2012 - Page 38 of 114 - Last Word On Sports

NHL Happy Hour: Chasing Perfection in Hockey Players

Posted on September 12, 2012November 5, 2021 by Maksim Vasilyev

What is the perfect drink? I have consumed alcohol in different forms and in different places for some time now. While I do prefer Vodka as my go-to alcohol I have yet to discover the perfect drink.

Sometimes a person will describe to you that perfect drink they had a few months ago at this awesome place, but when you end up finally ordering it the hype eventually leads to a let-down.

My goal to find the perfect drink is a long one and one can suspect that it might never end. The reason? Well, age is probably my worst enemy when it comes to searching for perfection. Age determines more than just your attitude towards life and your peers. Age changes your work ethic and your needs and wants. The way you smell things and the way you taste things. This is probably the bane of my search. My flavor palate is changing and, unfortunately, so too is my wallet size. I like some drinks and I love others, but what is perfect?

We can draw a parallel between the perfect drink and the perfect hockey player. But while opinions vary and you undoubtedly have formed your own already, let us begin with a definition of what makes something, or in this case someone, perfect.

I guess the first component to consider is talent. We need raw, untarnished, undiluted, and unaltered talent. A good, solid base to be crafted into perfection is essential. Some call it pedigree. Nothing is perfect when it is just born. You need time. Time destroys and it also creates and builds. A two-day homemade vodka is a disaster, while a 30-year-old scotch is ecstasy. So to finally arrive at perfection we obviously need some raw talent, good ingredients, a solid foundation, and a well-built frame. A shot of talent won’t do – we need a bit more than that. Size, after all, matters. Too small and too weak, while too big and too slow are important considerations. We need a perfect specimen here, the Adam before Eve.

What else would define our search for what is perfect?

Attitude and work ethic. These are the qualities that usually define the truly great players from the “just average”. Remember that talent and our raw ingredients are just half the battle. The real perfection is distilled through hard work and countless hours honing the skill. The player’s character must be honest, mature, adaptable, and dedicated. When you hear some scouts talk about players before the draft, you get a sense that raw talent is not the only thing they are looking for – just ask Ben Kerr as he deliberates on dozens of junior hockey players as he determines his final rankings. The adjectives used to describe each player seem to cut right past the raw numbers that they put up during their stay at the minor leagues. There is significant time that needs to be spent on working really hard because the path to becoming truly great is not always that easy and some take short-cuts. When you are talking about perfect – there can’t be any shortcuts.

So while some players rely heavily on their talent to just get by, we have some drinks that tend to rely too much on one or two ingredients as well, with bartenders forgetting to put that care into mixing a perfect drink. The ginger spice can add an extra layer of flavor that sometime can even mask the unpleasant taste of alcohol, yet if one is not careful, ginger can take over and destroy the taste palette. Perfection is the balancing act of extremes, extremes that push and tug each other into different directions creating a controlled storm of pure talent and excellent attitude that give us the perfection that we came to see.

Examples of perfection on the ice? Well there was Mario and Gretzky. While each one had his own identity about his game, no one can argue that these two were as perfect as you get. Gretzky was born at the perfect time and got to play in a league that was offensively friendlier than it is today, and got to put up numbers that we will never see again. Super Mario had incredible skill that was not seen in a player of his size before or since.

Today we have Crosby, Datsyuk, and Malkin as the three players people can argue as the perfect hockey players. Some may argue that Malkin lacks the defensive game and Crosby cries a bit too much, I would have to say that I will not disagree with this. Perfect after all is perfect, so if we have some faults we must call them out. Datsyuk on the other hand seems a bit the opposite from the other two, somehow. He never had the first-pick overall pedigree, nor the hype that comes with it. He did not start to play in NHL when he was 18 years old, nor did he get top minutes in his first year in NHL. He seemed to have had to prove he was worthy and only few saw his perfection to begin with. Even so, it took him many years to get the league-wide recognition that he does truly deserve. But is perfect?

The fact is that perfect is subjective and will always be in the eye of the beholder. You define perfect within your own mind, and your mind is a filter. It filters things you value more than what others may. I tend to think that all three players are perfect at what they do and what they expect of themselves. Datsyuk prides himself in the two-way game and he is the best at this. Crosby and Malkin are offensive juggernauts that can display hockey sense and abilities for which the highlights reels salivate over.

So what is the answer to our question, “Is there such a thing as a perfect player?” Well, it can’t be answered because all three have flaws. What we can all agree on, I hope, is that all three of these players at some point had perfect games, perfect moments, and those are the reasons they are being mentioned. Those games where nothing went wrong and these players just seem to take over, to transcend hockey. They dominated the game and carried their team on their backs. The headlines all read their names and the fans debate, to this day, how each player is the best player in the league. Perfection is a moment that sometimes lasts only a game. These guys give us reasons to watch because at any point in time we may get to see that perfect game and be wowed by it.

But what about a perfect drink?

There will probably never be a perfect drink as much as there will never be a perfect player. This is not a knock on anyone nor anyone’s ability to create a drink. So, why not? Because perfection is not something that you can consume over a long period of time. The delicious ice-cold drink with pineapple and with an umbrella is only perfect on a beach setting and there lies the issue – it lasts until the ice melts. Nothing is perfect forever and it lasts only the few moments that we get to enjoy it. This applies to everything in our life. A perfect drink is nothing but a perfect instance of good ingredients captured by a talented maker, a good place with entertainment, a good state of mind and all of this mixed together performs an extreme balancing act with the result being “perfection”. Such is love, such is food, and such is a perfect hockey player. A star that shines more often than not is as close to perfect as we can get.

At least to me, vodka and Datsyuk are as perfect as you can get.

