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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

Euro Football Weekend Rundown

Posted on by Luciano Giuliano

Welcome back for another Euro Football roundup. This week features Bayern Munich who took on Borussia Dortmund in a battle between first and third in the Bundesliga. PSG continues to lose pace in Ligue 1 while Lyon are back on top. Manchester United take top spot in the Premiership and Chelsea continues to plummet. Here are the stories in more detail…

4) German Derby ends in a draw

This is the fourth time in this calendar year that these sides have met. It is a battle of first and third in the Bundesliga, but it isn’t really a top of the table clash seeing that Bayern Munich is currently eight points ahead of second place Bayer Leverkusen and 11 in front of Dortmund.

With this result, Bayern extended their winless streak to five matches with a 1-1 draw at the Allianz against Lewandowski and Co. Jupp Heyneckes’ men took the lead halfway through the second half after Toni Kroos, who received a pass from Thomas Muller, dribbled past Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels and unleashed a low left-foot hammer into the bottom corner.

Shortly after, the men in black and yellow equalised. Reus’ corner from the right was headed away by Mario Mandzukic but only to Goetze, who had space and time to chest the ball down and strike into the bottom-right corner.

Both sides are doing very well in domestic league as well as the Champions League where Dortmund are leading group D (the group of ‘death’ with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax) by three points and will most likely remain first whereas Munich are currently level on points with Valencia with 10 points.

The Germans continue to perform well in Europe where it counts. As a result, this will continue to improve their UEFA clubs rankings.

3) PSG drops to fourth while Lyon extends lead at the top

Lyon have made an incredible climb to the top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win against Montpellier.   Club leading goalscorer and runner-up so far Bafetimbi Gomis bagged the only goal in this fixture. Gomis collected his 10th of the season and is now three shy of league leader Zlatan Ibrahimovic. With this victory, Lyon were able to jump ahead of second place Marseille by three points. Les Gones are playing very well and are aiming to remain first to claim another French league title.

Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, are slowly descending the standings as they now find themselves in fourth place. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are not clicking at the moment. At the weekend, Nice became the latest side to upset the capital club after completing a 2-1 victory. Ibrahimovic had equalized for the Parisians six minutes after Eric Bautheac gave Nice the lead. But then Valentin Eysseric’s impressive right-footed volley won it for Nice, handing PSG their first away defeat of the season.

Monday, Ancelotti questioned his players’ attitude stated “my players don’t make a team. They’re still a group of individuals. We still don’t have any consistency in our game. It’s neither solid nor unified. The work of a coach is to find a solution very quickly”. He goes on to say that he feels that the club’s project and problems in the team’s play does not concern the players. The Italian tactician is also fearing the axe seeing that his men has only picked up four points from their last five Ligue 1 matches while they were also knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue by Saint-Etienne last week. Daily newspaper Le Parisien reports that Jose Mourinho remains the club’s target while L’Equipe claims sources close to PSG have confirmed that there are talks with former Barcelona chief Pep Guardiola.

If PSG’s owners are anything like Roman Abramovich, then Carlo Ancelotti has something to worry about. Good thing they are already qualified for the second round of the CL.

2) Man United extend with Man City blip

The Red Devils extend their lead at the top of the EPL to three points with an emphatic 4-3 victory against Reading on Saturday in which all seven goals occurred in the first half. You wouldn’t think so much that Sir Alex Ferguson’s men would have such trouble to put a team to bed that is currently placed in second last, but it was certainly a battle for Man United with Reading putting in a great performance.

A few weeks back, the observation that the Old Trafford boys were quickly becoming ‘comeback kings’ was made and this fixture confirms their title as Man United twice came-from-behind to secure victory albeit including another penalty.

Reading took the lead on eight minutes when Jonny Evans headed a precise Jobi McAnuff cross into the path of Robson-Kanu who volleyed past Anders Lindegaard.

At the 13th minute, Anderson levelled for the visitors after a one-two with Ashley Young. Three minutes later, Man United took the lead through a Wayne Rooney penalty – yet another penalty for the Red Devils – 2-1 Man U.

On 19 minutes, Reading equalised with United fan Adam Le Fondre wriggled free of Evans in the area to head home a Nicky Shorey corner. Moments later, Sean Morrison beat Evans to a corner and powered a close-range header past Man U ‘keeper Lindegaard – 3-2 Reading.

At the half hour mark, Young freed Patrice Evra down the left and his low cross was tucked away by Rooney to make it 3-3. Four minutes later, Michael Carrick’s through-ball was deflected into the path of Robin Van Persie by a cheeky Rooney touch and the Dutchman slotted home past Federici with his weaker right foot – 4-3 Red Devils.

It was a very exciting half hour indeed. The rest of the match was played in high tempo as well with both sides wasting several chances.

Man United continue to lead with 36 points. Reading is in last place with only nine points.

1) Rafa’s Chelsea start is an abysmal reality

Chelsea, a team that fellow Premiership clubs feared would win the title this year, is now
winless in the last seven rounds in league play and is quickly falling off pace. With the Champions League around the corner and qualification still up for grabs, Rafael Benitez has no choice but to smarten up his game plan and direct his men back to victory which, one would think, should not be too difficult a task seeing that Nordsjaelland is coming to town on Wednesday. In order to qualify, the Blues desperately need a victory and also require Juventus to lose their crucial match with Shaktar Donetsk in the Ukraine.

