2012 - Page 7 of 114 - Last Word On Sports

My Pint Runneth Dry on the Gareth Barry Discipline

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

How asinine is it that Gareth Barry is being charged by the FA due to chirping a match-day official? It’s ridiculous, and as a result my pint runneth 3/4 dry.

As outlined in Rule E3, he made abusive and/or insulting remarks towards an official. Why are the FA acting like this is so out of the ordinary? Why did they decide to inflict consequence on Barry, as much as I may dislike him (and I do – almost as much as his idiot teammate, Samir “Cashman” Nasri)? Are we to expect that this is actually being enforced and that the FA are taking a hard stance on “Your mama” jokes? Silliness.

Gareth Barry was playing in a highly competitive derby, one of the world’s most competitive and fiercely contested. The match itself was littered with controversy – Rio Ferdinand was hit by a flying Euro (a coin, not a player), United scored in extra time to win, and Joe Hart “MMA’d” some bloke who ran onto the pitch. The managers were livid, fans were more than that, and players were hot. The atmosphere was intense, obviously, so one has to consider the source in situations such as these.

Clearly the FA haven’t, as they dropped the ball on Barry who has until Thursday at 4pm GMT to respond. From what I gather, we are unclear as to what was uttered. We know that if found guilty he faces a one-match ban, but if he contests it and loses, it would be increased to two matches. That’s not so severe it seems, but I just question why give it in the first place? If the FA are to give one-match bans every time someone chirps an official who the hell would be left to actually play the matches?

Perhaps some of you are thinking I am being dramatic (God knows I do have that propensity), but the FA it seems don’t know if they are coming or going, and I look at this as a desperate way to punish a situation that seemed out of control. I believe they were flexing their diminutive muscles to have some semblance of control. And we all know how they like their control.

Follow me on Twitter – @PintRunnethDry

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Texas Rangers: Where do we go from here?

Posted on December 11, 2012August 3, 2022 by Greg Persson

The Texas Rangers have been a force in the American League for the past few years after finally finding the formula for a winning baseball club. The 2010 and 2011 Rangers squads hit a tonne as has been the case for Texas since the early 90’s. It’s important to note that they also had a stellar starting rotation with C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and the rented Cliff Lee, to go with a good defense. Their bullpen tightened with the mid-season additions in 2011 of Mike Adams and Koji Uehara along with Neftali Feliz holding strong as their closer. What the Rangers also had was new ownership and management that actually knew how to spend money properly. All one has to do is look at the infamous $252 million dollar Alex Rodriguez signing to see a shining example of the way money had been spent before.

In 2012 however, I was reminded of the ridiculous A-Rod signing with the pursuit of Yu Darvish, over $50 million for the opportunity to sign him followed by another $60 million for his contract over six years. Couple that with losing reliever Darren O’Day and ace C.J. Wilson while knocking Feliz out of the closer role for Joe Nathan and the Rangers lost a step. They collapsed at the end of the year and were forced into a one-game wildcard playoff, started by Darvish, which they lost. So now that the winter free-agent frenzy is upon us, the question is: What are the Rangers going to do?

On Sunday, part of that question was answered as Texas sent their leader for the better part of the last decade, Michael Young, to the Phillies. Reliever Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla were sent in return. Despite the fact that Young had a weak year in 2012, it is the exception rather than the rule and his leadership will be greatly missed in 2013. Unfortunately, Ron Washington will have to seek another “go-to guy”. Young will be a free-agent after next year so getting something for him now isn’t the worst idea, but replacing him will require a lot of work this off-season.

At catcher, the Rangers may be in a bit of trouble. Geovany Soto was just locked up but the Red Sox scooped up Mike Napoli. Soto didn’t start his Rangers career off very well and it is questionable whether he is the guy to start behind the plate. There was talk about the Rangers pursuing a trade with the Jays to shoot for J.P. Arencibia or John Buck but a more realistic option may be to sign A.J Pierzynski. A.J is 36 however, and age is a factor at catcher more than anywhere else on the field.

Josh Hamilton remains the biggest question. Now that Zack Grienke has opened the flood gates by signing with the Dodgers, it’ll be a short wait for Hamilton to make up his mind. The Rangers are competing with Seattle and everyone’s favorite money store, the Yankees, among others for Hamilton’s services going forward. When he isn’t hurt or dealing with other demons, Hamilton is arguably the best hitter in the game but he gets hurt a lot and when his head isn’t in the game he is a strikeout machine. Ideally the Rangers would like to keep him but he is not absolutely necessary to keep their starting lineup strong. They still have Adrian Beltre at clean-up and are in hot pursuit of Justin Upton by way of trade, which could involve Nelson Cruz. At 25, Upton could be a franchise player for many years to come. Michael Bourn would be another fine addition to the outfield but Seattle is also courting him along with Hamilton. Any way it shakes out, I find it very difficult to imagine the Rangers falling behind when it comes to offensive talent this off-season.