Feel free to check out my column, “NHL Happy Hour”, and follow me on Twitter – @LastWordOnNHL

"The Ten" Weekly: Rookie Watch

Posted on September 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Editor’s Note: This season, the LWOS Football Department is tracking the progress and success of the league’s 10 up-and-coming signal callers in a regular series called “The Ten Weekly”, which you will be able to find in our column, “3rd String NFL”. This year, columnist Derek Brown will follow five rookies (Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden) and five second-year players (Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert), who have earned starting quarterbacking duties for their respective teams. “Brown” will chronicle their up’s and down’s and examine each player’s impact on their team’s success as well as the impact on fantasy football. We will also rank each player, but give the most weight to how each QB is playing at that particular moment rather than their overall career. For simplicity’s sake, we will break the weekly review into two sections – “Rookie Watch” and “Sophomore Watch”. Both will be published on Tuesdays.

The Rookies

5) Brandon Weeden – 12 for 35 speaks for itself. He competed nearly as many passes to the other team (four) as his own. Philly is never the easiest defense to face because of their attacking style and strong cover corners. But Weeden made poor decisions from the start and made several throws he should have just thrown into the stands. The real problem for the Browns though is that many of Weeden’s worst throws were made when he wasn’t under any pressure at all. Weeden has gone from throwing to nothing but wide open receivers last year at Oklahoma State to playing in the toughest defensive division in the NFL. Weeden will struggle to make the transition – in a big way.

Fantasy Impact – If Weeden continues to be this inconsistent it is tough to imagine any of his receivers becoming a true fantasy threat either. There is no established play maker on Cleveland and that makes Weeden’s job even tougher. The bigger fantasy impact though might be on the ground. Trent Richardson is expected to be a strong fantasy RB this year, but after week one I have my doubts. If Weeden can’t threaten the defense with his arm then they will key on stopping Richardson and the Browns offensive line proved on Sunday they will struggle to open up lanes in these situations. Factor in that Richardson will play four games this season against the Steelers and Ravens, and two road games against the strong Giants and Cowboys defensive lines and you are looking at getting production from Richardson in only a handful of games. See if you can find a taker for Richardson while you still can. Abort! Abort!

4) Ryan Tannehill – Tannehill is in a better situation in Miami than Weeden in Cleveland, however minimally. At least in Miami the Dolphins have the semblance of a run game to help out their rookie QB. The run game helped and Tannehill was less obviously brutal than Weeden was on Sunday but he still looked like a rookie. Particularly on one stretch where he threw three INT’s in only three minutes and essentially played his team out of the game. The receiving situation in Miami is dire so expect Tannehill to continue to struggle early in the season.

Fantasy Impact – The Dolphins are still strong on both lines which will keep them in a lot of games and should allow them to go to the run game to protect their rookie QB. Reggie Bush should have a fine fantasy season but I wouldn’t hold my breath for his back-up, Daniel Thomas. Bush has looked like a true lead back every game he has played in Miami and I don’t see him letting up. In New Orleans the knock on Bush was injuries, but look how other Saints back’s have held-up injury wise in recent years. From the receiver standpoint, Davone Bess has the best chance of breaking out but I wouldn’t expect consistency from anyone.

3) Russell Wilson – I expect Wilson to have a strong season and challenge each of the other rookie QB’s for the title of best rookie QB, but Sunday was a struggle for him. Arizona attacked the pocket constantly against Seattle and their penetration rattled Wilson a little bit. The Seahawks were unable to gain any momentum in the run game to help out their rookie QB either. A familiar problem from the preseason showed up again also. The Seahawks receivers were failing to get any separation on the majority of plays, and if you have read my column “3rd String NFL” in the past, you will know how I feel about the ‘hawks receivers. Credit Wilson for continuing to keep his eyes down field, but he was unable to find his target more often than not.

Fantasy Impact – Arizona, despite their reputation, is a tough place to play and it had a big impact on Seattle on Sunday. Until we see more of the Wilson led Seahawks offense it may be best to avoid starting any Seahawks in road games – including at running back, because the Seahawks got no push against the Cards. Sidney Rice looked like the most dangerous Seahawks receiver and may emerge an Wilson’s #1 target.

2) Andrew Luck – No rookie QB had a tougher match-up than Luck on opening weekend, who had to play on the road against a tough Bears defense. The Colts were unable to put any drives together early in the game and by the time they did it was already over. Luck showed toughness however, and this Colts team will improve all season long.

Fantasy Impact – Expect the Colts to be behind in games quite a bit early in the season so 300 yard games from Luck, like against the Bears, might not be uncommon. Reggie Wayne is still a star player and will be a legitimate #1 fantasy WR this season. Austin Collie will immediately be the #2 receiver when he returns also. Donald Brown ran hard on Sunday and looks like he will be able to hold off Vick Ballard and retain his starting job for the time being.

1) Robert Griffin III – Griffin takes the handoff, he shows a play-action ball fake and the linebackers bite-up as expected. He pulls the ball back in and sprints out of the pocket with amazing speed, and when he turns around he finds a receiver running open down the field and delivers the ball with pinpoint accuracy. Which play was this? Well, nearly every play. Mike Shannhan knows how to pick a QB to run his offense and he has clearly found the perfect fit in Griffin. Of all the rookie QBs, Griffin arrives in the best situation because of his team’s strong defense and the potential of the run game to help him out.

Fantasy Impact – Pierre Garcon is cleary the #1 wideout in Washington and you might already have him on your squad if you listened to our advice this offseason. Beyond Garcon though, I am not sure there are any other impact wide receivers because of the Redskins heavy focus on the run game (44 rushes versus 26 pass attempts). Speaking of the run game, Alfred Morris is worth a pick up if he is on waivers in your league, but don’t get too carried away. No one outside of the Redskins knows if he will even be the starter next week.

Check back next Tuesday morning for more rookie and sophomore analysis in “The Ten Weekly”.

