Spread Pick: Tampa Bay to win ~ 26-21 Over/Under Pick: Over
Pittsburgh @ New York(N)(-3) (o/u 47.5) Savant Spread Pick: Pittsburgh to win ~ 27-24 *LOCK* Over/Under Pick: Over
Dallas @ Atlanta(-4) (o/u 47.5) Savant Spread Pick: Dallas to win ~ 28-27 Over/Under Pick: Over
Philadelphia @ New Orleans(-3) (o/u 51.5) Savant Spread Pick: Philadelphia to win ~ 29-23 Over/Under Pick: Over
This week in college is just too big, so we bring you a second Game of the Week. This may not be the marquee matchup many expected, since USC is 6-2 rather than 8-0, but it should still be an entertaining game between two very talented teams.
The USC Offense: Oregon becomes the latest team to try to stop WR tandem Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. Even in last week’s loss to Arizona, Lee had 345 receiving yards and 2 TDs, a conference single-game record. QB Matt Barkley’s Heisman chances may have diminished over the course of a season in which USC has lost twice, but make no mistake, he’s still a dangerous player. On the ground, Penn State transfer Silas Redd has emerged as the top threat with 640 rushing yards and 7 TDs on the season. One thing USC needs to focus on is discipline- they’re the most penalized team in the country.
The USC Defense: USC fans better hope their team’s conditioning is well above par or they’re going to have trouble keeping up with Oregon’s fast-paced, no-huddle offense. Keeping up with Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas is a feat in and of itself, and it’s one that no team has accomplished yet this season. Marcus Mariota is a true dual-threat quarterback, and USC hasn’t always been successful containing those types. The Trojans will need to come out of the gate ready to play- Oregon is outscoring opponents by a ridiculous margin in the first half, and if they get an early lead, things could quickly get out of hand.
credit: Daniel Hartwig
The Oregon Offense: QB Marcus Mariota has a number of weapons at his disposal, including RB Kenjon Barner, RB/WR De’Anthony Thomas, WR Josh Huff, and TE Colt Lyerla. Their quick, no-huddle offense means that even if defenses are able to stop them initially which they usually aren’t- things will open up eventually as opponents start to tire. The Ducks are averaging just over 53 points per game, best in the nation, with an average of 540 yards of offense, 330.6 of them on the ground.
The Oregon Defense: The Ducks have 15 INTs on the year, from 10 different players. They’ve allowed just 11 TDs from inside the red zone, and are allowing 3rd-down conversions less than 1/3 of the time. Tight coverage on USC WR Marqise Lee is going to be a must; he had 187 yards against Oregon last year. 3rd-and-long situations aren’t a big problem for the Trojans the way they are for some teams. Forcing a couple of turnovers, especially in situations where the USC defense hasn’t been off the field very long, could be key.
Prediction: This will be a fairly high-scoring affair, as are most games involving Oregon. These are two good defenses, and two better offenses. Oregon 38, USC 25
October is over and as always it ends with bangers and mash full of craziness from our Red Devils! We went 4w 0d 1L in all competitions this time ’round, which I would say was a much more satisfying month then the past two. Let’s review!
To remind you, I ended last month’s round-up with the October 2nd Champions League match in Romania.
October 7 @ Newcastle: Always tough to enter the gates of St. James’ Park, but not this time! United dominated the match 3-0 and Sir Alex planned accordingly. Ferguson said he felt like United needed goals to win this one and started a very offensive line-up including Rooney, Van Persie, Kagawa and Welbeck… Goals came, but in a strange fashion, as it was United’s defense that did the scoring. Evans and Evra struck first and second before Cleverly notched his first premier goal in the 71st. Shocking to see the Devils defense rise to the occasion.