On the pitching side, the aforementioned Darvish along with Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and a hopefully recovered Colby Lewis may see R.A. Dickey or Kyle Lohse as teammates as it doesn’t look too good for Ryan Dempster to return after being a rent-a-player for Texas last season and Neftali Feliz is in Tommy John land. Things have already started moving in the bullpen department as Joakim Soria is on his way to Arlington for 2 years. Uehara was a casualty as he will join Napoli in Boston and, in my opinion, the best reliever Texas has, Mike Adams is still on the market. It would be good to see him locked down. As for who will close, Soria is likely to fit into a set-up role if Adams isn’t resigned otherwise he will fit in alongside Alexi Ogando to form a strong middle relief platoon. Joe Nathan is a Ranger for one more year so he should close, however if he stumbles look for Soria to possibly jump in.

All-in-all the Rangers, despite losing their clubhouse leader, still lay in good shape as they have a strong core group and a big bank account. I expect at least one major signing/re-signing/trade and more than likely two or three. As a Rangers fan, I would gladly lose Hamilton or Cruz to see Upton come to the Ball Park. The offense will shake out fine but the pitching is where my eyes will be. The heat of Arlington is a fine place for a knuckleballer to go, so I believe Dickey is the best fit for a starter. Texas will face a tougher division this year as Seattle is looking to spend, the Angles shouldn’t underachieve like they did last year and the always dangerous Billy Beane can never be underestimated. So good shape may not be enough and John Daniels needs to get on his horse if he wants to take the AL West crown back.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison via photopin cc

NHL Cancellations Don't Mean Armageddon Just Yet

Posted on December 11, 2012March 20, 2017 by Mitchell Tierney

The chances of seeing NHL hockey in 2012 are “Nicole Ritchie slim”. With a fresh batch of cancellations, the NHL has ruled out any hockey before the final day of the year. While New Year’s Eve hockey would be incredibly entertaining, it would take a minor miracle for the NHL and NHLPA to sign a CBA before the New Year. The deadline for signing a deal that would allow NHL hockey on the 31st of December would most likely be Monday the 17th. Unless something is happening behind closed doors that the media is unaware of, some positive major developments would have to take place in the next couple of days. And consider how closely the media is covering any meetings between the two sides. I think there was even a headline the other day on Donald Fehr’s difficult bowel movement following lunch at Mighty Taco.

Reports have it that if the NHL season were to start by December 31st, a 54-game season would still be a possibility. Gary Bettman has already issued the statement that an NHL season in 2012-2013 season must be at least 48 games to be legitimate. This despite the fact that a 28-game season was put on the table in 2005.

This places the infamous “drop dead” date somewhere in the middle of January, as the 48-game 1995 season began on January 20th. Evidently, this will put plenty of pressure on the Players Association in the upcoming weeks, as they can now predict the apocalypse. Donald Fehr will be put under intense pressure by his constituency to get a deal done.

What does this mean for the negotiations? Cancellations are definitely never a positive for neither fans nor players. They indicate a major division in negotiations and little hope in the immediate future. They can also be interpreted as a major statement being made by NHL officials.

But is this latest group of cancellations enough to indicate that the end is near? Should hockey fans finally accept that the season is over? Any hockey fan that hopes to keep some fraction of sanity should have already accepted the major possibility of a year without hockey. And many fringe fans have long since packed it in.

Yet, there is hope. The cancellation of games, and a “drop dead” date, which is increasingly clear, will only intensify talks between the PA and the NHL. Those talks broke off dramatically last week, but we are already hearing rumblings that future talks are being planned.

Donald Fehr’s next move will be intriguing. In terms of “numbers”, the NHL and NHLPA should be close, however, it appeared that trust was deeply severed during the last negotiations. It appears that both sides have no clear answer for why the promising negotiations went south faster than Scott Gomez’s career.

One thing is for certain, Fehr will certainly be far less scattered in his next set of negotiations. Jumping from one issue to another is a good tactic early on in negotiations…and is also a clear sign he may have ADHD. It almost worked for the players in this past negotiating session…the jumping, not the ADHD.

But with time running out for a deal he will have to stick to the subjects that are most important to the NHLPA and truly reveal to the NHL which chips currently in play are most important. While this might mean signing a deal that is less advantageous, it is the difference between playing hockey and playing “Leafs Playoff Hockey” (see Wikipedia entry for “Golf”).

Fehr knows as well as anyone that with the season out of the way the NHL has the bigger advantage. They have far less to lose when there is no hope of hockey and will become ruthless as they did during the last lockout.

This is why despite the painful progression of labour contractions…err, discussions, there is a good chance a season will still happen. The cancellations are disheartening, but in many ways they were inevitable. Don’t lose hope yet, NHL faithful, but certainly don’t get your hopes up either because it hangs by just a Nicole Richie thread.

We all know what the NHL does to hopes and dreams.