The Current State of Men's Tennis

Posted on September 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Greg Persson

A thrilling match earlier this week concluded the US open and the 2012 Grand Slam season. Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic went the five set distance, tying the record for the longest championship match at the US Open.

Murray took the first set in a 25 minute tiebreak and captured the second set 7-5 after breaking Djokovic three times. Novak stormed back and took the third and fourth sets forcing the final and deciding set. In the fifth set Murray took the momentum back and at the 4 hour and 54 minute mark watched as a Djokovic shot sailed long to give him his first career Grand Slam Singles title.

After losing four grand slam finals, Murray was finally able to get the monkey off his back and silence his critics. Murray’s victory marked the first time a British man has won a singles major since 1936 when Fred Perry captured both Wimbledon and the US Championship. In addition to this, Murray’s victory marked the first time since 2003 that four different men won each of the four grand slam tournaments in the same year. So is this the first sign of the men’s game opening back up as it did in the late 90s and early 2000s?

As Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were winding down their careers, the ATP saw a revolving door of champions very similar to the current state of the women’s game. From 2000 to 2003 there were no repeat major champions in the same year and names like Thomas Johansson, Goran Ivanisevic, Alberto Costa and the charismatic Andy Roddick took this opportunity to grab hold of their one and only major championship. It was an exciting time to see fresh faces posing next to the trophies and for those who root for the underdog, it was a better time. After 2003, however the one-two punch of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal began to take a stranglehold on the game, winning 24 of the next 28 majors from 2004 to 2010. Last year Novak Djokovic proved that his 2008 Australian Open title was not a one and done scenario, winning four of the next five grand slam tournaments and muscling his way into company with Roger and Rafa. Now that Murray has broken through as well, it seems that the next few years will see a changing of the guard and perhaps another influx of new champions.

There are a few factors that, in addition to Murray’s triumph, are pointing towards a new wave. Though Roger Federer did manage to win a Wimbledon title this year, he has been surpassed on the hard court by Murray and Djokovic. The greatest tennis player of all time, in my opinion, may be able to squeeze out one or two more majors and should continue to be a constant presence in the quarter and semi finals but his best tennis is behind him unfortunately. As for Nadal, at 26 he should have many more years ahead of him but his body continues to be an issue. The style of play that he utilizes does not lend itself to a long career and though he will likely own the clay the next couple of years, I believe his body will prevent him from holding his dominant position in the game.

While Murray and Djokovic dominate the hard court, there are other names lurking in the weeds to try to rise to the top. Juan Martin Del Potro has recovered from his devastating injury a couple of years ago and is looking to get his second major. David Ferrer has been very close on numerous occasions and will look to capitalize especially on clay if Rafa falters. Young guns such as Alexandr Dolgopolov, Bernard Tomic and Canada’s ace machine, Milos Raonic are beginning to turn heads and at least one of those three should be able to break through eventually. There are also pesky fighters such as Janko Tipsarevic and Tomas Berdych who seem as if they are on the cusp as well. Of course with Andy Roddick’s retirement, John Isner and Mardy Fish will look to rekindle the American tennis flame.

All in all, 2013 should be a very interesting year as penciling in Federer and Nadal as champions is not as safe a bet as it used to be. It could be the Andy and Novak show or we could see some new blood. I’m expecting that at least one major will not go to the top four, who will win it is a more difficult question. I’ll be cheering for Milos.

The Most Disappointing Events in the History of the UFC

Posted on September 11, 2012November 5, 2021 by Mark Modeski

With the recent cancellation of UFC 151 it got me to thinking about what could be worse than a cancelled event? In my opinion the only thing that could possibly be worse than a cancelled even would be one that was a massive letdown after a huge build-up.

Below is my list of the bottom five events of all time:

5. UFC 149 (Faber v. Barao): This was one of those events that was doomed from the outset. The initial headline match between Faber and Aldo promised to be an exciting match-up, but never came to be when Aldo pulled out with injury; it didn’t end there with Michael Bisping and Big Nog also pulling out with injury. The result was lackluster match after lackluster match; almost every match on the main card went the distance and every fighter seemed tentative at best. In the post-fight press conference Dana White apologized to fans, calling the event: “One of the worst in the history of the UFC”.

4. UFC 112 (Invincible): This was the UFC’s first foray into the Middle East, and as such built up a card that promised to deliver… except it didn’t. A championship bout between Anderson Silva and Damien Maia headlined the card, and to this day stands as one of Silva’s most disappointing fights – as he seemed to play with an outclassed Maia for five rounds. The second title bout, the lightweight match between Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn, also failed to deliver as Penn seemed reluctant to engage the entire fight, while Frankie Edgar danced around the ring. The “love fest” between Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie showcased a lack of killer instinct by two aging fighters who had no place in the ring. Dana White himself, again never afraid to be critical, called the card: “embarrassing”.

3. UFC 119 (CroCop vs. Mir): CroCop came into this fight as a late replacement for an injured Big Nog, and promised a performance reminiscent of the old PRIDE days (“right leg hospital, left leg cemetery”). There were big names on the card to bolster the non-title event: Sherk, Lytle, Serra, Bader, Lil Nog. Again, lots of potential that was never delivered. All of the main card fights rounded out in decisions – and very long and slow decisions at that. There was a glimmer of hope that the main event between Mir and CroCrop would redeem, but all it offered was a snooze-fest; as Mir would finally finish off CroCrop, but it was agonizing watching it unfold.

2. UFC 11 (Proving Ground): This event really highlighted a lot of the flaws evident in the tournament-style event. Watching Mark Coleman win the tournament by default when Scott Ferrozzo had to pull out with an eye injury. It was an extremely disappointing end to the event, after UFC 10 had just delivered such exciting results.