October 20 vs Stoke City – This was Wayne Rooney’s night. Criticism was in the air as our famous furious goal scorer, Rooney, had still not scored a goal yet this season. That ended early as he found the net 11 minutes in…. unfortunately it was the wrong net, as Rooney produced an own goal. David De Gea had an astonished look on his face, staring down #10 as if he wanted to say something. Smartly he decided to hold his tongue – the last thing we need is for our striker to beat our keeper senseless…that’s not good for anyone… Luckily the frustrated Rooney equalized next and eventually scored a second to seal the 4-2 victory. At the same time he picked up his 200th goal in a Manchester United shirt, for which only five others in history can say the same. (Bobby Carlton having the most, 249).
October 23 vs Braga – And to match three of the Champions League group stage we go. United were set to face their toughest competition in the group in a young but talented Portuguese side that would relish a result at Old Trafford. Well, it was Braga that drew first and second blood in just 20 minutes before Javier Hernandez in a rare start netted twice in the match and eventually helped United complete the comeback to a thrilling 3-2 victory. As a Devils fan, I wasn’t impressed at all as once again it took another come-from-behind victory against a lesser squad outside of England.
October 28 @ Chelsea – In one of the more controversial matches I have seen in a long time, Chelsea were given two red cards, and United’s 3-2 winner came on an offside Hernandez goal. I like the way United played and i think they showed strong. All the cards and the offside goal were part of the game, but I can honestly say I feel United got the three points they deserved. You would have had to watch the entire match if you want to comment, but that could open up a long discussion!
October 31 @ Chelsea – This time it was the Capital One Cup, which has no comparison as far as importance to the EPL match played just four days prior. Although Chelsea showed they wanted to win badly by playing many first team players, they were rewarded with the result they wanted (but at what cost?). The Blues were given two penalties including one in the 94th that came on a last-ditch effort to tie, which they made good on. Both penalties were fairly called. Either way United won the one that counted most and had another exciting return match with their reserves.
My thoughts: A much better month for Manchester United, I think they stepped it up a gear and the match at Old Trafford on Saturday is extremely important to prove they have finally found their form!
Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of my them here.
With the CHL seasons now well over a month old, I thought now would be a good time to look at the potential lineups for the World Junior Championships. On Wednesday I started with Team Canada and today I move on to Team USA.
(I apologize to the European fans as I don’t see enough of your Junior Leagues to do a full team, but I have enough to give you the main players to watch for on each big club and I’ll be doing that by pool next week)
Based on the latest in the NHL lockout, I am going to assume that the NHL and NHLPA will not resolve their issues and that premium talent will be available. I’m also going to assume that AHL clubs who have some of these junior aged players will release them for the tournament.
So lets get started.
Forwards
Johnathan Gaudreau – Alex Galchenyuk – J.T. Miller (A)
credit: Lou; Photopin CC
My first line is a line that played together for Team USA in their summer camp, and exhibition series with Finland and Sweden. They showed good chemistry then, and so I keep them together for this tourney. Gaudreau is a pint sized winger who has been absolutely electric for Boston College and was a key component in helping them to win the NCAA National Championship last year. Miller is a solid two way forward, who will be important to do the grunt work in the corners and in front of the net. He does have the skill to finish chances should he get them as well. A mature returnee, Miller is an alternate captain on the squad. Galchenyuk should be among the most dynamic players in this tournament. The Habs draft pick can do it all, whether it setting up plays or scoring goals, creating skilled offensive plays, working along the boards and the front of the net, or even playing defence. The World Juniors could be a coming out party for the Habs prospect.