Don’t forget to catch LWOS’s “Puckheads: The Hockey Show” on Last Word Radio every Wednesday at 10pm EST and follow me on Twitter – @LastWordMitch

Euro Football Weekend Rundown, December 11

Posted on December 11, 2012December 24, 2021 by Luciano Giuliano

We have historic events in this week’s edition of Euro Football Rundown. Bayern Munich continues to extend lead; while Falcao does not stop scoring goals; Conte emerges from the darkness; Inter is the acclaimed ‘anti-Juve’ but so is the rest of the Serie A; Man U defeats Man City; and El Pibe breaks the calendar goal scoring record.

6) Bayern Munich running away with Bundesliga

It’s almost pointless to watch the Bundesliga these days and is becoming pretty predictable at the top. Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern Munich continue to dominate the German League with a 2-0 result at the weekend over FC Augsburg. Thomas Muller opened the scoring at the 39^th minute with a penalty. Thirty minutes later, it was lights out for the home side when Mario Gomez added another to league leaders’ tally. Bayern continue to lead the league with 41 points. Following ‘closely’ behind the German giants (sarcastically speaking) are now Bayer Leverkusen with 30 points who were defeated 3-2 by Hannover 96 while Borussia Dortmund fell to third with a loss as well against VL Wolfsburg also 3-2. Not a very good day for those teams trying to catch up. This is unbelievable. Can you believe this because I certainly cannot. There is already an 11-point gap opened at the top of the table. At this rate, Schweiny and friends will claim the title in March. Simply unreal!

Why is this happening? Simple! The other teams in the Bundesliga are overpowered by Bayern Munich in terms of quantity and quality. Their involvement in the Champions League will not hinder their path to the title either this season. Bayern is simply too strong and boast a well-balanced side.

5) Impressive ‘El Tigre’ smashes five past Deportivo

Where would Atletico Madrid be without this goal scoring machine! Nowhere near the top of La Liga is the correct answer. Sunday, the Colombian did what he does best and that is score goals. El Tigre went on a rampage in this fixture and scored five goals against Deportivo La Coruna! He is now in second place in the goalscorers’ standings with 16 goals to his name, seven shy to none other than Lionel Messi. But when you think about it, Messi has many players who help him such as Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc just to name a few. These high calibre players are certainly missing from Atletico Madrid’s roster, but of course they must have high enough quality players to be able to fight week in and week out to stay near Barcelona. Falcao and teammates are currently in second place with 37 points.

4) Innocent Conte returns to the sidelines

The leader, the coach, the man is back on the sidelines, screaming at his men to give it their all and it would be wise to listen otherwise … you’re toast. Antonio Conte is back at the helm on match day for Juventus after a four-month ban for not reporting a match-fix for which the Bari-native always consistently claimed his innocence.

His first match took place against Palermo on Sunday with a 1-0 victory for the Old Lady over the Rosanero. The goal came in the second half when Stephan Lichsteiner placed a low right-footed effort to the bottom left-corner after a wonderful back-heal flick from Mirko Vucinic. It was spectacular to see, but when is the Montenegrin going to score his next goal? He’s been goalless for 10 match days! It’s time to score again Mirko.

On another front, it was a beautiful, yet hard fought, performance from the Bianconeri in an ocean of water as the rain poured. The side looked solid, attacking and defending in numbers and creating numerous chances that were not taken. Palermo were able to muster up an opportunity or two but nothing that Buffon and his defensive comrades couldn’t handle. For Juventus to be successful this season, general director Giuseppe Marotta will need bring in a top notch striker in January. Rumour has it that the transfer chief is lining up a bid for Fernando Llorente or possibly low-cost swoop for Didier Drogba as the Ivorian would like to continue his training to stay in shape for the Africa Cup.

Juve continue to lead the Serie A with 38 points.

3) Inter, the anti-Juve, takes down a fighting Napoli

The Nerazzurri battled hard against the Napoli on Sunday to earn a 2-1 victory and the anti-Juve title for now with goals from Fredy Guarin and Diego Milito. Edinson Cavani brought the Azzurri within one.

It has been an inconsistent season for Inter thus far as this side at times fails to show up for duty against the smaller clubs. On the bright side, Andrea Stramaccioni and his men were able to notch up wins against the top seven sides of the Serie A namely Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and now Napoli, but were defeated against AS Roma and will take on Lazio next weekend. This is a pretty outstanding record considering the season this club had just last year.

Napoli played a great game as well and actually took control after Inter opened the scored in the 8^th minute. Looking at the stats, Inter only shot twice on net to Napoli’s six, while the Azzurri had 63% possession compared to the Nerazzurri’s 37%.

Both sides are still in the running for top spot and will surely provide stiff competition for Juventus for the 2013 Serie A title.

Inter is currently in second with 34 points while Napoli lags behind by one. It is reported that Walter Mazzarri and Co. will also be deducted one point due to their involvement in the betting scandal that has recently rocked the world of Italian football.