1. UFC 33 (Victory in Vegas): Even Dana White uses this card the textbook example of a horrible event; recalling his statement: “UFC 33 is the only event I remember where every fight sucked”… and there is a fair amount of truth in this statement. Every fight on the card went longer than expected, and were slow-paced at that. The card went so long, that it ran over the pay-per-view slot and a lot of viewers missed the final event between Tito Ortiz and Vladimir Matyushenko.

These are just my personal selections of events that stand out in my memory right now that were truly awful, and that I wanted to turn off. There are many others that are particular stand-outs as well: UFC122, UFC 9, UFC 55 – just to name a few.

The one reality with MMA, and sports in general, is that sometimes there are going to be great events – and other times there are not. Sports are unpredictable, but that’s part of what makes it so great to watch!

… and that is the last word.

Find me on Twitter – @LastWordMark, and click here for easy access to LWOS’s MMA section.

MLB 2012 Playoff Bracket Predictions

Posted on September 10, 2012November 5, 2021 by Mark Modeski

We’ve made our predictions for the top players in the league (MVP Predictions and Cy Young Predictions), and now I think it’s time to take a look at what teams are going to round it out this season – as it is looking like this could come down to the wire!

American League:

AL East: I am pulling for the Orioles in this one. I think they go down as baseball’s Cinderella team as of late, and with the Yankees sitting at 3-7 in their last 10 and Baltimore at 7-3, I think they will lock this one up.

AL Central: I think I will go against the grain on this one and call the Tigers for the pennant in the AL Central. While the ChiSox currently have a slight two-game advantage, they haven’t really been that impressive lately – and Detroit has been known to play some clutch baseball.

AL West: I am pretty sure Texas has this one locked up. The Angels and A’s have both had impressive seasons, but the offensive powerhouse that is the Rangers has been un-catchable as of late in the West.

Wildcard Spots: It seems fairly certain that either Baltimore or New York is going to tie down one of the wildcard spots this season. My gut tells me that Oakland will take will take the second spot, but I don’t think anyone can discount the Angels right now given that they are 9-1 in their last 10. Let’s make it official – New York and Oakland.

National League:

NL East: I don’t think that anyone could have called this division at the start of the season. Philly seemed destined to take the penenant in 2012, but injuries have left them lethargic and well behind the leaders. Unless they completely fall apart, Washington has this one in the bag.

NL Central: How a division can change! Earlier in the season I would have told you that the Pirates or Brewers would be walking away with the division title, but Cincinnati has all but guaranteed the NL Central. Consistency always wins in the end.

NL West: The Giants were the early season favourite to win the division, and between now and the end of the season I don’t see anything on that front changing. The Dodgers could always turn it on and make a late season rally for the NL, but I truthfully don’t see it happening.

Wildcard Spots: Atlanta has one of the wildcard spots secured without a doubt. The second spot is a little less definitive it will likely come down to the Cardinals and the Dodgers, and I am going to give it to the Dodgers; St. Louis has been horrible as of late, and LA is still playing some consistent ball.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of close races still on the board here. The extra wild card spot makes things a little more interesting this season, as it gives teams not mentioned here (like Tampa Bay) something to fight for late in the season even if the division title is unattainable.

One thing is certain – everyone is going to be fighting until the very end of the season, as there is still a lot lose… except for maybe Cincinnati.

… and that is the last word.

Boom or Bust NBA – Memphis Grizzlies

Posted on September 10, 2012November 5, 2021 by Jordan Leung

Welcome back to Boom or Bust. We are at Part Three of this 30-part series, where we scour the NBA team-by-team, examining the best and worst young talent that each has to offer. For a full explanation of the goals and methodology of this column, please read the full introduction.

Today we look some of the bright and not-so-bring prospects from the Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies

2011-2012 Record – 41-25

After royally screwing themselves over with the Love/Mayo trade and Gasol trade, the Grizzlies somehow became a lot better than they would have been if they never completed those trades. All the pieces fell together, and they became a strong force in the West. No one said “Let’s trade Pau and Love, because we are going to get Zach Randolph in a few years and he is going to have a strong comeback year and lead us to the playoffs. Also, Marc Gasol is going to be one of the top centers in the NBA.” No one said that or even thought that. NO ONE. A healthy Grizzlies team is a popular dark horse pick in the West because they match up well with both the Lakers and the Thunder.

Darrell Arthur

Age – 24, Previous Season Stats (10-11) – 9.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 0.7 SPG

The former Jawhawk is Mr. Solid of the NBA. Money from mid-range, defends well, athletic, great hands, strong finisher, solid rebounder, takes charges, block shots, and on top of that, tries to keep the ball in play after swatting it. Everything you want in a backup power forward, and more. He tends to foul a lot (averages 5 fouls a game per 36 minutes for his career), but the many positives outweigh the negatives. If he was not injured this season, he might have had a breakout year and been a contender for Most Improved Player (it is still a travesty that Ryan Anderson won it over Jeremy).

Arthur is no Derrick Rose, so the general public does not receive the latest injury reports on him, but he signed a new deal with the Grizzlies, so we can assume he is close to playing shape. A healthy Darrell Arthur will be an X-Factor for Grizzlies contention this upcoming season.

Prospect Score – 7/10

Jerryd Bayless

Age – 24, Previous Season Stats – 11.4 PPG, 3.8 SPG, 42.3 3P%

Bayless was once part of a Portland Trail Blazers team with amazing promise, and I had countless hours of fun on NBA 2K playing a Blazers association that featured a Bayless/Roy/Batum/Aldridge/Oden starting five. Sadly that team never lasted, and Bayless has been bouncing around the league since.

Jerryd is an exciting guard to watch. He entered the league with a reputation of being athletic and explosive, with a shoot-first mentality. He’s improved throughout his career, but has never been a true gamechanger. He had a very impressive stretch last season as the Raptors’ starter, averaging around 18 points and 5 assists a game, shooting 45% from the field and 42.9% from three, averaging 2.2 makes a game.