Returing back to the EPL, Benitez has led the Stamford Bridge side for three games now from which the Blues have only collected a total of two points – 0-0 draws against Manchester City and Fulham, followed by a 3-1 thump by West Ham United this past weekend. This string of results is certainly burning the stomach of the impatient Russian owner, Roman Abramovich who demands consistent excellence in all competitions from his players and coaches. Therefore, falling off the pace in the EPL by ten points + an almost impossible CL second round qualification = Rafa Benitez will soon be axed. You can bet your entire life savings that if Chelsea loses to Nordsjaelland, Abramovich will most likely sack the Spaniard. This has led Benitez himself to expect a sacking after he was asked if he feared for his job, he was quoted saying, “No, I am not 100 per cent. We didn’t win today – that is the main thing.”

During the West Ham – Chelsea match, the fans made their feelings known, chanting, “You’re not welcome here” followed by “You’re getting sacked in the morning”, in addition to the continuous chants requesting Roberto Di Matteo to be reinstated.

Chelsea is now involved in a three-way tie for third place with Tottenham and West Brom all on 26 points.

NFL Gamechangers, Week 13

Posted on by Ben Kerr

NFL Gamechangers, the column that brings you the biggest plays that you won’t see on the highlights. These are the plays and players that changed the outcome of the games this weekend, but really don’t get the fanfare or hype that they deserve given their key role in the outcome of the game. Of course touchdowns are important, but these are plays that help to set up those touchdowns and give a team momentum throughout the course of the day.

credit: Kickology, CC

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons:  Momentum was a huge factor in this game.  Early on it was all Falcons, as Atlanta used some impressive drives led by Matt Ryan, and key interceptions of Drew Brees, and turned those into a 17-0 second quarter lead.  The Saints chipped away at that lead, eventually making it 17-13 and seemed to have all the momentum headed into the fourth quarter.  Early in the fourth, Matt Bryant made a short Field Goal and restored the Falcons lead to a touchdown, but it would be his next kick with 4:25 to play that was absolutely clutch.  After a stalled Falcons drive, Bryant lined up for a 55 yard kick, and if he missed this long try, the Saints would have excellent field position, needing just a touchdown to tie the game and complete the comeback.  However if Bryant were to make the long kick, it would be a two score game, and essentially ice the win and make the Falcons 11-1. Bryant was clutch, putting the kick right dead centre of the uprights and sealing the victory for Atlanta.  He had a rough week a couple weeks ago, but for the most part Bryant has been clutch all year for the Falcons, and it shows in the number of close victories that Atlanta has pulled out.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears: The Seahawks were leading this one 17-14 with just 20 seconds left and had the Bears pinned back deep at their own 14 yard line.  We’ve seen this happen on many occassions, the only thing that can burn the Seahawks at this point is the big play and so they were playing 3 deep zone in the ultimate prevent defence.  Despite that Brandon Marshall was able to get open for a 56 yard pass from Jay Cutler.  This wasn’t a jump ball that a great wide receiver made a great catch on, as can so often be the case where these last second hail mary type plays work.  Marshall was quite simply wide open and even gained more yards after the catch, turning it into a 56 yard play and setting up a game tying Field Goal for the Bears.  Pete Carroll was fuming at his defence as there is absolutely no way a receiver should get that open, and be able to make this kind of game changer, given the score and the situation.

credit: Larry Maurer, wiki commons

Overtime: The Seahawks drove the first possession of overtime down the field, eventually ending up with a 3rd and 10 at Bears 25.  A stop here would force the Seahawks into the field goal, and give the Bears the chance to again tie the game, or even win it in OT.  Rookie Quarterback Russell Wilson was in trouble forced to scramble out of the pocket to avoid the ferocious Bears pass rush.  He found Doug Baldwin open on the left side of the field for a 15 yard gain, and the first down.  It was a great scramble by Wilson to keep the play alive and a great job by Baldwin in following his quarterback and giving him a big target to hit.  One play later the Seahawks won the game on a Wilson to Sidney Rice touchdown toss, but without this play, it would have been a Field Goal and the Bears still would’ve had the chance to tie or win the game.

Arizona Cardinals @ New York Jets: Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was just having an awful day in this one, just 10 of 21 passing for 97 yards and 3 interceptions.  It was late in the third quarter and the Jets were losing 3-0 when finally coach Rex Ryan pulled the plug on his em battered starting QB.  With Tim Tebow unavailable due to injury, Ryan brought in third string Quarterback Greg McElroy who led the Jets down the field going 5/7 passing and hitting Jeff Cumberland for a go ahead (and eventually game winning touchdown).  Is this the changing of the guard, and the end of the Sanchez era in New York?  Only time will tell, but this was certainly the right move on a day where Sanchez just didn’t have it.

credit: Mark Susina, Wiki Commons

Indianapolis Colts @ Detroit Lions:  The Colts came from 12 points down with under 3 minutes remaining to win this game over Detroit.  It was certainly an exciting finish with Andrew Luck capping off his 391 yards passing and 4 touchdown day, with a game winning 14 yard TD pass to Donnie Avery on 4th down and with no time left on the clock.  And while Andrew Luck gets our game changer this week, it wasn’t for what he did with his arms, it was a great play to keep the game winning drive alive that he made with his legs.  With 37 seconds left, and the ball at the Detroit 40 yard line, Luck was pressured in the pocket and couldn’t find an open man down the field.  Poised, Luck scrambled to his right and took off for 16 yards down the sideline, getting the first down and stopping the clock by getting out of bands.  We all know how great Andrew Luck is and has been this season, and there have been a ton of comparisons between him and Peyton Manning, but I think football fans have to remember that Luck actually is far more mobile than Manning has ever been, and he has another dimension to his game, and it certainly helped him in engineering this victory for the Colts.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens: This was a game full of momentum swings, and to no one’s surprise, those momentum changing plays were turnovers.  With the score tied at 13, Charlie Batch found Emmanuel Sanders wide open on a crossing route.  He took the ball into Baltimore territory and there was not a Raven within 10 yards of him as he looked to have the room to run for a lot more.  Inexplicably though, Sanders fumbled shortly after crossing the mid-field stripe. There was no one near him, and absolutely no reason for the fumble.  This mistake would prove costly for the Steelers as Ed Reed would recover the Fumble, and a little over 2 minutes later Ray Rice was waltzing into the Steelers Endzone for the go ahead score.

