Dear Dale Hunter

First off, all Capitals fans reading this please take a moment to do a little party dance. Did it? Good. Moving on to the game. If you didn't know, the Capitals won game 2, 3-2, in New York, with foul curses raining down on. Speaking of foul language the Rangers fans need to have their mouths washed out with soap or something. All throughout the game they chanted Ovie *****(rhymes with pucks). Even under the wrath of the fans he manged to score the game winning goal. One thing that's still bugging me is the fact that Dale Hunter has kept one of his most power players off the ice for most of the post-season. Maybe if he lets Ovie on the ice more we could win these series more easily. For once it seems that the team as a whole is working together as one unit - supporting Holtby and getting on the board first. Not bad for a game 2, but we still have a long fight ahead if we want to go further.

P.S
Hunter, if you're reading this then I highly suggest that you put Ovie on the ice more.

Dethroning the Champs

First off I do apologize to any and all Bruins fans out there but I was pulling for the Capitals. I was desperately hoping that it wouldn't go to a game 7 but of course it did. Playing in Boston is hard enough but with it being game 7 and the Bruins being the reigning champs, it just added that much more pressure. The game got out to a slow start with both teams acting tentative, holding back, not wanting to make a mistake. Everyone knew that just one slip up could mean the difference between winning the game and losing. The Caps were first to score, in the first period, with a goal from Matt Hendricks. But not to be out done the Bruins scored a goal of their own from Tyler Seguin late in the second and into overtime we go. At this point a fan of either team would have to be hiding somewhere away from the TV or radio because it just wouldn't have been possible to watch without having a major mental break down due to the stress. Well, that was my case at least. Less than three minutes into overtime the Cap's Joel Ward put the puck past Tim Thomas on a deflected shot from Mike Knuble. To all the fans in TD Garden it was hard to take. The number two seed and reigning champs lost to the number seven seed. It was cool to see that even though he was on the losing team, Thomas still had a good attitude. Just before leaving the ice he skated over to where a few kids sat in the front row and gave them a smile. It's cool to see that even in one of the tougher sports the players are still down to earth.

Post Season Hockey and just about everything else

I wish I could see into the future or something like that so I wouldn't always forget about writing on this blog but I do and it means that there is a lot to cover.

In hockey there are clean games and well... some not so clean games. Take for example the Caps-Bruins match up. For the most part it's been pretty clean, even if in Monday's game it didn't look like it. Just compare it to the Flyers-Penguins series that's going on. It's a blood bath of a match up. I don't know how anyone can appreciate those two teams when they're acting like kids out on the ice fighting over everything. The Caps have been pushed around by the Bruins and they've pushed back but it's been more of a civil discussion than a drunken bar brawl which is all I can think of the describe the battle in Pennsylvania. One more quick thing before I move on to last night's game. I have quite enjoyed reading the paper recently because of all the fun adjectives that the writers have been using to describe Zdeno Chara, the Bruins 6-foot-9 defenseman. Words like banshee and behemoth have been tossed around. He can be both of those and more than an opposing force at times. The Caps may have entered in this series as the underdog, but being the underdog against the Stanly Cup Champs has to put some fire under the Capitals. It could be just what they needed to actually get farther than the first or second round. But first they have to win game 7 in Boston. Let's do a quick recap of a games so far
GAME 1, Holtby holds his own in his first game in the postseason of his NHL career against the reigning champs only allowing one goal the whole game. Final Score: 1-0 Bruins
GAME 2, the Caps put up a fight not wanting to be put a into a rut by the Bruins. With a goals by both Brouwer and Backstrom the Caps tie the series. Final Score: 2-1 Caps
GAME 3, back on home ice most would think that the Caps would have the upper hand. But they didn't. Final Score 4-3 Bruins
GAME 4, still on home ice the Caps needed the win or they would have a hard doing so back in Boston, but they did get the win. Final Score: 2-1 Caps
GAME 5, this game was very different from the rest, mostly because the Caps got out to a two goal lead and held on to it for a few minutes but the Bruins came and tied it up right before the end of the second. Final Score: 4-3 Capitals. Finally the Caps had a 3-2 lead on the series.
GAME 6, well the the lead in the series was short lived. The Bruins won in D.C. to even things up. Final Score: 4-3 Bruins.
GAME 7 is going to be a get down and get 'er down type of game for both teams.