2) RvP free-kick hands Red Devils victory in derby

It was a tipsy-topsy derby in Manchester on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City. The Citizens fell to a 3-2 defeat to the Red Devils. This just goes to show that sides that overspend do not necessarily win all the time. Actually, according to club expectations and to those of the faithful, Roberto Mancini and his men are having a terrible season especially after being eliminated from the Champions League finishing in dead last and not even qualifying for the Europa League, meaning the Citizens are out of Europe altogether! It’s quite funny how Roberto Di Matteo wins the Champions League last season for Chelsea and almost delivered second round CL qualification this season and was sacked, but Mancini whose side is out of Europe completely and is currently placed second sitting six points behind the league leaders with the plethora of money and talent at his disposal is still managing to maintain his position as head coach for this club.

Anyway back to the game. It was a fantastic performance by Sir Alex Ferguson’s men who got off to a great start with two goals by Wayne Rooney, the second being his 150^th goal in the EPL. Man U should have been up by three as Ashley Young tucked an RvP rebound into the back of the net but it was incorrectly ruled offside.

This inevitably fired up the home side as the Citizens’ frontline marched down the other end. Manchester United goalkeeper produced brilliant saves to deny Tevez and David Silva before Yaya Toure stepped up and calmly slotted the ball home into the bottom corner. Man city back within one – 2-1.

The Red Devil’s defensive frailties reared its ugly head again when Zabaleta, who was left unmarked from a Tevez corner, smashed home the equalizer.

But Man U would have the last laugh on this night in injury time when Van Persie shot a spectacular curling free-kick into the net to end City’s 37-match unbeaten run at home.

This match was marred by ugliness as well when Rio Ferdinand received a coin to the eye that left him a bloody mess. A supporter then ran onto to the pitch and had to be restrained by Joe Hart before being carted away by stewards. Finally, Sir Alex Ferguson exchanged some words with former United player Carlos Tevez before the ref Martin Atkinson brought an end to this mayhem.

Manchester United lead the league with 39 points, followed by Manchester City with 33.

1) Lionel Messi officially snaps record with a double

Currently dubbed as the world’s best player, Lionel Messi is certainly living up to expectations. Sunday against Real Betis, he scored his 85^th and 86^th goal of the season in the opening 25 minutes to guide the Blaugrana to another victory which distances the Catalan side by six points from second place.

More importantly, the focus is on Lionel Messi here as he is man of the year 2012. The Argentine international snapped Gerd Muller’s 85 goal record in 1972, and the thing is…this calendar year is not over yet! The Blaugrana faithful were a little worried last week in CL action when El Pibe went down with injury to his knee and was stretchered off the pitch, but he was able to make his return to the lineup at the weekend.

During an interview, head coach Tito Vilanova claimed Messi is more than just scoring goals and for his ability to see a pass, but for the way he interprets the game in attack and defence is second best to none. He is a complete all-round player. This is very true as we have not seen a player of this calibre since Diego Maradona. In addition to this record and with the help of this accomplishment, he will most likely claim another deserved Ballon d’Or this year.

On behalf of myself and everyone at LastWordOnSports.com, we would like to congratulate Lionel for this stupendous feat! It will probably be another 40 years until comes close to beating Messi’s record, unless the phenom does it again himself next season. We’ll have to wait and see but until then, congrats Messi!

Top Photo credit: prettyfriendship via photopin cc

NFL Gamechangers, Week 14

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

We’ve reached the end of Week 14 in the NFL, and the men have been seperated from the boys. Division winners have been determined, and playoff spots have been clinched. With those few spots that are still up for grabs, the number of contenders has been whittled down and we have a pretty good idea of what games will be big in the next three weeks of action.

With all that has gone on this season, this week on NFL Gamechangers, I thought I’d change things up a little bit. Instead of the Biggest Unsung Plays of the day, I thought I’d give you some big unsung players of the day in the NFL. These are players who had great games for their teams, and seem to be really coming on late in the season. For many of these players, they have been overshadowed by some of the other players on their team who get bigger hype, and more media attention. For most, the breakout has been relatively recent and they have not yet become big names on the national. I thought it time we give some of these under the radar players some attention that they may not get from the national media, but make no mistake, these players have been extremely influential in bringing wins to their teams this week.

credit: Jeffrey Beall

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders – Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver: 32 Rushes, 119 Yards, 1 TD

Many observers and analysts thought that Knowshon Moreno would eventually surpass Willis McGahee and become Denver’s workhorse running back at some point this season. The analysts predictions may have been technically correct, but it didn’t seem to go exactly as planned as it was clear that McGahee was the key guy for the Broncos until getting injured a couple of weeks ago. Now with McGahee on the shelf for the remainder of the year, Moreno is getting his opportunity as the go to guy and he took full advantage on Thursday Night against a divisional rival in the Oakland Raiders. In a 26-13 win, Moreno was a major weapon for the Broncos getting an incredible 32 touches in the game. He kept the chains moving when Denver needed it and helped his team run out the clock late and preserve the victory over Oakland. With Peyton Manning having a possible MVP season under centre, we know the Broncos can throw the ball effectively. We also know that Denver plays very strong defense and has an excellent pass rush. If Moreno can give the Broncos a running threat, this well-balanced team will become a huge threat to run the table in the AFC Playoffs and represent the conference in the Super Bowl.