With 11 minutes left it appeared the Ravens had all the momentum and were well on their way to sealing the game.  The Steelers had threatened, but an ill-advised pass by Charlie Batch led to an Ed-Reed interception in the endzone and seemed to seal the deal for the Ravens.  However on the ensuing possession, James Harrison would be our game changer, getting to Joe Flacco on a 3rd and 5 at the Baltimore 32 yard line and stripping him of the ball.  The fumble was recovered by Zach Hood and the Steelers had great field position.  This would give the Steelers the spark they needed and a Heath Miller Touchdown would tie the game on this drive.  A few minutes later it was Sean Suisham winning the game on a last second field goal.  We say it all the time, but Turnovers are monster plays in the NFL, week in and week out.

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's Half Empty: The Arsene Wenger Conundrum

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN
credit: Paul Blank, Wiki Commons

Look, being a disgruntled fan is just what I am – it’s not easy, but someone’s gotta do it.  And to add salt on my open wounds I happen to be a Gooner.  I’ll take your sympathy – I have no shame.

Believe me, it’s not easy these days, and judging by the healthy crowd outside the Emirates in the wake of one of the poorest showings by any Wenger-led Arsenal squad on Saturday vs. the Swans (I mean the very name is irritating), I am far from alone. The pint, as they say, is half-empty for many Gunner pundits.  Speaking of which, anyone have Piers Morgan as a follow on Twitter?  He makes me feel like Merri Sunshine, whoever that is.

See, Arsene Wenger has enjoyed a stranglehold on the club for an eternity – only Fergie has been managing for his club longer and he seems a relic (A relic any club would want I’d imagine).  Wenger has been, for the most part, unchallenged until the last couple of years. Why?  Simple.  The sheen of the new stadium is wearing off, and the club is closing in on a decade of trophy-less play.  Not good.

Of course not everyone was terribly excited about the move from their historic Highbury home (my weak attempt at alliteration), but at least the prospect of a nice shiny new place to watch the “Kings of North London” was exciting enough to look at.  And their was the promise of fiscal responsibility…blah blah blah.  But now, now is different.  The stadium is worked in, and the team continues to struggle.  Something, or someone, is gonna blow up.

I must throw some caution to the wind – this is still a decent enough team.  By season’s end there is still a shot at finishing in a yet another Champions League season next year in what has become an all-too-familiar “battle for fourth”.  So what’s the problem with that?  Much like that ugly dog-like monster guarding the Philosopher’s Stone in the first installment of the Harry Potter series (sorry, lost a bet to include a HP reference), there is a three-headed problem at the Emirates.

When the team moved from Highbury it was not so far removed from one the greatest seasons in the history of English football – the “Invincibles” of course.  The standard set through the late 90’s and the turn on the century was high, thanks to the likes of Dennis, Thierry, Jens, Sol, Robert, Patrick, and Freddie.  The bar was set very high, and expectations for results were very real.  A winning attitude was developed amongst the team and its fans.  But since, the results have been sub-standard in comparison.

In the last several years, I believe few fans would argue that the club hasn’t been in a serious position to challenge for either Champions League or the Premier League trophy.  There have been fantastic players over the years, don’t get me wrong.  That in itself is part of the second issue: the revolving door of world-class players.

credit: Wonker, wiki CC

When Cesc Fabregas (I won’t include that Samir guy – they are not level) left a couple of years ago it was like a punch in the stomach that you could see coming from a mile away.  The whispers of his departure were really revving up in the year leading up to his departure.  But when the news finally broke of him leaving to the Camp Nou, you could just feel it was a sign.  He wasn’t only the best player, but he was the captain – the team wasn’t even close to the same when he wasn’t on the pitch.

Just as quickly, people were looking to the next in-line to rule the Emirates roost, Robin van Persie, who of course delivered.  But the smell of “would he stay or would he go” lingered like rotten flesh or flatulence after a night of pints.  I would venture to guess that the majority of fans in the months leading to his departure would have said they thought he would indeed test other waters.  Basically, I’m saying few were surprised.  So just as those Invincibles built that winning mentality, a few seasons without a trophy, and the sale of the two cornerstones to the franchise, toppled it just as quickly.  For shame.  What was a surprise, at least for me, was the departure of Alex Song.  That was a kick in the groin on a cold day.

Now the third reason Arsenal fans are upset is that we have heard from Stan, Ivan and Arsene over the past year or so that the team has money to spend.  There are several notable holes in the absence of #4 and $10 (the old one, not Jack – though Jack’s injury left a hole as well) – Who is going to score?  How are we going to shore up the back-end?  Do we have or need a defensive mid after Alex Song’s departure?

