NHL Playoffs Round 2

What did you think about the first round of this year's Stanley Cup tournament? In my opinion, the quality of play and excitement has been outstanding. We've seen 3 goal comebacks, late tying or winning goals, a double overtime, and some significant upsets.

I had made some predictions for the first round. All of my Western Conference predictions came true. I wasn't so accurate for the Eastern side. I did predict a 7 game Montreal-Washington series, but the wrong team won. I had a feeling about a Bruins upset, but still picked the Sabres. And there was no way I could see a Philadelphia upset in the works, but it happened.

Here's how I see the next round:

Montreal vs. Pittsburgh - Penguins in 6. Not this time Canadiens. They will make it competetive, but Pittsburgh is too good. They will win the Cup again this year.

Philadelphia vs. Boston - I can only remember one other time where a 6th seed earned home ice in the second round. That team (the Sabres) took full advantage. The Bruins do too, and they win this series in 5.

Vancouver vs. Chicago - Hawks in 6. It will be a fun and entertaining series, but the Hawks have enough talent to go all the way. The Canucks don't.

Detroit vs. San Jose - Sharks in 7. This will be the most exciting series of all. One of those Stanley Cup classics. I think the Sharks will pull it out. Barely.

Please feel free to share your predictions too. In the meantime, enjoy the games!

Is it September Already?

We have completed two weeks of the Major League Baseball Season as I write this in mid-April. However, as I look at the standings one would think it is mid-September.

I say this because as you look at the standings things are exactly as most people predicted they would be. The Yankees, Twins, Phillies, and Cardinals were all expected to win their divisions. They are already dominating their divisions now. The Giants are also dominating theirs. Some may see it as a surprise, but others, including myself don't. In my pre-season predictions I picked them to reach the World Series.

There are very few surprises. The A's are the biggest and most pleasant one so far. I always enjoy seeing small market teams do well. The Red Sox and Angels have had sub-par starts, but both will be in the race until the end and both have the potential for post-season.

Although there are few surprises now, I am sure there will be throughout the season. That's one of the great things about MLB's marathon schedule. So although things are status quo now, expect some wild and crazy things to happen. Enjoy the games!

A Better NHL Season

The NHL Playoffs have begun and have already provided some very exciting hockey games. It is amazing how much the quality of play increases dramatically once the playoffs begin. It is noticeable from the first game all the way to the finals.

I heard a discussion on radio today on what can be done to increase the drama and quality of the regular season. I've always had two ideas that I think would make a significant difference:

1. There was a time when there were 21 teams in the league, and 16 made the playoffs. It was a joke. Now that there are 30 teams and the conference set up, it is much more legitimate. However, I believe we can increase the significance of the regular season by cutting it to 12. That's 6 in each conference. They can then give the top 2 teams in each conference a first round bye like the NFL does. If you thought this year's parity made the playoff race exciting, think of how much more exciting it would be if more teams were fighting for fewer playoff spots.

2. Get rid of the consolation point. The set up now is 2 points for a win, and 1 for an overtime loss. Make it all or nothing. A win for one team, a loss for the other. Baseball, football, and basketball do it this way. Why not hockey? Overtime and the shootout are exciting ways to end games. Think of how much better they would be if one team got everything and the other nothing. There would be more to win and more to lose, resulting in more tension and excitiment.

These are my suggestions. Although the league has tended to make much better decisions in recent years, I am not sure they would even consider something like this.

What do you think? I would love to hear your suggestions on how the quality gap between regular season and playoffs in the NHL can be improved. Please share!

NHL Hockey Playoffs

It's funny how exciting sports moments seem to happen in bunches. We recently witnessed the conclusion of a very exciting college basketball tournament. Now we begin another one of the most exciting part of the sports year, the NHL Playoffs. This two month long tournament is known for its annual classic and forever memorable moments. If the recent Olympic tournament is any indication, the same will be true for this year's playoffs.