San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers – Danario Alexander, WR, Chargers: 7 Receptions, 88 yards, 2 TDs

Hurt by the fact he’s only played 6 games this season, Alexander has emerged as a major bright spot in what has been a disappointing season for the San Diego Chargers. In those 6 games he has 26 catches for 467 yards, and 3 touchdowns. To put these numbers in perspective, prorated to 16 games, he would have 69 catches, 1245 yards, and 8 TDs. Yesterday he was a one man wrecking crew against the Steelers torching their secondary for 88 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Steelers hadn’t allowed an opposing Quarterback to throw for over 200 yards since week 6 and Philip Rivers landed right on that mark thanks to Alexander. His first TD came when Alexander was able to make the catch despite having a Pittsburgh defender all over him. The refs threw the flag and called the pass interference penalty, but it was obviously declined in favor of the touchdown. His second touchdown came when he was able to outjump the Pittsburgh defenders and snare a ball that was up for grabs in the endzone. Alexander is emerging as a prime target for Philip Rivers, and its looking like he will give the Chargers a legit number 1 receiver going into next season.

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts – Vick Ballard, RB, Indy: 19 rushes, 94 yards, 4.9 YPC, 1 Reception, 10 yards

Indianapolis’ 5th round draft pick out of Mississippi State in the 2012 NFL Draft, Ballard has spent most of the season as a backup to incumbent starter Donald Brown. This week Brown was out with an ankle injury, giving Ballard an opportunity to show his stuff. He had an excellent game agains the Tennessee Titans, helping the Colts in making their big second half comeback. Ballard has been an important player for the Colts all season, as the Brown/Ballard situation is more of a platoon than a true starter/backup relationship. Ballard has 468 rushing yards this season and 1 touchdown. A receiving threat as well, Ballard has 133 yards through the air this season, and a key Touchdown that beat these same Titans in overtime in October. Andrew Luck is well deserving of the praise and attention he’s gotten for the Colts this season, but the one-two punch of Brown and Ballard has certainly brought some balance to the Colts offence and this added threat is invaluable in developing a young quarterback.

Baltimore Ravens @ Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins, QB, Redskins: 2/2 26 yards and a TD, 1 rush for a 2 point conversion

With the Redskins down by 8 points, their world seemed to be crashing down around them as their superstar rookie Robert Griffin III was injured and had to leave the game against Baltimore. However backup QB Kirk Cousins, seeing the first meaningful action of his NFL career was able to come in and close the deal for Washington, tying the game and allowing the Redskins to pull it an OT win after a nice punt return led to a Kai Forbath field goal. Many questionned the use of a 4th round pick on Cousins on draft day after the Redskins traded so many picks to get RGIII in the first round, but his presence today was key to coming up with a victory for Washington.

New Orleans Saints @ New York Giants: David Wilson, RB, G-Men: 97 Yard Kick Return TD, 13 Rushes, 100 Yards, 2 TDs

David Wilson was the Giants 1st round draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. After a costly fumble in the Giants’ season opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Wilson seemed to be in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse and has stayed there most of the season. With Ahmad Bradshaw as the incumbent starter, and Andre Brown’s emergence earlier this season, Wilson found himself buried on the depth chart. Now with Brown unfortunately out for the season, Wilson has gotten his opportunity and it was a real coming out party today vs the Saints. He scored a TD on a long kickoff return and was dangerous on kicks all day. He also had 100 yards running the ball out of the backfield and two more TDs. We know he’s talented, but Wilson’s emergence this week bodes well for the defending champs headed into the stretch drive and the playoffs.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to tune in to our show, NFL Sunday Blitz Package every Sunday night at 7:30 pm, on the blogtalkradio.com/lastwordradio. Also tune in to Beyond the Field on Mondays from 8-10pm as I’ll be joining their hosts Priest and St. Peter in running down NFL Game Changers.

Check out our new Football Forum right here at LastWordOnSports!

My Pint Runneth Dry on the NHL

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

For diehard fans this continues to be a difficult time, this lock-out business. So many have so much interested in the sport. It is entertainment, a social platform, for fans to connect with each other, and in their own way, the game and its players. Those fans will still be there when the dust eventually settles. Its the fringe fans who are the problem because they no longer seem to care and have moved on to other things. Basically they’re apathetic now. My name is Mike, and I could give a rat’s arse how long this drags on.