Wenger’s answer to those questions was to sign three bargain players (see below) – nice enough players who he got for great deals.  He asked Mikel Arteta to fill Song’s shoes, and decided to give playing time to Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson.  He continues to rely on Gervinho, God knows why, and the Ox, who in all fairness is still very green.

While I am a huge Lukas Podolski fan, even before he joined his mates in North London, and Oliver Giroud seems to be rounding into form and Santi Cazorla was an absolute steal, they are excellent components, not leaders.  That is to say had they been signed in conjunction with RvP re-signing or, going back an extra year, Cesc, they would be a serious contender for both Champions League and Premier League trophies.  I think the team is screaming for someone to grab it by its horns, and thus far it hasn’t happened.  Few would entertain Theo filling that void either, while we’re on the topic.

Are Cazorla + Podolski + Giroud better than Robin van Persie?  Absolutely.  Are the same better than RvP + Cesc + Song (and yes, +Nasri)?  Dear lord, no.

Dangerously, Arsenal have been very upfront over the past two weeks since announcing a mammoth deal with Emirates that instantly makes them one of the three most lucrative clubs in England.  They have said they are now in the position to compete with other big clubs for talent, which seems like a good thing, but very much is a double edge sword.

So what to do with Arsene Wenger?  Clearly he is not in an enviable position.  Given that the team is based on London the microscope is already in full zoom.  If he doesn’t win a transfer target, and I mean a legitimate target, in January, then the pressure is going to mount to the breaking point.  The problem is that team’s usually overpay in January.  Already the natives are restless, and they are begging for a sacrifice.

With my glass half-empty,

Cheers.

Follow me on Twitter – @TwoLeftCleats

Don’t forget to catch me on the radio every Monday at 10pm EST for “World Football Roundtable“.  If you can’t catch us live, you can access archived shows at our Radio homepage, or on iTunes podcast.

2013 NHL Draft: November Rankings Honorable Mentions

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of them here.

Today I finish my early look at the 2013 NHL draft with the honorable mentions to my top 30 rankings.  The next group of players who are just knocking on the door for a first round ranking.  They are listed in alphabetical order, not by ranking.

If someone obvious is missing off the list (especially a European player) chances are i haven’t seen enough to properly rank him yet. I often use the World Juniors, the Five Nations, and the Under 18s as my reference point for ranking some of these players as Euro tapes are hard to come by. That said guys like Barkov, Nikushkin, and Lindholm who were seen last season (or in 4 nations events, or the Subway Super Series) will be included.

I have done this ranking in four parts this week.
1-10 is available by clicking here.
11-20 are here.
Rankings 21-30 are here.

Without further ado, the honorable mentions…

Chris Bigras, Defence, Owen Sound Attack (6’0, 174 lbs):  Has been a key spark to the Owen Sound Attack offence this season with 1 goal and 17 assists for 18 points in 27 games.  He is an extremely smart player with outstanding instincts and positioning.  Bigras is extremely poised with the puck and makes hard, crisp tape to tape passes, both on the breakout and on the powerplay.  He is defensively solid, using his  strong positioning and good instincts to their full advantage.  Skating wise, he has good pivots, edgework, and balance, but could stand to work on his top end speed.  He also needs work on his shot from the point going forward.   Still a very good, steady 2 way defender.  One of those well rounded players who can be used in every situation that every team would love to have.

credit Gzbhow, flickr CC

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Right Wing, Portland Winterhawks (5’10, 164 lbs): Portland’s first round selection in the 2012 CHL import draft, this young and talented Dane has come in and made an immediate impression for the first place Winterhawks with 13 goals and 23 points in 25 games. He has a very heavy wrist shot and an excellent release which he uses to snipe goals coming down the wing on a rush, or setting up at the top of the circles or in the slot in the offensive zone. A tad undersized, Bjorkstrand is a quick skater, and is very shifty avoiding hits from defenders. He has outstanding stickhandling and is tough to knock off the puck and his agility and quickness allow him to elude defenders and buy time to make plays for teammates. A player who could easily find his way into the first round with a productive WHL playoff run (and in Portland he is playing on a team that is a favorite to go deep in those playoffs). He definitely needs to bulk up though, and that might take some time before he’s ready for pro hockey.

Eric Comrie, Goalie, Tri-City Americans (6’1″ 170lbs): The son of “The Brick” founder Bill Comrie, and the brother of NHLer Mike Comrie (aka Mr. Hillary Duff), Eric Comrie looks to keep the famous Canadian last name in the news.  After seeing Comrie play 31 games last season Tri-City traded incumbent starter Ty Rimmer handing the number 1 job to Comrie this season.  He’s taken the bull by the horns, and has a 15-10-2 record with 2 shutouts, a .915 save percentage, and a 2.55 goals against average this season.  Comrie has decent size and good technique as a hybrid goalie.  He has very good lateral movement and his quick legs do a great job of taking away the bottom of the net, while a good glove works to take away the top portions.  Comrie plays an agressive style and comes out far to cut down angles and take away net from shooters.  He was part of Team Canada’s Gold Medal winning squad at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament splitting time with Zachary Fucale in the net.