Unfortunately for Bayless and just about every other scoring combo guard in the league, his style of play is not the most desirable and is often criticized for not being a ‘pure point’ style of play. The silver lining for such players is that teams are effectively implementing these scoring guards in sixth man roles, and many of them have done a fine job providing firepower off the bench. Bayless should comfortably fill the void left by Mayo.

After four solid years in the NBA, a chance on the Grizzlies, a contending playoff team, could likely define the rest of Jerryd’s career. Memphis has Conley, Gay, Randolph and Gasol all as focal points on the offense, so Bayless should not have too much pressure trying to create for other players. The fact that he has developed more range on his jumpshot is fantastic as well.

Prospect Score – 6/10

Wayne Ellington

Age – 24, Previous Season Stats – 6.1 PPG, 32.4 3P%

Instead of being the great all around player he was in college, Wayne Ellington is just a shooter in the pros. Ellington had a bit of an off-year last season, but he still shoots 37.6% for his career, which is nothing to complain about. At 6’4, Wayne is not at the ideal size for a shooting guard and lacks other physical tools or skills to make up his physical deficiencies. If Ellington can shoot closer to 40% and make more (currently only makes 1.5 a game per 36 through his career) Ellington could be a valuable role player in the NBA. But until then… The former Tar Heel is just another good college player who is nothing extraordinary in the pros.

Prospect Score – 2/10

Rudy Gay

Age – 26, Previous Season Stats – 19.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 45.5 FG%

Hold on… Rudy Gay is still a prospect? Rudy is one of the best players in the NBA to have never made an All-Star team, and I could see him never making one in his career.

Since his sophomore season, Gay has not shown exceptional improvement to his game, even though he pretty much has the ideal physical tools to succeed at his position. The Grizzlies had their amazing postseason run without Rudy Gay, and in Rudy’s first playoff appearance, he proved he just wasn’t a go-to perimeter guy. He is not a good scorer, and most of the shots he creates are purely by virtue of his long frame. To make matters worse, Gay is not much of a facilitator either. The Grizzlies desperately need a true perimeter threat to accompany their Randolph/Gasol tandem. The current Rudy is not the answer.

Prospect Score – 6/10

Hamed Haddadi

Age – 27, Previous Season Stats – 2.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG 0.7 BPG

Haddadi’s greatest asset is his height. He is very productive per minute and was very effective spelling Gasol in the last two seasons. Haddadi has career per 36 minute averages of 12.8 RPG and 3.2 BPG. But coming with these impressive numbers is an eye-popping 7.3 fouls in the same 36 minutes.

Hamed Haddadi has a fun name to say, great for expanding the worldwide popularity of basketball but offers little else. I see him sticking around for a couple more years to fill in NBA benches just because it never hurts to have a rebounding and shot blocking 7-footer.

Prospect Score – 1.5/10

DJ Kennedy

Age – 22, Previous Season Stats – 6.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG

Who is DJ Kennedy? Kennedy only played in two games at the end of last season for the Cavaliers. I really have nothing to say about DJ Kennedy. I don’t think Cavs fans know who DJ Kennedy is. Do you know who DJ Kennedy is? Someone? Anyone?

Prospect Score – ?/10

Quincy Pondexter

Age – 24, Previous Season Stats – 4.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG

6’6 athletic wings are a dime a dozen in the NBA, and Quincy does little to separate himself from anyone else, but he did get some considerably burn in the most recent postseason and played admirably. He does what he’s asked to do, and plays within the flow of the offense and defense because that’s all he can really do. Quincy could be a solid role player or system player if he’s lucky.

Prospect Score – 2.5/10

Josh Selby

Age – 21, Previous Season Stats – 2.3 PPG, 1.1 APG

In the 2011 draft, I was convinced that Josh Selby would be the steal of the draft. In that long summer following the draft, Josh Selby graced many lockout summer game highlights, and proved that he could ball with the best of them.

Selby didn’t get much of a chance in his rookie season, competing for point guard minutes with Conley, Mayo, Arenas, and Jeremy Pargo. The good news is that Selby absolutely tore up the Summer League this year, and with Mayo out and no definite successor, Josh Selby could be in for a good share of minutes in the Grizzlies guard rotation.

And a fun fact, Josh Selby is reportedly bi-curious and hangs out with Dennis Rodman on weekends. Okay, I added the Rodman part for effect…

Prospect Score – 4/10

Marreese Speights

Age – 25, Previous Season Stats – 8.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG

If Speights was two inches taller, he would be getting paid big money in this league. But he isn’t 7 feet and he does not play ‘big’ enough to compensate for those two missing inches. Speights is a lethal mid-range shooter especially for a big man, and has a great touch around the hoop—A very rare skillset for young NBA big men.

Marreese is an average to above average rebounder, and is not a huge factor on the defensive end. His shot-blocking has not improved at all, and current NBA teams would just rather have a solid defensive big man who can protect the basket than an average post defender who can occasionally put the ball in the basket.

Speights could put up some amazing empty stats if he played on the Bobcats, but he is still a great weapon to have off the Memphis bench with his versatility.

Prospect Score – 4.5/10

There you have it – a look at the younger talent on the Memphis Grizzlies. Feel free to leave comments below, and check back soon as I continue making my way around the NBA looking for the league’s best (and worst) young talent in this 30-part special, “Boom or Bust”.

Week One NFL Game Changers: Big Plays you May Not See in the Highlights

Posted on September 10, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Momentum is huge in football, and often effects the outcome of games. There are key plays that change momentum that are very subtle and may not make the highlight package on your favorite sports show. Sure, these shows do a great job of showing incredible catches, hits, and runs, or of showing you the scoring plays in a game, but do they really tell the whole story?