With an empty pint in-hand, I’m become completely disenfranchised with the whole situation. I am tired of talking about the stupid lock-out (yes, I see the irony in that I am now writing about a subject I have just said I don’t care about). I try to avoid talking about the NHL, and loathe being dragged into a conversation. Typical conversation:

NHL FAN – “So, what do you think about the lock-out?”

Me – “The whole thing is ridiculous. They just need to settle.”

NHL FAN – “Yeah, Bettman’s a real (insert explative).”

Me (trying not to sound rude) – “Yeah, I can’t even talk about it anymore.” (pretending to be so infuriated that I can’t bring myself to carry on this discussion for fear of vomitting – it’s the only way out!)

I once cared about hockey, back in the “good ‘ole days”. It was a great sport with great players who I looked up to, none more than the lone sports “hero” I’ve held all my life – Stevie Y. For me, he epitomized all that was right in sports. An unassuming, mild-mannered guy who stayed with his team through thick and thin, while playing at an extremely high level. He wasn’t alone either. It just seemed things were different then, in the 80’s and 90’s, and the guys who played then weren’t in it just for the money, as naive as that sounds. And the owners, well, I’m not sure much has changed with them.

I am not venting with the purpose of discussing the merits of the current lock-out, and I don’t care to discuss who’s right and who’s a bigger idiot. Judging by the fact that you are still reading this, it is quite likely that you are in fact still interested in that discussion. All the power to you. If I was more in love with the game like I once was, I would feel more like you do. But that was then and this is now. I have less time to deal with nonsense these days, so this lock-out is completely off-limits for me.

I guess I’m apathetic. Apathetic to the owners, apathetic to the players, and apathetic to the game in general. Perhaps when it comes back we’ll see another “NEW NHL” and I’ll start watching again. But as it stands now, my pint is dry and that’s never a good thing.

Don’t forget to catch LWOS’s “Puckheads: The Hockey Show” on Last Word Radio every Wednesday at 10pm EST, featuring Ben Kerr and Max Vasilyev who will give you the full information on the lockout. Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport

NFL Week 14: Win, Spread, Over/Under and Game Score Predictions

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Forrest Doran

Welcome Back to The Sports Savant’s Weekly NFL Picks, Week 14 Edition!

Before we look at my picks for Week 14, let’s take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season…

*WEEK 13 RESULTS*

Winner: 8-8

Winner w/ Spread: 6-10

Over/Under: 5-11

———————————————

Trifecta: 1

Strikeouts: 5

Perfect Team Score Predictions: 2 (Chicago, Houston)

Perfect Game Score Predictions: 0

___________

*2012 Overall Record*

Winner: 122-69-1 (.638)

Winner w/ Spread: 96-91-5 (.513)

Over/Under: 100-85-7 (.541)

——————————————–

Trifecta: 49

Strikeouts: 35

Perfect Team Score Predictions: 21 [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 7]: St. Louis, Tampa Bay [Week 9]: Miami, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arizona [Week 11]: Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis
[Week 12]: San Francisco [Week 13]:Chicago, Houston

Perfect Game Score Predictions: 2 [Week 9]: Arizona @ Green Bay [Week 11]: Carolina v. Tampa Bay

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 14, NFL picks…

Oakland v. Denver(-10) (o/u 48.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Oakland with points; Denver to win ~ 28-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

Baltimore @ Washington(-2.5) (o/u 47.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Baltimore to win ~ 27-24
Over/Under Pick: Over

Kansas City @ Cleveland(-7) (o/u 38)
Savant Spread Pick: Kansas City with points; Cleveland to win ~ 17-16
Over/Under Pick: Under

San Diego @ Pittsburgh(-8) (o/u 39.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Pittsburgh and the points to win ~ 23-13
Over/Under Pick: Under

Tennessee @ Indianapolis(-5.5) (o/u 46.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Indianapolis and the points to win ~ 26-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

Jacksonville v. New York(A)(-3) (o/u 38.5)
Savant Spread Pick: New York and the points to win ~ 16-10
Over/Under Pick: Under

Minnesota v. Chicago(-3) (o/u 39)
Savant Spread Pick: Minnesota to win ~ 20-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

Carolina v. Atlanta(-3.5) (o/u 48)
Savant Spread Pick: Carolina to win ~ 23-21
Over/Under Pick: Under

Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay(-7.5) (o/u 47.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Tampa Bay and the points to win ~ 31-20
Over/Under Pick: Over

St. Louis @ Buffalo(-3) (o/u 42.5)
Savant Spread Pick: St. Louis with points; Buffalo to win ~ 24-23
Over/Under Pick: Over

Dallas @ Cincinnati(-3.5) (o/u 46)
Savant Spread Pick: Cincinnati and the points to win ~ 24-21
Over/Under Pick: Under

Miami @ San Francisco(-11) (o/u 38.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Miami with points; San Francisco to win ~ 23-17
Over/Under Pick: Over

New Orleans @ New York(N)(-5) (o/u 53)
Savant Spread Pick: New York and the points to win ~ 31-24
Over/Under Pick: Over

Arizona @ Seattle(-10) (o/u 35.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Seattle and the points to win ~ 23-10
Over/Under Pick: Under

Detroit @ Green Bay(-6.5) (o/u 48.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Detroit with points; Green Bay to win ~ 26-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

Houston @ New England(-3.5) (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Houston to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Under

Arian Foster photo credit: AJ Guel Photography via photopin cc

Last Stand for Long-time NHL Stars?