Alex Forsberg, Centre, Prince George Cougars (5’11, 184 lbs): Sharing a famous surname, Forsberg is not related to either Peter or even Filip Forsberg.  In fact, he’s not even Swedish, as he was born in Saskatchewan.  Still Alex Forsberg was the 1st overall pick in the 2011 WHL Draft.  Since that time he’s been a bit disappointing, as he hasn’t really taken the next step in the WHL.  I had him as a possible 1st rounder before the start of the campaign, but Forsberg is falling down the boards with his 15 points in 25 games and -18 so far this season.  Granted he’s in a tough role playing on a weak Prince George squad, but even then, he just leaves you wanting more.  Consistency is a huge factor, and if he can find it, Forsberg has the skill to move up quickly.  At his best, Forsberg, is a smart centre with high hockey IQ who makes the smart play in the offensive zone. He is extremely talented with the puck on his stick and has a wide array of nifty moves and dangles to help him beat opponents one on one.  He also has excellent vision and the ability to thread the puck through the eye of a needle.  An all around offensive force, Forsberg also has a hard wrist shot and quick release.  He does need some work on his defensive game.

credit: South Shore Mustangs

Ryan Graves, Defence, PEI Rocket (6’4″ 225lbs): Blessed with tremendous size, Graves is a strong defensive defenceman. He is very mobile, and uses decent speed, good edgework and strong pivots to get himself into good positions to block shots, and cut down passing lanes in the defensive zone. He’s also been willing to fight when necessary and has done well in this department the past two years. In order to break into the first round, I would like to see a bit more of a mean streak along the boards and a few more big hits. It would also be nice to see him show some more offence. He is a good passer in his own end, and starts the rush well.  While the offence is better this season with 8 assists in 27 games (as compared to 9 points in 62 games last year), he still isn’t showing much of a two way game going forward.  However given his size and defensive prowess he’s a good bet in the 2nd round right now.

Robert Hagg, Defence, Modo (6’2″ 201lbs):  Hagg is one of the players I found toughest to actually rank at this point.  Hagg was part of Sweden’s team at the U18 World Championships last spring, and in the Ivan Hlinka tournament this summer.  I have seen a bit of him in those tournaments, but would like a longer look before giving him a ranking.  He has a chance to make Sweden’s WJC squad this month, so I’ll be hoping to see more there.  From what I have seen, Hagg is an excellent skater who loves to join the rush.  He can score off the rush or on the powerplay with a hard accurate shot.  Hagg makes good crisp passes out of his own end of the rink and with the man advantage.  He has shown to be able to use his size to make him an imposing defender on the blue line.  He’s certainly someone who could rise into the first round (and quite high) of my rankings once I have more viewings of him.

Stephen Harper, Left Wing, Erie Otters (6’1 194 lbs):  Harper has excellent size and skating ability. He is extremely solid on his skates and very difficult to knock off the puck.  He controls the puck well down low, and is great at working the cycle game.  He also shows good passing ability.  A goal scorer with a quick one timer, he’s been a bit disappointing with only 7 goals in 27 games after leading the Otters with 24 goals as a 16 year old.  Haper can climb back into the first round by providing some secondary scoring for an Erie Otters team that is desperate for anyone other than Connor McDavid and Connor Brown to hit the scoresheet up front.

Morgan Klimchuk,  Centre/Wing, Regina Pats (5’11” 180 lbs):  Klimchuk has had an outstanding start to the season for Regina, with 16 goals and 36 points in 29 games.  He is a natural sniper, gifted with a great wrist shot and an excellent one timer. His outstanding release fools and confuses goaltenders as he seems to have the puck in the back of the net before they know it. Klimchuk has good hockey sense and is able to find openings in the defence where he can set up his deadly shot. More than just a one trick pony though, Klimchuk works hard in the corners, often winning board battles despite the fact he is merely average size. He also does extremely well in the cycle game protecting the puck with his soft hands and excellent balance on his skates.  He is really pushing hard, and very nearly made the first round of these rankings.

Nick Sorensen, RW, Quebec Remparts (6’1″ 175 lbs):  The highly touted Dane was plagued with injuries as a rookie last season only playing in 8 games for the Remparts, but he made a statement by scoring 5 goals and 9 points in those 8 games. This season he’s played 22 games and has 9 goals and 24 points in that time.  He’s proving that he is well recovered from the MCL/ACL reconstruction he had last season.  Sorensen is regaining his quick and shifty skating, and excellent agility which allows him to avoid defenders.  He’s also showing a great wrist shot and a lightning quick release. He is extremely skilled and the more he plays and continues to score, the more he’ll rise up draft charts.

Jordan Subban, Defence, Belleville Bulls (5’10 177 lbs):  The third member of the Subban family, Jordan is a great skater, and is becoming a dangerous offensive weapon, with many of the same tools his brother P.K. showed while in Belleville. Jordan has put up 5 goals and 19 points in 28 games fro the Bulls this season. He has an excellent slapshot, and is great at one-timers. He also has great vision, and is quickly becoming the Bulls powerplay quarterback. Questions about his size will always plague him as he is listed at 5’10″ but can sometimes look even smaller than that out there.  However if he can add strength, and answer questions about his defensive ability he can move up draft boards very quickly.  Jordan certainly has the type of prodigious talent we’ve seen in his two older brothers.

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.

Things We Learned In College, Championship Week

Posted on by Lindsay Higgins

The regular season certainly went out with a bang! Several highly-anticipated matchups did not disappoint. Here’s what we learned:

-Georgia gave Alabama everything they had, and were ultimately done in by poor clock management. Had Aaron Murray spiked the ball at the end of the last drive, the Bulldogs could have gotten in two more plays. Instead, Murray a) didn’t spike the ball, and b) threw far short of the end zone. An unfortunate end to one of the best games I’ve seen in awhile.