Mario Lucia – Sean Kuraly – Stefan Noesen
Noesen is a dynamic physical player with a non-stop motor. He works his tail off in all areas of the ice and drives other teams mad with his ability to be a grinder in the corners and in front of the net. He also has skill to go along with that work ethic and we see this in the points he scores in the OHL (82 in 63 games last season). Mario Lucia is a talented freshman at the University of Notre Dame, who unfortunately hurt himself this summer. He’s expected back from his broken leg in November and should be ready to go for the tournament. He’s a pure goal scorer with a great shot, and quick skating who starred at the World Junior A Challenge last season. In the middle we have Sharks prospect Sean Kuraly who was the best player at the USA Summer Evaluation Camp, and will use his speed and size to mesh in the middle of the two talented wingers
Rocco Grimaldi – Vincent Trocheck – Tyler Biggs
Grimaldi is another pint sized scorer blessed with a ton of speed. He is just getting back into game action after missing all of last season with a leg injury, but he is too gifted a player to skip over on this team, by the time December rolls around it should be full steam ahead for the North Dakota Centre/Winger. Biggs is an intimidating physical presence who has had a good start to his junior career in Oshawa, and has shown the ability to throw big hits and score big goals. They are joined by Florida Prospect Vincent Trocheck who is on fire to start the OHL season with 20 points in 15 games. A gifted playmaker, Trocheck will be providing the passes to his goal scoring wingers
Nicolas Kerdiles (A) – Brady Vail – Blake Pietila
Going into the season Pietila and Vail were known more for their defensive prowess than offensive exploits. The two talented checkers will lead Team USA’s shut down line at this tournament, but both have shown surprising offence this season. Nicolas Kerdiles is a bubble player as it is unclear how fast he will get up to speed after serving his suspension from the NCAA for a minor rules violation surrounding his junior eligibility. He was one of the US National Team Development Program’s best forwards last season though, and this should earn him at least a spot on this roster. His two way game fits this line as well and his leadership earns him a role as Alternate Captain.
Extra: J.T. Compher
Team USA loves to bring at least one draft eligible forward to events like these and Compher could get the nod as the 13th guy. He is an agitator who can play all three forward positions, and has a versatile game that can fill in on any line. He has the skills to back up his agitating style as he has the speed, vision, passing ability, and shot to be an effective scorer as seen when he lead the US NTDP Under 17 team in scoring.
Honourable Mentions: Henrik Samuelsson, Jimmy Vesey, Logan Nelson, Stefan Matteau
These are the guys who will battle for spots if Lucia, Grimaldi, or Kerdiles are not at 100% come the evaluation camp. They could also push others on the roster for spots, but at this point I see them as cuts.
Defense
Brady Skjei – Jacob Trouba (C)
I’ve got two members of last years US NTDP re-uniting to form the top pairing for team USA at the World Juniors. This pairing is an extremely mobile unit which will help on the big ice surface in UFA. They are solid defenders who will match up against the world’s best in UFA. Skjei (pronounced Shea) will be the puckmover and the playmaker of the pairing while Trouba will be the hitter and heavy shot. Expect to see them on the powerplay and penalty kill as well. As a returnee who played very well last year on a disappointing team, Trouba gets the role of Captain here.
Patrick Sieloff – Seth Jones
credit: Rick Stephens, allhabs.net
Jones is the highly hyped 2013 draft eligible D, and the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones. He’s a monster at 6’4″ at just 17 years old, but plays a much different game than you’d expect. He’s an extremely smooth skater, and a great puck mover from the backend. He also has an excellent shot. Defensively he is more likely to use his skating, positioning and strong fundamentals to stop the rush, then he is to intimidate with a big hit. Sieloff on the other hand just loves to hit, and opposing forwards should beware of coming down his side of the ice with their head down. He’s a stay at home defenseman who will allow Jones to roam and create out there.
Jake McCabe(A)– Connor Murphy
A US NTDP veteran, and a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, McCabe has the maturity to take a leadership role with this team and is thus the last alternate captain. He is an excellent skater, and very good defender who should excel on the bigger ice surface. He’ll be an important part of the Penalty Kill and his heavy slap shot could see him also get some second unit Powerplay time depending on how they line things up. Murphy’s great skating and offensive upside get him on the roster. Expect him to play a mainly offensive role for the team, and to be an important puck mover and power play contributor.