Posted on December 8, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Here we are at a critical point in the NHL’s latest lockout, and I don’t think anyone can credibly state with any degree of certainty when it will end. In 2004-05 we lost an entire season, and with that we lost a number of NHL stars who never played another game after the lockout. Some of the Hockey Hall of Famers whos last game was in the 2003-04 season were Hockey Hall of Famers Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, and Adam Oates. Other long time NHL stars such as Vincent Damphousse, Shayne Corson, James Patrick, and Joe Juneau also played their final games that season.

Going into the new lockout, the question must be asked what future Hall of Famers may have played their last game if the lockout were to last the entire 2012-13 season. We have already seen a surefire Hall of Famer in Nicklas Lidstrom retire this off-season. However I don’t think his retirement can be seen as lockout related. There is also a good chance that we have seen Chris Pronger play his final game, but this is not lockout related either.

Now looking forward, what NHLers could see their careers end with a full season lockout though? Here are what I consider top candidates (based on their age, and their Hockey Hall of Fame Credentials) who may never have the pleasure of watching play hockey in the NHL again.

Jaromir Jagr: The 40 year old Jagr signed a one year deal with the Dallas Stars this summer. A two time Stanley Cup Champion, 5 time Scoring Champion, Former Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, and 3 time Ted Lindsay Award Winner (Best Player as voted by fellow players), Jagr has done it all in the NHL. In international play, he’s also an Olympic Gold Medallist and 2 time IIHF World Championship Gold Medalist. There is no doubt that he is a first ballot hall of famer. Jagr is the highest scoring European Player ever, holding the record for goals, assists and points. Jagr will play this season for Kladno in the Czech League, but at his age the question remains will he be back in 2013-14 if this season is lost? Either way, we’ve surely seen the last of Jagr’s famous mullet seen in the picture above, and thats hall of fame level hockey hair.

Teemu Selanne: The “Finnish Flash” is another NHL legend. He has scored 663 career goals and 1406 career points, and in the summer he signed to come back for one more year with the Anaheim Ducks. He won his long awaited Stanley Cup Championship in 2007. He’s a 3 time NHL goal scoring leader, and is tied with Alex Mogilny as the last NHLer to score 70 goals in a season scoring 76 in his incredible rookie season. On the international stage, Selanne has never won the big one, but the 3 time Olympic Medalist also holds the record for most points scored by an Olympic Men’s Hockey Player. Selanne owns virtually every record there is to own for the Anaheim Ducks franchise. He’s also a beloved player in Winnipeg and it was great to see him have an opportunity to play in front of the Jets faithful last season. Now a veteran of his third NHL lockout, lets hope we get just a few more games out of Selanne who is now 42 years old and surely close to the end of a surefire Hall of Fame career.

Daniel Alfredsson: The long time Senators Captain signed an extension this summer. The extension carries him through the 2013-14 season, but Alfredsson has even mused that the lockout may mean he has played his last game in the NHL. Alfredsson owns virtually every team record for the Senators and has been the face of that franchise and their captain for many years. With 416 goals and 1082 points in the dead puck era, Alfredsson is certainly a very good hall of fame candidate. While he is still searching for the Stanley Cup, Alfredsson does have NHL hardware in the form of both a Calder Trophy and King Clancy Trophy. He was also a member of the 2006 Swedish Olympic Team which won the Gold Medal in Torino. Turning 40 this month, the question of whether or not he has played his last game is a legitimate one given the circumstances. Ottawa fans certainly hope to see more of the NHL superstar.

Sergei Gonchar: The 38 year old defenceman has been playing this entire time as he was one of the first NHLers to sign a contract in Europe for the duration of the lockout (along with Evgeni Malkin) as he joined KHL team Metallurg Magnitogorsk. This started a trend as there are now over 200 NHLers playing on various European teams. Gonchar has been one of the premier offensive defencemen in the NHL over his 17 year NHL career, and has scored 748 career points in 1132 career games. In 2009 he signed to play with the Ottawa Senators, inking a three year deal , with the current season scheduled to be the last year of said contract. The question in the air. Will the aging Gonchar get another NHL deal for 2013-14? Will he even want one or prefer to stay in the KHL like so many other aging Russian stars have done later in their careers? Gonchar was a member of the 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and after winning the big one, I’m not sure if he’ll have much motivation to remain in the NHL after his third lockout.