-The Tide had to wage a comeback of sorts, as their first five possessions ended thus: Punt, punt, lost fumble, punt, INT. It’s not every day you see a team start that way and win the game.

credit: Matthew Tosh, Wiki CC

-For the first time in SEC Championship history, two teammates (Alabama’s Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon) each rushed for over 100 yards.  The Alabama offensive line was blowing huge holes in the Georgia front, especially in the second half.

-So Alabama will almost certainly be the team to face Notre Dame in the BCS Title Game. Should be another good one.

-Wisconsin finished third in their division, and were only in the Big Ten Championship because of NCAA sanctions to Ohio State and Penn State. So what they do? Just go out and beat Legends Division champ Nebraska 70-31. They scored a TD on their opening drive, and followed it up with a pick-6 on the Huskers’ first possession. At halftime, the score was already 42-10, and the Badgers had 400 yards of offense. Just insane. Wisconsin will face Pac-12 champ Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

-Unfortunately, the final result is going to overshadow Taylor Martinez’ ridiculous 76-yard TD run in the first quarter. It’s not on youtube (yet), but if you haven’t seen it, go to espn.com and watch the highlights from the game.

-Louisville beat Rutgers on Thursday, meaning they should be headed to a BCS Bowl.

-Congratulations to Northern Illinois on their MAC title. The MAC plays better football than I think a lot of people realize. I didn’t get to watch much of the game, but from the highlights it looks to have been a good one.

-Congrats also to Tulsa on winning their first Conference USA title since 2005.

-Oklahoma survived missing a field goal, followed by a late drive by TCU, to earn a share of the Big 12 title. By virtue of Kansas State’s win over Texas, the Sooners and Wildcats are co-champions. Oklahoma is now eyeing a possible BCS at-large bid.

-Baylor’s win over Oklahoma State will likely drop the Cowboys out of the Top 25.

-Florida State escaped Georgia Tech to emerge with an unsurprising ACC Title.  It would appear that they are headed to the Orange Bowl with the victory.

It’s been a fantastic college football season, and it’s not over yet! Stay tuned for Bowl game coverage both here on our site, and on the last word radio network.

Feel free to leave your comments below and you can follow me on twitter @lastwordLindsay.

NFL Week 13: Win, Spread, Over/Under and Game Score Predictions

Posted on by Forrest Doran

Welcome Back to The Sports Savant’s Weekly NFL Picks, Week 13 Edition!

Week 12 was a regrettable week of picks to win for The Sports Savant.  With a 8-8 record picking the winner last week, it ties the worst mark I’ve had in my time picking every NFL game, but thankfully it continued my streak of never having finished under .500 in any week of picks to win since I began picking NFL games.  What was most disheartening about Week 12 was a number of very close games that went against my picks including a one point loss for the Bucs vs. the Falcons and that ridiculous 4th and 29 that the Ravens converted with two minutes left in regulation to extend the game and eventually win against the Chargers in OT who I had picked to win.

The silver lining though was a nice record with the spread.  9-5-2 is a real solid record against the spread and makes lots of money if done consistently.  I’m proud to say my spread picks have been over .500 for several weeks in a row so if you’ve been playing my spread picks, you’ve been doing quite well.  A fair showing at 8-8 in the over/under was good enough to keep my red hot 56.2 percentage on the year, but I’m always looking to improve and improving is the plan for Week 13!

Before we look at my picks for Week 12, let’s take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season…

*WEEK 12 RESULTS*

Winner: 8-8 
Winner w/ Spread: 9-5-2
Over/Under: 8-8
———————————————
Trifecta: 3
Strikeouts: 4
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 1 (San Francisco)
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 0
___________
*2012 Overall Record*
Winner: 114-61-1 (.651)
Winner w/ Spread: 90-81-5 (.526)
Over/Under: 95-74-7 (.562)
——————————————–

Trifecta: 48
Strikeouts: 30
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
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.com
LOCKS: 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 13, NFL picks…

New Orleans @ Atlanta(-3.5)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: New Orleans to win ~ 27-24
Over/Under Pick: Over

Seattle @ Chicago(-3.5)  (o/u 37.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Chicago and the points to win ~ 17-10
Over/Under Pick: Under

Minnesota @ Green Bay(-8)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Minnesota with the points; Green Bay and the points to win ~ 27-20
Over/Under Pick: Over

St. Louis v. San Francisco(-7)  (o/u 40)
Savant Spread Pick: San Francisco and the points to win ~ 27-17
Over/Under Pick: Over

Arizona @ New York(A)(-4.5)  (o/u 37)
Savant Spread Pick: Arizona to win ~ 17-16
Over/Under Pick: Under

Kansas City v. Carolina(-3)  (o/u 40.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Carolina and the points to win ~ 20-13
Over/Under Pick: Under

Indianapolis @ Detroit(-5)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Indianapolis with the points; Detroit to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Under

Jacksonville @ Buffalo(-6)  (o/u 44.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Jacksonville with the points; Buffalo to win ~ 21-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

Miami v.  New England(-7.5)  (o/u 51.5)
Savant Spread Pick: New England and the points to win ~ 31-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

Tennessee v. Houston(-6)  (o/u 47)
Savant Spread Pick: Tennessee with the points; Houston to win ~ 24-20
Over/Under Pick: Under

Tampa Bay @ Denver(-7)  (o/u 50.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Denver and the points to win ~ 27-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

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

Oakland v. Cleveland(-1.5)  (o/u 41.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Oakland to win ~ 16-13
Over/Under Pick: Under

San Diego v. Cincinnati(-1.5)  (o/u 46)
Savant Spread Pick: Cincinnati and the points to win ~ 24-19
Over/Under Pick: Under

Philadelphia @ Dallas(-10)  (o/u 43)
Savant Spread Pick: Philadelphia with the points; Dallas to win ~ 26-17
Over/Under Pick: Under

Washington @ New York(N)(-2.5)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Washington to win ~ 27-26
Over/Under Pick: Over

World Junior Championship: Sweden's Problems, and Potential Solutions

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. If you missed any of my previous articles you can find a complete listing of them here.