Also going on in the NHL. The Flyers win their series with the Penguins, the Blues win in their series with the Sharks, and the Predators win over the Red Wings.

In Football news, I am still brooding with frustration at both the Jets and the Broncos for the trade of Tim Tebow. It seems like the Jets just did that for publicity but that's my view with the info that I have  access to. For the Broncos, well... (devious grin crosses my face) they're basically screwed. Why? Payton Manning is why. The Broncos made a huge mistake on a guy who maybe has a year left in him. On top of that he (again this is just from what I was able to learn) isn't really that good at training a guy to replace him.

Again this year the NFL is having three games played on Thanksgiving. Detroit vs. Huston, Dallas vs. Washington, and New York Jets vs. New England. I'm going to have to eat early. The New Orleans Saints haven't been very saintly recently. With the bounty hunting scandal and now finding out that the GM may have been able to listen in on the other team. Really? Doesn't anyone play clean anymore? This is just getting out of hand.

In the golf world Bubba Watson won the Masters, and is in a very funny video called Golf Boys.

OK that's just about all that's happened that I care about.

Ketchup

I am really sorry that I left you all hang for like a month but snowboard season kinda took over. Oops. So lets us catch-up. Or if you like it Ketchup (it's good on fries.)

You would think that I would have learned by now that hardly anything I hope to happen in the world of sports happens. To start off, things became less clouded around Payton Manning and where he was thinking of heading to for next season. It came down to the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and the Tennessee Titans. You want to take a guess at who he choose? The Broncos, for a five year deal that's worth $92 million. Mind boggling for a guy who still has a gigantic question mark floating above his head with neon lights, and for a guy who maybe has three years left. Oh but this story gets better, I thought (and a lot of people I talked to agreed) that it would be smart of the Broncos to keep Tim Tebow but apparently they didn't like that idea so much. Now what on earth are they going to do when the neon sign flips over and say: Sorry! I Can't Play Anymore! Where's My Money? When that day comes I will not be surprised. Tebow on the other had I think got a really bad deal. He was traded to..... none other than the New York Jets (of all the teams in the NFL!). The foul mouthed, dirty, vile Jets. Franky the attention that Tebow got in Denver was doodly-squat to what he is now going to suffer in New York, yes I said suffer. It's a NEW YORK TEAM; of course he's going to suffer. Unless you're a fan of New York sports teams; otherwise they are generally despised by most other teams and their fans. I found this article about Tebow and it has to be one of the longest articles I've read. Ever.

New York sure to test Tebow, on and off the field - MyVerizon.com

In other football news that has been floating around for a while, there has been a bounty hunting scandal in the NFL involving the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins. The common factor: Gregg Williams. Essentially how it worked was that players got money bonuses for hard hits that put opponents out of the game. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave out one year suspensions to two New Orleans coaches, the general manager, and a former coach for running the program. But the Redskins got off with no penalties for now, even though Williams worked for the Skins under Joe Gibbs from 2004-07 running the program. Several players have come forward saying that they were paid extra money for hard hits that put the opponent out of the game. I think even though the NFL and Goodell have 'closed' the 'case' because there isn't enough evidence, they should still look into it. I love the Skins but really, this isn't right. Players did get really hurt and it's just against ethics, paying someone to hurt someone else is what it boils down to. The suspensions should deter any other plans like this from popping up again but it might not. Some coaches will do what ever it takes to win. I'm not saying that Sean Payton (head coach of the Saints, one of the suspended) was doing that but other coaches might have done that for the wrong reasons. I still have a lot of respect for the guy but this was wrong and I agree with the penalty they gave him. Back to the Redskins, they should get a penalty of some sort, a fine or something, anything. But they shouldn't have gotten away with it then and they shouldn't be like "Oh, that happened in the past." It was the past of YOUR TEAM. Fine Synder, he has enough money to cover it.

Ok I'm done ranting for now. Next week (and it will be next week not next month) I'll have a post on what the Capitals have been up to.