The playoffs are more exciting when we don't know what will happen. However, I will momentarily stray from that philosophy and make believe I have some type of knowledge on how it (the first round anyway) will turn out.

I will admit that I find my predicitions rather boring. This is only because I honestly don't see any surprise results in this first round. Here are my predicitons for each series:

Montreal vs Washington - This will be an exciting, down to the wire series. The Caps will get a serious scare, but will win in 7.

Philadelphia vs New Jersey - Another series that will be rather close and exciting. Devils in 6.

Boston vs Buffalo - If there is one series that has the most potential for an upset, I believe it is this one. Two things will make the difference...Ryan Miller's goaltending, and Lindy Ruff's coaching magic in the playoffs. My hometown team will scare us fans, but the Sabres will win in 6.

Ottawa vs Pittsburgh - This is the Penguins time of year. They will this series in 5.

Colorado vs. San Jose - Uh oh, will the Sharks choke again? Not yet anyway. They win in 5.

Nashville vs Chicago - Blackhawks are too much better. They win in 5.

Los Angeles vs Vancouver - The fans will be entertained to exciting games. Canucks in 6.

Detroit vs Phoenix - Great season Phoenix. You still have a team and had your best season since they've been in Arizona. Your reward? The Red Wings! The Coyotes will show up and compete (will any fans show up?) but that won't be enough. Wings in 6.

That's it for now. I guess we'll see what happens. Let the games begin!

"Master" of this Tournament

I must admit I am not much of a golf follower. However, with this or any sport, I love to see the good guys win. Early in his career, Phil Mickelson had difficulty winning the big one, but the Masters is a tournament that he has consistently had under control. Now for the third time, he has had more control of it than anyone else.

Some other results could have been more exciting. A Tiger comeback, or a win by one of the older veterans, perhaps. But in the end, the good guy won and had a great deal of fun doing it. Congratulations, Phil!

You Heard it Here First

I've always been fascinated by predictions. It's a bit late, as the baseball season has already started. Anyway, here's my take. Some are by the book, some are a bit different...

AL East

1. Yankees 2. Boston (WC) 3. Tampa 4. Baltimore 5. Toronto

AL Central

1. White Sox 2. Detroit 3. Minnesota 4. Cleveland 5. Kansas City

AL West

1. Seattle 2. Angels 3. Texas 4. Oakland

NL East

1. Philadelphia 2. Atlanta (WC) 3. Florida 4. Mets 5. Washington

NL Central

1. St. Louis 2. Cubs 3. Houston 4. Milwaukee 5. Cincinnati 6. Pittsburgh

NL West

1. San Francisco 2. Dodgers 3. Colorado 4. Arizona 5. San Diego

World Series

Yankees over Giants

* I will stress that I am not a Yankees fan! However, at this point I can't see anyone beating them. We'll see!

What If...

The events of a few days ago made me think. What if Gordon Hayward made that last second desperation shot in the college basketball championship game?

There are many "what if" questions in sports. We here in Buffalo ask, what if Scott Norwood made that last second field goal attempt that went wide right in 1991?

Still others....what if a Cubs fan had not interfered with a foul ball in 2003?

There are countless other examples. What do you think? I would love to know your own examples. Please feel free to comment.

Have an excellent day!

My First Sports Blog

I have been a sports lover since I was four years old. So if my math is right, that's 40 years. Anyway, as much as I've always played, read, and talked about sports, I've never written about them. I thought it was about time that changed.

I choose now to begin this blog because, in my opinion, it is one of the greatest times of the year for sports. College basketball ended in a very exciting manner. As that winter sport fades away, my favorite sport of baseball ushers in the renewal represented by Spring. Also, hockey and pro basketball enter the most exciting parts of their seasons. Throw in some NASCAR, soccer, and Masters golf, and you have a sports lover's dream.

Since I have many sports interests I will share information for each. It will mainly depend on what is on my mind as I write. I certainly encourage anyone reading this to share your feedback and views as well. I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy the games!