In the last few weeks Sweden has suffered three major blows to their World Junior Championship Roster.  Three key pieces have been lost, two due to injury; and one as it was announced he would not be released from his AHL club.  These three players were key contributors to last year’s World Junior Squad, and expected to take a big role this year.

Yesterday it was announced that Mika Zibanejad, the Senators prospect and outstanding 2 way center who scored the Golden Goal for Sweden last year would not be released by the Senators from his AHL obligations to participate in the tournament.  Sweden has also seen its top 2 defencemen from last year’s tournament both lost due to injury.  Edmonton prospect Oscar Klefbom has an injured shoulder which requires surgery and will keep him out for the tournament.  Meanwhile Jonas Brodin has been confirmed to have a broken clavicle which will keep him out for the tournament.

A few weeks ago I previewed Sweden’s World Junior Squad, and called them a gold medal contender.  This preview can be found by clicking here.  And the Swedes will still ice a strong squad which will feature the likes of Filip Forsberg, Sebastian Collberg, Pontus Aberg, Elias Lindholm, Hampus Lindholm, Ludvig Bystrom, and Oscar Dansk who were featured in the piece.  Today I look at players who will be asked to play a bigger role given the latest news, and see if Sweden can still be a gold medal contender next month in Ufa, Russia.

Forwards:  The Swedes have a ton of depth up front and while the loss of Zibanejad is pretty big, they should be able to mitigate it somewhat through promoting some of their other talented centres.

credit: Resolute, Wiki Commons

Victor Rask, Centre, Calgary Hitmen: The Carolina Hurricanes second round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Entry draft was recently returned to the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, where he scored 33 goals and 63 points in 64 games last season.  After a short audition with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL (5 points in 10 games), he now has four points in his first four games back in Calgary.  Rask is a strong two-way player, and will now be leaned on for much of the ice time that the Swedes were counting on getting from Zibanejad.  He is a big and strong centre who can score goals due to his great puckhandling skill, and good shot and release.  He also has decent vision and playmaking ability especially when working down low in the offensive zone.  Rask may be a downgrade from Zibanejad, but he is still a very good player who will help fill that hole at centre for the Swedes.  He will certainly find himself flanked by talented wingers, as that is no doubt the strength of this squad.

Erik Karlsson, Centre, Frolunda: No Ottawa fans, not THAT Erik Karlsson.  This Erik Karlsson is a Centre, drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 4th round of this June’s NHL draft.  Given the injury to Zibanejad a door to play on an offensive line may have opened up for Karlsson.  He may be a bit undersized, but Karlsson is offensively talented  with good skating and a good motor. He is a high energy guy who always keeps his feet moving. Karlsson is strong on the puck and likes to hit, but needs more size to be effective. Look for Karlsson to be a pass first type of player, and his skills definitely lead to him being more a playmaker than a scorer.

Defence: The Swedish defence has taken the biggest blow with this news, and Klefbom and Brodin are basically irreplaceable in terms of talent level and importance to the team.  That said, the Swedes are deep on defence, and hope that one or both of the following players can fill those voids.

credit: Swedehockey.se

Calle Andersson, Defence, Farjestad: The New York Rangers’ 4th round draft pick has played 22 games for Fargestad in the Elitserien this season.  Andersson is a two way defender with very good skating skills including good top end speed, quick acceleration, excellent agility, and outstanding edgework.  This skating ability makes him extremely mobile on the blueline and capable of playing both an offensive game and a shut down defensive game.  Andersson has an accurat shot and good release and one timer ability. He has good hockey IQ and understands when to pinch or join the rush. Andersson is an effective stickhandler and protects the puck well from his opponents.  His ability to handle the puck and patiently walk the line buys him extra time to make the smart play especially on the powerplay.  Andersson has good vision, and makes crisp, accurate passes, both in transition and from the offensive blue line.  Defensively his biggest flaw is that he is not physical enough.  He should go for the hit instead of the stick check more often.  Still given the injuries on the Swedish blue line expect to see Anderson get huge minutes.

Robert Hagg, Defence, Modo: The door onto the squad may have opened wide for this 2013 draft eligible defenceman.  He is an excellent skater who loves to join the rush.  He can score off the rush or on the powerplay with a hard accurate shot.  Hagg makes good crisp passes out of his own end of the rink and with the man advantage.  In previous international competition he has shown to be able to use his size to make him an imposing defender on the blue line.  May not get huge minutes, but will be asked to contribute to the success of the Swedish team.

Obviously the three losses are a major blow to the Swedes, but the advancements in the Swedish program and a return to their roots as a hockey power have given the Swedes plenty of depth and the ability to replace injured players.  Obviously, on paper, Sweden is a worse team today than when I reviewed them about 3 weeks ago.  However, the fall off isn’t as severe as some would think, and the Swedes must still be respected as a contender in this tournament.

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.