Super Bowl 2012

Guess what, New York's heads just got bigger. The New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI Sunday night. As much as it pains me to say this the game wasn't half bad. Yes, the Pats lost again and yes, there were mistakes but even so the game was good. To start it was very hard not to think about the fact that the Pats released Tiquan Underwood (a wide receiver) on the eve before the biggest game in football. Who knows, maybe he would have helped get the win. At least Underwood doesn't seem to be holding it against the team, wishing the coaching staff and teammates good luck. They sure needed it after the Giants scored a late touchdown, but I'm ahead of myself. Oh, well I could tell you now. Late (and I mean really late) in the fourth quarter Eli Manning passed the ball to Ahmad Bradshaw who tried hard to stomp on the brakes and sit down on the one yard line but fell into the end-zone. I do have to say that it was very funny watching him try to stop but failing; even if that did mean that it was the game winning touchdown. All night the Pats players (except for a few times) seemed to have replaced their gloves to help grip the ball with butter sheets to help drop the ball. I understand that Welker has made that catch a million times and that it should have been easy but he didn't and I'm sure he heard it from his teammates and his coaches so he doesn't need to hear it from the media. Or Tom Brady's wife for that matter, who had some choice words for a Giants fan. Most of which shouldn't be repeated. Maybe if the Brady had thrown to someone else instead of Hernandez we might have tied it or even won it. But history does repeat itself and unfortunately it happened again. To the same team, in the same way. There's always next year, I hope.

I'm with Ovie

Sunday when the Capitals played the Penguins, Alex Ovechkin  landed a hard hit on Zbynek Michalek. The league though it was a dirty hit and gave Ovie a three game suspension, way to much for two reasons: 1. Michalek didn't get hurt and 2. he saw the hit coming and ducked. One game makes total sense but three, its not needed. Yes, it was a hard hit but it's part of what makes hockey so great. As you would think, Ovie wasn't very happy with the call. He was set to go to the NHL All-Star game but has now taken himself off the roster, saying, "I'm suspended." That move has made most everyone in the reporting world blow up saying he's acting childish and needs to grow-up. WHAT?! I think it's a very grown up decision to make; if you have been suspended then you shouldn't play, be that with your team or at the All-Star game. It would be nice to see Ovie at the All-Star game but I still think it was the right decision. If it turns the reporting world against him then fine. But there's bound to be a few people (like me) who still have an idea about staying true to your morals. Ovie could grow-up in some ways but not in handling suspensions.

Ovie isn't the only hockey player making the news. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas didn't go with the team when they went to the White House to celebrate winning the Stanley Cup. Another decision that I agree with. If Thomas doesn't think that he can behave or respect where his is, then he shouldn't go. Just another player standing up for what he believes in.

Don't Worry

Some of you might be thinking that I fell of the face of the earth but I didn't so there's no need to worry about me. You may need to worry if you're a Capitals fan. They seem to be stuck on a roller costar with great wins and than dropping to low losses. I got to go to one of their games last week when they played the New York Islanders and unfortunately it didn't turn out how I would have liked. The Islanders got out in front and stayed there, they dominated the Caps all through the game. At one point the Caps began to look like they were hurting themselves drawing penalties that they should have now better than to do. Final Score: 3-0 Islanders. In the very next game (the first of a three game road trip) the Caps won over the Canadians by the same score they lost by to the Islanders. Two days later they lost again 3-0 to Carolina while on their road trip. By now you must be wondering if this could get anymore pain full... it can. Yesterday the Capitals played the loathsome Penguins. That game was an example of how this January has gone for them. The Pens and Caps went into overtime and yup you guessed it the Caps lost. To you it could get worst. As I write this the Caps sit in 8th in the East but that could change by tomorrow morning.

Everyone reading this needs to understand that I am a diehard Patriots fan. When I found out thatt my Pats where going to the Superbowl again my first though was I want a rematch. You have to remember the 2008 Superbowl when the Pats and Giants played. That Pats would have had a prefect season if the Giants hadn't won at the end of the game. Why I want a rematch for to reasons. 1. I want revenge and 2. I want the Pats to show once and for all that they are on a different level than the Giants. Than again I'm bias.