While a drive might end in a 5-yard TD pass or a 10-yard TD run, is that really the key play in a 7, 8, 9 or 10 play drive? Would the scoring play even be possible without the key completion on third and long earlier in the drive? Or that receiver who made a key block freeing up the running back to get to the outside to pick up a first down?

The purpose of this column is to highlight some key plays that greatly effected the outcome of their games, yet they might not have made highlight reels. This isn’t to take away from the importance of the scoring play, but without these plays the scoring play would not have happened.

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants; Cowboys Defensive Stand: The Cowboys have had trouble beating the Giants in recent years, and many questioned if they had what it takes to beat the defending Super Bowl Champions in the NFL’s season opener. Tony Romo has been criticized for years for his inability to win the big games.

On Wednesday the Cowboys and Romo silenced some of those critics (for one week at least) and took an important step in getting the season off to a fast start. However it didn’t always look like that would be the case. Early in the game Romo threw an inteception to Michael Boley of the Giants. Boley returned the pick inside the 10 yard line, and with a horsecollar tackle penalty against Dallas, the Giants set up office with first and goal at the 2 yard line.

It looked like it would surely soon be 7-0 New York, but a funny thing happened. The Dallas Defence came up with a huge stop, well, three stops, and forced a Lawrence Tynes FG, and kept the score at just 3-0.

Perhaps the replacement refs missed a pass interfence call on an Eli Manning’s pass intended for Victor Cruz, but really it should never have come to that, the Giants would have been expected to punch it into the endzone with three plays from the two yard line. Romo recovered, drove the Cowboys down the field and took a 7-3 lead, and really never looked back throwing for three TDs in all. That big stop by the Dallas Defence was a huge momentum swing in the game and helped to uplift Romo’s spirits and confidence after he made an early mistake. Definitely a Game Changer.

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets; Darelle Revis Interception Four days later another game in the Meadowlands featured a similar dynamic. Mark Sanchez had spent all off-season and pre-season questionned in his role as starter for the New York Jets. Of course bringing in Tim Tebow had created a QB controversy and the inability of either QB to lead a Touchdown drive in four preseason games only added to the questions about the Jets offence.

On the game’s first offensive series Sanchez made a poor decision trying to flip the ball to his Tight End and the ball was intercepted by Byron Scott. The Bills new look defense appeared to be paying off. A couple of plays later, Darrelle Revis returned the favour, picking off a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass and the Jets had the ball back in good field position. They marched down the field and Sanchez hit Jeremy Kerley for a 12-yard touchdown.

The questions about the Jets offence were suddenly answered and the team was off to the races dominating the Bills and getting a big early season win. Revis changed the game as the Bills were poised to put up points, but instead he completely reversed the outcome.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings; 4th Down Pass Blaine Gabbert to Justin Blackmon: By now you’ve certainly seen the last minute bomb from Blaine Gabbert to Cecil Shorts that gave the Jaguars a go-ahead touchdown vs the Minnesota Vikings. It was certainly an incredible pass, and an even better reception. Perhaps you’ve also seen the two point conversion where Gabbert hooked up with Blackmon to give the team a 3-point lead. There is a good chance you’ve even seen Blair Walsh’s 55-yard field goal that forced overtime, or Walsh’s game winning kick in Overtime.

Now let’s go back and look at a fourth quarter, fourth down play that made this exciting finish possible. With 30 seconds left, the Jaguars faced a 4th and 3 with the ball at around midfield. Gabbert hooked up with Blackmon on a clutch 10-yard reception near the sideline that made all the late game drama possible.

The Jags line came up with good protection and Gabbert hit Blackmon on a short out pattern that showed perfect timing between the sophomore quarterback and rookie wideout. Without this play, the Jaguars would have turned the ball over on downs, the Vikings would have run out the clock and one of the most exciting finishes of the first week in the NFL never would have happened.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Cleveland Browns, LeSean McCoy 3 yard Run: This is the perfect play when we talk about a game changer that won’t be in the highlights. It is a simple, innocuous three-yard power run to the right, however its value in this game cannot be overstated.

The Eagles were down 6 points with under 3 minutes to play, and driving down the field for the game winning score. However, this was a drive that nearly stalled at the Cleveland 23-yard yard line as the Eagles faced a fourth down and 1-yard to go. Handing the ball off to their star Running Back, McCoy followed his blocks to the right side and gained three yards extending the drive and eventually setting up Michael Vick’s game winning touchdown pass to Clay Harbour that made all the highlight packages.

The pass wouldn’t have been possible, and the Eagles wouldn’t have won without the run. If McCoy was stuffed in the backfield, the Eagles would have turned the ball over on downs and Cleveland would have scored a major week one upset. That is the value of an all-pro Running Back, value that doesn’t always show up in the highlights. This is to take nothing away from Vick for engineering the drive that won the game however, it is to illustrate how winning a football game requires all players to do their job and how winning requires teamwork.

San Franscisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers; 18 yard run Colin Kaepernick: In the final play of the first half David Akers tied an NFL record by kicking a 63-yard field goal. His record tying kick hit the cross bar and went over for 3 points. However, this piece of NFL history wouldn’t have been possible without the bold play calling of Jim Harbaugh just two plays earlier.

With the 49ers leading 13-7, they had stopped a Green Bay drive and forced a punt. Following a nice return by Kyle Williams, they took over on their own 38-yard line with just 18 seconds on the clock. Everyone in the stadium guessed that Alex Smith would be throwing the ball in the 2-minute drill as the 49ers would try to get into field goal range. The formation suggested the same as the 49ers lined up in a spread package with four wide receivers and Smith in the shotgun. However, it wasn’t what it seemed.