Championship Week Previews and Picks

Posted on by Lindsay Higgins

The champions of the ACC, SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten will all be crowned this weekend. Rather than cover one game in-depth, here are quick previews and picks for each game. (Note that the MAC Championship will be held this weekend as well, but since we don’t get many MAC games on tv in New England, I’ve only seen highlights of each team and don’t feel I know nearly enough to write an intelligent preview. I’m hopeful that that will change in the next few years with UMass joining the conference).

credit: Jason Watson

Pac-12: #16 UCLA at #8 Stanford

In a rematch of a game played just six days ago, Stanford’s goal is to do what it did the first time: stop the run and get to the quarterback. UCLA redshirt freshman QB Brett Hundley was sacked seven times, and leading rusher Johnathan Franklin racked up a mere 65 yards. Presumably the Bruins will change their blocking schemes, maybe chipping a RB or a TE, to keep Hundley upright. Stanford, too, will have to concern themselves with sacks; UCLA ranks fifth in the country in that category. The Cardinal have the far better run defense, as well as an excellent runner in Stepfan Taylor and I think that will figure into the result in a big way. It’s tough to beat the same opponent twice in a season, but I’ve got Stanford 27, UCLA 20.

credit: chris willis

SEC: #2 Alabama vs. #3 Georgia (played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta)

The Crimson Tide are playing in their third SEC Title game since 2008, and could be headed to their third BCS Title game in four years. Georgia won a weak SEC East division in 2011 and was blown out by LSU in the SEC Title game. Anyone who stopped watching Georgia games in October might expect a similar result this year, but don’t be fooled- this is a far stronger version of the Bulldogs than we saw in 2011 or even early in the 2012 season. As far as the matchup with Alabama goes, both teams have outstanding players at the skill positions. This game is going to come down to line play. Alabama has arguably the best offensive line in the country, but Georgia’s defensive line has been dominant as well. As cliche as it is, both teams need to stay out of third-and-long situations, and the defenses need to stop the run. I like Alabama mainly because of their big-game experience. Alabama 24, Georgia 17

credit: BFLBarrow, Wiki CC

Big Ten: #12 Nebraska vs. Wisconsin (played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)

7-5 Wisconsin finished third in the Leaders Division, and is in the Big Ten Title game courtesy of NCAA sanctions to Ohio State (12-0) and Penn State (8-4). One of those losses came as the Badgers blew a 27-10 lead and lost 30-27 to the Huskers. Wide receiver Jared Abbredaris is expected to be healthy for the game, which is good news for the Badgers. On the other hand, QB Curt Phillips, a fifth-year senior, has only been a starter for the last three weeks. If Nebraska shuts down stud RB Montee Ball, will Phillips be able to get the ball to Abbredaris? MLB Chris Borland is also expected to return for the Badgers on Saturday. The Huskers have also had injury issues of late; RB Rex Burkhead returned last week against Iowa after a four-game absence, while starting C Justin Jackson and DT Baker Steinkuhler left with injuries in the same game and are not expected to play Saturday. I could see this game going either way, but I think the experience of Taylor Martinez could come into play. Nebraska 20, Wisconsin 17

credit: Jfann, CC

ACC: #13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech (played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte)

Both teams are coming off losses in rivalry games, with the Seminoles losing to Florida and the Yellow Jackets being embarrassed by Georgia. (Georgia Tech, in fact, finished third in the ACC Coastal Division, and is only in the Title game because of North Carolina’s NCAA sanctions and Miami’s self-imposed postseason ban for NCAA violations). Tech’s passing game is inconsistent at best, so if Florida State can stop the run- not always easy with the Jackets’ triple option- and force third-and-long situations, they should be able to win the game. Florida State 31, Georgia Tech 10

Please feel free to leave your comments below and follow me on twitter @lastwordlindsay.  Check out our weekly preview show, Saturday College Football Warmup weekly at 9:00 am.

 

NFL Cheerleaders Doin' it Right!

Posted on by Jack Stone
credit: Pinterest Feeds

I want you to imagine your favourite team’s cheerleaders.  When all us sports fans think of NFL cheerleaders, we all get the same thoughts -WOOOOOO! But now picture that same cheer team with shaved heads?  Still feel the same way?

Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano has been battling Leukemia and has received lots of support from fans and players shaving their heads. This was applauded and respected by fans around the league, but it was this past Sunday that the support took an even bigger step.

Last week the Indianapolis Colts mascot set up a challenge with the team’s cheerleaders on Twitter.  The challenge: if he could raise $10 000 would a Colts cheerleader be willing to shave her head to help raise money towards cancer research?

Blue, the mascot, raised $22,000, and in-turn, two Colts cheerleaders stepped up after the 3rd quarter in Sundays game against Buffalo.  In front of 60,000 fans the cheerleaders had their heads shaved.

After reading the girls’ post-game comments I could not help but to seriously applaud them. Megan M., the first cheerleader to receive the buzzin’ said, “It was really overwhelming. People were cheering so loud and I could just feel the pride they had for our team that we were able to do something like this.” Crystal Ann, being the second cheerleader alongside Megan, were both down-playing the situation about them shaving their heads and commented, “We just shaved our heads, these people are battling life threatening illness.  They are the ones that deserve the praise.”

To add to that, one of their ponytails were chopped off and donated to the “Locks of Love” Foundation, which provides hair pieces for children under the age of 21 in Canada and U.S.A.

I felt this was very heart-warming to hear, because we all know how important hair is for a woman. Imagine being a woman who is basically on display every Sunday infront of America, and be willing to jeopardize that.

Well done girls, and Blue. Top Class!