Extra: Dylan Blujus
The Juicer from the Brampton Battalion is big and mobile and can bring offense to the club. Has a good breakout pass, and good vision and playmaking skills in the offensive zone. Also has a nice, hard and low point shot. Blujus has shown a better defensive game early in the year, including the ability to be more physical. He wasn’t part of the summer camp, but I think a strong start could get him noticed.
Honourable Mentions: Garrett Haar, Mike Reilly, Andy Welinski, Shayne Gostisbehere,
Truth be told, I bet USA hockey takes one of these guys and leaves Blujus at home as they are normally loyal to kids who grew up in the US NTDP, or playing USHL/NCAA hockey. They aren’t bad picks at all, and its a very tight race for the final 2/3 spots on D, so a good start to the season would really help these kids.
Goaltending:
Jon Gibson Garrett Sparks
credit: Billy photopin CC
Gibson has international experience as a two year starter for the US NTDP and has a World U18 Gold Medal to his name. He’s among the top goalies in the OHL and has backstopped the Kitchener Rangers to a decent start this season, despite the fact that the team just isn’t scoring enough goals in front of him. He has excellent technique and very good rebound control. One of the top goalie prospects in the world, Gibson could steal games for the US squad, and has an opportunity to be the best goalie in the tournament if he gets hot.
Garrett Sparks has had a strong start for the Guelph Storm and he’ll look to continue that through the next couple of months to the World Juniors. He has good size and technique and is the ideal backup for Gibson. Really though, this tournament is Gibson’s time to shine.
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Stolarz, John Gillies
Gillies may push Sparks especially since he is familiar to USA Hockey as a USNTD graduate.
How would you change the roster? Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to join Max Vasilyev and I on Wednesday Nights at 10:00pm when we host the hockey radio show, “Puckheads”, on the Last Word Radio Network. You can listen in live or to our past podcasts by clicking here, or by searching for us on iTunes.
It seems like old news now, but yes the San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers in a sweep to win the 2012 World Series. What will people remember most about this series? Was it the poor performance of the heavily favoured Detroit squad? Or was it the fine pitching performance of the San Francisco rotation? Truth be told, the most poignant moment of the entire series that will probably define it for years to come happened off the field.
Interestingly enough, this series came out as the lowest rated World Series since the Phillies took the Rays to school in five games. As noted by AdAge, an average of only 12.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the series, again falling significantly shorter of the previous record which had an average viewership of 13.6 million viewers in 2008.
I guess the question now remains – why did people not bother tuning in to watch the baseball season’s climax?
There are a lot of theories that abound. I have heard from numerous sources that Hurricane Sandy may have played a role, as people were too pre-occupied with impending doom to watch the series. I really find this theory incredibly hard to believe – I don’t think people would simply stop everything they’re doing while at home to focus on a hurricane that may be coming their way. In fact, wouldn’t it keep more people at home looking for something to do? No doubt there was a lot of general concern about Sandy – but, in times of worry such as this people tend to turn to recreation to get their minds off things (i.e. sports, baseball, the World Series).
It has also been suggested that there were other media factors within the current environment potentially detracting from people’s attention, but I question, is the current media environment really that different this year from where it was in 2011? (The answer is: no).
My honest opinion as to why this World Series didn’t gain the same attention as previous years was just because it was kind of boring. Ultimately, the crux of this series was based on fine pitching performances. Outside of the home run clinic put on by Pablo Sandoval in Game 1, there really wasn’t a lot of action at the plate. Giants pitchers, Barry Zito, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Sergio Garcia kept the Tigers at bay throughout most of the series and limited run production. Not only that, but the Tigers pitching also kept the Giants offense in check generally as well; Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez put up admirable efforts from the mound.