Alex Smith handed the ball to Colin Kaepernick on a draw play, and he ran up the middle for 18 yards putting the team into field goal range. It was a very well designed play as it caught everyone off guard, and the situation combined with the 49ers formation had created a huge hole for Kaepernick to run through in the middle of the field. A nice offensive design and good play calling by Harbaugh gave Akers the opportunity at history, and he took full advantage with a great kick. The extra three points going into half-time would turn out to be invaluable in helping the 49ers to a week one upset over Green Bay.

There you have five plays that were game changers, yet failed to show on many highlight packages. I will see you back here next Monday as I examine some game film and find more under-appreciated plays that ultimately decided some teams’ fate.

Top Shelf Prospects: NHL Team Rankings – The Top 15

Posted on September 9, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Now that we’ve taken a look at every team in the NHL, I felt that I should give a 1-30 ranking of every team in the NHL and the quality of their prospects. This is an overall view of each team’s entire system and includes players drafted in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In this ranking, my philosophy is that it is important to look at the elite prospects in a system, as well as the overall depth and number of quality prospects a team has. For an indepth look at the prospects on each team, click on the team name and the link will bring you to that team’s page.

We did 30-16 yesterday, so lets continue with the Top 15.

Above Average Groups

15. Buffalo Sabres – an excellent draft gave them much needed quality and depth down the middle in the form of Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons. Centre prospects were an organizational weakness heading into the draft, and is an organizational strength today. Those two combine with wingers Joel Armia, and Marcus Foligno to provide the team with a strong group of forwards. Brayden McNabb, Mark Pysyk, and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, provide quality on defence. The team has good depth, but lacks the great depth that we see in teams to come.

14. Anaheim Ducks – Kyle Palmieri, Emerson Etem, Peter Holland, Devante Smith-Pelly, Rickard Rakell, Max Friberg, Nick Kerdiles, and Kevin Roy are a deep forward group. Hampus Lindholm is a solid defence prospect, but overall more defencemen are needed, though that is mitigated somewhat with Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa already in the NHL. John Gibson provides a quality goaltending prospect. A deep system, but one that falls in the rankings due to the lack of an elite talent.

13. Toronto Maple Leafs – Morgan Rielly was a very good draft pick, and Matt Finn was a steal falling to the second round. The system was incredibly deep to begin with and there are a number of potential NHLers including Ben Scrivens, Joe Colborne, Nazem Kadri, Greg McKegg, Jessie Blacker, Tyler Biggs, Korbinian Holzer and Stuart Percy. The defence is stacked, and the forwards and goalies have quantity, but the lack of an elite centre prospect keeps the group outside the top 10.

12. St. Louis Blues – Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz give the Blues two elite forward prospects, and Ty Rattie is another decent forward. Jake Allen is a good goalie prospect. The defence has Jordan Schmaltz and Jani Hakanpaa but needs a lot more. Overall the Blues system is very top heavy but lacks depth, keeping it outside the top 10.

The Second Tier

11. Tampa Bay Lightning – Slater Koekoek and Andrei Vasilevski were quality first round picks. Vladislav Namestnikov had an excellent season for the London Knights. While the Norfolk Admirals led by Mark Barbiero, Dustin Tokarski, Richard Panik and Cory Conacher were winning the Calder Cup and setting AHL records along the way. With other prospects like Alex Killorn at Harvard, Nikita Kucherov and Nikita Nesterov in the KHL, and recently signed J.T. Brown; Steve Yzerman has really accelerated the Tampa Rebuild. The depth is outstanding, but they are second tier because they don’t have that elite prospect that jumps out at you as a future superstar.

10. Detroit Red Wings – Brendan Smith and Gustav Nyquist are NHL ready prospects and should take big roles in Detroit this year. Teemu Pulkkinen is among my favorites of all the super sleeper prospects profiled in this series. The System has serious depth at all positions with Martin Frk, Andreas Athanasiou, Tomas Jurco, Riley Sheahan, Ryan Sproul, Xavier Ouellet, Calle Jarnkrok, Tomas Tatar and Peter Mrazek all being solid prospects. Among the league’s deepest pools but again lacks the home run prospect to elevate them into an elite system.

9. Montreal Canadiens – An Excellent 2012 Draft Class propels the Habs into the Top Ten. Alex Galchenyuk is the stud centre that every team covets. Michael Bournival, Brady Vail, and Louis Leblanc create depth at the position, though Leblanc may ultimately switch to RW full time. Sebastian Collberg was the steal of the 2012 Draft as we had him rated much higher than where he was picked. Brendan Gallagher, Danny Kristo, Tim Bozon, Charles Hudon and Patrick Holland create skill and depth on the wings. Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi, Morgan Ellis and Dalton Thrower are all potential top 4 Defencemen, while Darren Dietz, Josiah Didier, Mac Bennett, Greg Pateryn, and Brendan Nash create depth in a defence group that rivals any in the league except maybe the Penguins. The lack of a quality goaltending prospect is the only thing that keeps this group in the second tier and away from the NHL elites.

8. Washington Capitals – Elite players Evgeni Kuznetsov, Braden Holtby, and Filip Forsberg are mainly responsible for this high ranking. Stanislav Galiev and Tom Wilson are decent forward prospects as well. However the quality falls off greatly after that, which places the group into the Second Tier instead of the first. This group is like the opposite of Tampa Bay. Tampa has the huge depth, but lacks the standout prospect. Washington has 3 standouts.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins – The Penguins feature the deepest group of Defence in the NHL. Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, and Brian Dumoulin were added on Draft Day to a group that already featured Simon Despres, Scott Harrington, and Joe Morrow. Beau Bennett and Tom Kuhnackl lead the offense, but the group is nowhere near as good or as deep as their defensive roster.

6. Chicago Blackhawks – An excellent ranking for a team that hasn’t had much opportunity to draft near the top of the heap. Having players like Brandon Saad and Teuvo Teravainen drop in their lap was a huge bonus. Mark McNeill, Phillip Danault, Jeremy Morin, and Andrew Shaw give the team a very solid group of forward prospects. The team has good depth on defence but no stars, even if Dillon Fournier, Adam Clendening and Dylan Olsen are quality prospects. They also have decent goalie prospects in Kent Simpson, Mac Carruth, and a possible draft day steal in Brandon Whitney.