Martin Brodeur: Brodeur signed a two year contract with the Devils this summer, so he’s been dropped a little further down my list as I think it is likely that he plans to be back for the 2013-14 season. Still a year away from the game could lead to Brodeur deciding that the effort needed to play at a World Class level yet again may not be worth it. Brodeur is among the greatest goalies of alltime and holds the NHL records for games played, wins, and shutouts. He has 3 Stanley Cup Championships, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, A World Cup Championship, a Calder Trophy, 4 Vezinas, and 5 Jennings Trophies. His mantle has seen more gold and silver than the cast of Pawn Stars (thats a reality show on History Television, stop having dirty thoughts). This year, when many thought he was finished, he led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. It would appear there is something left in Brodeur’s tank, but given that he is now 40 years old, the question is how much? If the season is cancelled it will be interesting to watch if Brodeur decides to get in shape and try to play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships this spring. A IIHF World Championship gold medal is the only major team award that is missing from the legend’s mantle.

Ray Whitney: The 40 year old was the leading scorer for the Phoenix Coyotes last season. This past summer, he signed a 2 year deal with the Dallas Stars, but given his age the question of how a year away from the game will effect him physically must be asked. Whitney won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, and has had a long career in the NHL, beating the odds and overcoming his diminutive size to put up points at stops in San Jose, Florida, Edmonton, Columbus, Detroit and Phoenix along the way. He was also a member of a Gold Medal Winning Team Canada at the 2003 IIHF World Championships. Whitney went over the 1000 point mark in his career late last season, and currently sits at 1003 career points. Stars fans can only hope he’ll get a chance to add to that total and will get a chance to play both this season and next. I’ve put Whitney close to the bottom of this list as I believe that even at his age he’s got quite a bit left in the tank and put his chances of retiring due to the lockout relatively low.

Saku Koivu: Yes I know, the others are all Hockey Hall of Fame candidates, and it is unlikely that Koivu fits in that category. However indulge me for a second here as Saku Koivu is one of my all time favorite players. In my opinion, Koivu’s return from cancer late in the 2001-02 season and in the 2002 playoffs was one of the most inspiring moments in recent hockey history and has been an inspiration to many, many people suffering from this terrible disease. Koivu is a former Masterton Trophy and Clancy Trophy winner, as well as a three time Olympic Medalist and a World Championship Gold Medalist.Carrying the mantle of Captain for the most storied franchise in the NHL for 10 NHL seasons, he is the second longest serving captain in team history. The 2004-05 lockout robbed him of the ability to say he was the captain for 11 seasons and the longest serving captain in Team History. Now the soon to be 38 year old Koivu can only hope that another lockout doesn’t rob him of the chance to finish his NHL career on his terms. In Koivu’s case, its not just age that has slowed him down, as he unfortunately has a long injury history on top of the battle with cancer, with the worst of those injuries being to his knees, and robbing him of some of the speed he showed in the earliest stages of his NHL career.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordBKerr 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.

Old Bull vs Young Calf – John Stockton vs Rajon Rondo

Posted on December 7, 2012March 20, 2017 by Kaine Elmy

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the first edition of ‘Old Bull vs Young Calf’; a weekly article comparing and contrasting one modern day NBA player to a past superstar. How do their games compare? Does one have the edge? We always appreciate feedback, so feel free to leave comments below, or head over to our NEW forums and start up a conversation.

This week I will be comparing Boston Celtics star point-guard Rajon Rondo and Dream Team member, John Stockton.

John Stockon (6 ft. 1 inches) has a career total of 19,711 points (13.1 per game) with an astonishing 15,806 assists (10.5 per game). Stockton holds the all-time record for assists and is just under four thousand assists above second place Jason Kidd. Rajon Rondo, also 6 ft. 1 inches, averages 10.9 points and 8.2 assists per game throughout his career with the Celtics. Rajon Rondo recently had a 37-game streak snapped in which he achieved double-digit assists; coincidentally, equalling John Stockton’s second place record.

Rondo has been dominating all-time assist records and has been doing so with ease. In 2010, Rondo broke the record for most assists in a triple-double against the New York Knicks with an incredible 24 assists. The same year, Rondo broke the record set by John Stockton in 1989 for the most assists in five consecutive games with a total of 82.

Stockton holds the career record for steals with a total of 3265; an average of 2.2 per game. While Rondo averages 1.9, he is light years away from Stockton’s record that was achieved over a 19 year career. Stockton held the record for most steals in a season twice, while Rondo holds it once. While debatable, it is arguable Rondo, two time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team, is actually a better defender than Stockton. This can be due to his much larger wingspan than Stockton, which clearly gives him in advantage in rebounding and shot blocking as well.

So there we have it folks; all the cards are on the table. Who would you choose to have on your team and why? With such uncanny similarities, it is hard to distinguish a better player between the two. My verdict? The winner of the first ‘Old Bull vs Young Calf’ is the Old Bull, John Stockton.. His pure passing and relentless attitude surpasses Rondo’s immaturity, regardless of his place as a top point guard in the league today. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments below.

And that is the last word…

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012