As in any sport, North Americans want to see scoring – they want to see a high scoring back-and-forth battle. This World Series didn’t produce that. I believe this is part of the reason soccer just won’t take hold amongst North Americans: it just doesn’t have those action packed and exciting high scoring battles that we all love. It’s interesting to note that the highest rated game of this World Series was Game 4 when 15.5 million people tuned into the extra innings showdown (AdAge), when the Tigers were on the brink of coming back because no one knew what to expect. News spread across social media like wildfire. Unfortunately their balloons were quickly deflated yet again. Hopefully, this isn’t a recurring trend and next year an intriguing matchup will again have the whole world watching.
Ever wonder why the World Series has “World” in the title yet is only comprised of two countries? If so, click here.
The rematch of last year’s BCS Title Game is upon us! Here’s how I see it breaking down:
credit: Matthew Tosh, commons.wikimedia.org
The Alabama Offense: Both of these teams feature tough, solid offensive lines (Barrett Jones and Chance Warmack are arguably two of the best offensive linemen in the country) and a dominant running game. Unlike LSU, the Tide also have a dramatically improved quarterback in A.J. McCarron, who’s thrown for 18 touchdowns with no interceptions and is completing nearly 70% of his passes. This isn’t a team that’s likely to focus solely on the passing game though, and with running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon, they really don’t need to- but they can certainly throw the ball. The offence is well balanced and is probably more explosive than last season, even without Trent Richardson. However, this will be the biggest test McCarron has faced all year with regards to his accuracy, as LSU’s defense gobbles up turnovers like mini Snickers on Halloween.
Credit: Atliad commons.wikimedia.org
The Alabama Defense: I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Nick Saban has focused his practices and gameplan this week on stopping the run. That’s not an easy thing to do against the Tigers, who have a stable of four talented backs, all with different strengths and weaknesses, as well as a fullback who’s roughly the size of a Ford Explorer. But stopping the run and forcing Zach Mettenberger to pass, especially in 3rd-and-long situations, should result in Alabama getting the ball back more often than not. The Alabama defense is one of the best in the country and this will be a stern test for LSU after a couple of good weeks for the Tigers.
The LSU Offense: QB Zach Mettenberger hasn’t been quite the upgrade on last year’s tandem of Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee that many expected. Jefferson may not have been the greatest passer, but he could scramble for yards fairly well. Mettenberger, too, has struggled in the passing game to date, but he doesn’t turn to his feet nearly as well as Jefferson did. Utilizing a short passing game, at least enough to get Mettenberger in some kind of rythym, might help. At the very least, it would help set up play-action for later. The other problem on LSU’s offense is that injuries have kept the offensive line in flux all season, with multiple starters in and out of the lineup, often being replaced by freshmen. Even so, the line as a whole has performed quite well in the last two games. Fortunately, LSU has a ridiculous number of quality running backs in Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Kenny Hilliard, and freshman Jeremy Hill. In short-yardage situations, watch for FB J.C. Copeland, a 6’1″, 280-lb. bulldozer of a player.
The LSU Defense: By now, everyone knows about the issues that the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu has faced and the fact that last year’s most visible LSU player is no longer a member of the Tigers this season. What a lot of people don’t know is that the LSU defense, including the secondary, has rebounded quite well. The Tigers have 13 INTs through eight games, from nine different players. They’re ranked 9th in the country in points allowed, averaging just 14.6 per game. Up front, pass-rushers Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo are widely considered to be top-10, if not top-5 picks in this spring’s NFL draft. LSU is strong against both the run and the pass, and have talent at every position. Every indication is that this game, much like the two matchups of last year, will be a hard-fought defensive battle. As always, turnovers will be key, and if LSU can force the Tide into a couple of fumbles and/or interceptions it will go a long way in helping the Tigers upset Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide and get some measure of revenge for last year’s BCS Championship loss.
Prediction: I’m fully expecting a defensive slugfest. One thing to watch for- Les Miles hasn’t pulled out a trick play all year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been saving something for this game. Alabama 20, LSU 10