The Elite

5. New York Islanders – Ryan Strome, and Griffin Reinhart are top tier players. Brock Nelson, Kirill Petrov, Casey Czikas, and Kirill Kabanov are an intriguing group of forwards, while Calvin De Haan, Ville Pokka, Scott Mayfield, and Matt Donovan provide depth on defence. Kevin Poulin appears to be the goalie of the future. Overall a solid group with excellent quality and depth. Centre is a clear position of strength, but they are covered in other areas as well.

4. Ottawa Senators – The Swedish invasion of Mika Zibanejad, Jacob Silfverberg, and Robin Lehner should combine with Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to create both the core of the future Ottawa Senators teams and the core of future Swedish National Teams. Having Cody Ceci fall into their lap on draft day 2012 was a major bonus. The Senators now wait on their big time draft crop from 2011, including Shane Prince, Stefan Noesen, and Matt Puempel, to graduate to the big club and help the team grow on last year’s surprisingly good results.

3. Edmonton Oilers – Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz are two of the best prospects in hockey and both should play in the NHL this season, if there is a season. Oscar Klefbom is another solid defenceman, and the Oilers have depth in Mitch Moroz, Colton Teubert, Daniil Zharkov, David Musil, Tyler Pitlick, Martin Marincin, Teemu Hartikainen and Martin Gernat. Amazingly the Oilers have such a lofty position despite Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle all being considered full time NHLers. Include them (and similar under 21 year old NHLers of all teams) and the Oilers would easily take down the number 1 spot. Three straight years of drafting 1st overall will certainly lead to amassing a collection of great young talent.

2. Florida Panthers – In Jonathan Huberdeau the Panthers have a stud forward prospect. In Jacob Markstrom, they also have a stud goalie prospect. Nick Bjustad, Quinton Howden, Drew Shore, and Rocco Grimaldi fill out the forward prospects nicely and there are plenty of potential top 6 players here. On Defence, the team lacks a true elite prospect but Michael Matheson, and Alex Petrovic could become top 4 defenders. This system isn’t far off from Number 1. Dale Tallon has clearly focused on building through the draft amassing a number of picks in 2010 and 2011 and that will soon start to pay off in Florida.

1. Minnesota Wild – This is a system full of both quality, and depth. In Michael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Mathew Dumba, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Hackett there are high end players at every position. Add to that strong depth prospects in Johan Larsson, Brett Bulmer, Zack Phillips, and Jason Zucker, among others and its quite simply the best system in hockey. Chuck Fletcher has done a fantastic job with the Wild, and a strong lineup is being built in Minnesota.

That wraps up our look at the top systems in the NHL. Check back next week as I will rank the individual prospects.

As always, Feel Free to leave your comments below and follow me on twitter @LastWordBKerr.

It Will Come Down to Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the AFC North – AGAIN!

Posted on September 9, 2012November 5, 2021 by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

The AFC North division doesn’t really need a preview, but let’s do it anyway.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore both have solid QB play, stellar defenses and tremendous head coaches. They have become two of the most consistent teams in the league. With the talent these teams possess the only real question is which one of the two will take down the division crown?

Pittsburgh secretly had a great season last year. After a rocky 2-2 start that saw them get blown out in Baltimore and shut down in Houston, Pittsburgh recovered to finish the season at 12-4. At season’s end the Steelers had lost games only against eventual division champs, although they dropped both division games to the Ravens. The Steelers were able to complete this turnaround in spite of poor turnover luck and the absence of their star QB for several games.

The Ravens on the other hand might have had their best team in years, capturing their first division title since 2006. The Ravens were able to grab the title by virtue of a season sweep over the Steelers. But there were several strange losses for the Ravens, too. They dropped games in Tennessee, Jacksonville, Seattle and San Diego. They were able to reach the AFC Championship game but fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance by narrowly losing to the Patriots in New England.

With little change to their rosters this season the division winner again should come down to head-to-head play. In this respect I again have to favour the Ravens. I don’t have any stats to back up this analysis per se, seeing as how these clubs have similar strengths and weaknesses, but I almost make sure to watch these mega matchups. For years the Steelers have had the edge in this match-up because of Ben Roethlisberger, but every time these teams play that seems to be their only advantage. The Ravens always dominate the line of scrimmage and completely lock down the Steelers run game. The complete burden of moving the offense falls on Big Ben’s shoulders. The Ravens on the other hand have success moving the ball up and down the field, but have trouble punching it in the end zone against a strong Steelers front seven and that #43 lurking at safety. With Flacco’s improved play in the face of the Steelers pass rush last season the Ravens have seemed to close the quarterback gap. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens continue last year’s dominance over the Steelers into this season.

The division’s two Ohio teams on the other hand don’t stand a chance. Cleveland’s woes are well documented and they hit the rest button again this season by drafting QB Brandon Weeden. Even if Weeden is an upgrade on last year’s starter Colt McCoy (I think he will be) the Browns have far too many holes on the roster to seriously challenge the Steelers or Ravens. Cincy on the other hand is coming off of a playoff season last year at 9-7. When you dig deeper though the reasons for their improved record are beyond just improved play. The Bengals failed to beat either Pittsburgh of the Ravens in four games and the only game they were able to win against a team with a winning record was against Tennessee, going 1-5 overall. The Bengals were able to compile a 3-1 record against both the AFC South and NFC West last season. This feat won’t be repeated in 2012 against the AFC West and NFC East. Expect sub .500 records from both teams this season.

You can find all my division previews by accessing my column, “3rd String NFL”.

Feel free to post comments below.

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012