Yay, 100 Hits to Our Blog

Well, I never honestly thought that this would ever happen. I would like to thank our loyal (and quiet) readers, for reading, and here is what to expect soon

1. NHL Mock Draft
2. Thoughts on the NBA Playoffs
3. Toronto Blue Jays, and why they stink so bad

3rd Round Predictions: Western Conference

Could the Stanley Cup winner be possibly coming out of the West this year. Lots of people think that who wins the Ottawa-Buffalo series will win the cup, but, I beg to differ. Both the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks have strong teams... Ok, who am I kidding, the Red Wings are garbage. They played a team in the 1st round that didn't even deserve to be in the playoffs in the first place, and then in the 2nd round, they faced the San Jose "Can't get past the 2nd round" Sharks. Anaheim will be Detroit's toughest challenge to date, and to be honest, I don't think Detroit can beat them. Anaheim is a much more physical team, and the Red Wings... Not so much. If I were to call this series either way, I would say Ducks in 6, only because the Red Wings like to make things difficult.

That means folks, that we will see in my personal opinion, a Anaheim/Ottawa Stanley Cup Final.

Canadian Hockey Fan's record for predictions to date: 3-1

3rd Round Predictions: Eastern Conference

VS.

Now that the 2nd round is over in the East, we are down to 2. The Buffalo Sabres will face the Ottawa Senators for the right to represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals. Both teams are deep, but really, this series will come down to goaltending. Ryan Miller and Ray Emery have been solid for the whole playoffs, and who wins this series, will have the better goaltending. It sounds like it would be rather obvious, but it is true. If I were to breakdown both teams...

Buffalo's forwards are better than Ottawa's

Ottawa's defencemen are better than Buffalo's

Goaltending is roughly equal

If I were to make a prediction, I would say that it could go either way, but I think Ottawa will take it in 7, simply because their defence is better, and defence wins you championships.

O Canada: Should Canadian Hockey Fans Jump on Canadian Teams' Playoff Bandwagons Because They are a "Canadian" Team

Every year in the playoffs, in and around my school, I see people who pick teams to cheer for in the playoffs just for fun. Usually, it is because their favorite team is gone, and they need a reason to watch playoff hockey. But, as Canadians, should we have to cheer on whatever Canadian team makes it furthest, if we choose to hop on any bandwagon?

Lets look at this years example "Canadian" bandwagon team.

The Ottawa Senators right now are up 3-1 on the New Jersey Devils, meaning in all likelyhood, they will go on to the conference finals. How fitting that the Canadian team that makes it furthest in the playoffs comes from our nations capital. But, are they "truly" a Canadian team? Lets look at the numbers...

12 Canadians, 3 Americans, 1 Swede, 1 German, 1 Slovak, 1 Swiss, 1 Russian

Now, there seems to be lots of Canadians on the Senators, 12 in fact. But what about compared to other teams that are still alive in the playoffs (Including the Devils). Teams that have more Canadians will have their number bolded.

Anaheim Ducks: 16

Buffalo Sabres: 7

Detroit Red Wings: 6

New Jersey Devils: 7

New York Rangers: 6

San Jose Sharks: 13

Once you look at the numbers, you see that even though Ottawa is a Canadian team, they actually do not have the most Canadians on their roster. By using this logic, shouldn't Canadians be cheering for the Ducks, since they are technically the most "Canadian"?

It all boils down to one thing really... Anti-Americanism. Most Canadian hockey fans are mad that "Americans" took away 2 of our teams, and placed new expansion teams in questionable hockey markets such as Nashville and Atlanta. Plus too, why should we cheer for a team in a "bad hockey market" such as Anaheim when we have our own team in Ottawa.

The way I think people should do it, is instead of cheering for the "Canadian" team, why not cheer for hockey, and exciting hockey. For the record, Im cheering for the San Jose Sharks (Go Sharks!!!)

Sorry for the lack of articles

I know recently, the amount of articles has been lax, but I have a nice one Im working on about A-Rod, and I have another couple of ideas too. So in other words loyal readers, do not worry Im not slowing down any.

A-Rod: Could He Break the Single Season Record for Homeruns

Alex Rodriguez is off to a start right now that is just phenomenal. In his first 24 games, A-Rod has 14 home runs and 34 RBIs, which currently puts him on pace for 95 home runs and 235 RBIs. Now, will he get those insane totals, most likely not. But, could he break the single season home run record...

In my opinion, it would be incredibly difficult for him to achieve, but you know what, I would rather he had the record than that idiot Barry Bonds, and Im sure other baseball fans would agree that aren't Giants fans. Rodriguez may not be the most likable person, but there has never really been proof he has used the roids either, so Im sure Commisioner Selig would LOVE for A-Rod to get the record.

If I were to give a projection on what totals A-Rod will have at the end of the year, I would say 75 HR/180 RBI is the ceiling he can hit "realistically", although something like 60 HR/150 RBI is more likely.

And what great timing for A-Rod too, because after this year, he can opt out of his contract with the Yankees. Can you say 25 million dollar pay day...

Thoughts on the NFL Draft: Stupid Picks, and Good Picks

Well, the NFL draft's first 3 rounds are over, and already, we see several teams making very questionable draft day decisions.

1. The Detroit Lions drafting Calvin Johnson: Ok, look, I know Johnson is a godly talent at wide receiver, that is not in doubt. What is in doubt is why the Detroit Lions took yet another wide receiver when they needed an offensive lineman (Joe Thomas or Levi Brown anybody) AND a defensive end (Gaines Adams or Jamaal Anderson anyone). This is the 4th year out of the past 5 they have taken a wide receiver, of which, only Roy Williams has really turned into a decent receiver. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm always a fan of taking the best player available. But, when you have GLARING holes at other positions, you have to fill them.
2. The Miami Dolphins drafting Ted Ginn Jr at 9: This here was the biggest "What the heck" pick of the day. They needed a young, franchise quarterback, and Brady Quinn *Who I personally think will be better than JaMarcus Russell*, was still on the board, and yet, they take basically a kick returner, since Ginn's receiving skills some say were not 1st round calibre. Now look, I don't care if Ginn ends up being as good of a kick returner as say Devin Hester, if he cant play wide receiver to what a 9th overall pick should, then why place unnecessary expectations on him, and why waste the pick. Mind you, I wouldnt be shocked if I ended up eating crow on this pick, cause it almost seems as if what the eff picks usually do well (Besides that great and talented wide receiver Mike Williams when he was picked by the Lions two years ago, I could see that one coming from a mile away)

Now, some good picks of the day...

1. Cleveland taking Brady Quinn at 22: I know there are a few Notre Dame haters out there, but since Im not really loyal enough to any school to pick a team, I can be a little less unbiased. One reason I feel Quinn will be a good QB, is because he was tutored in college by Charlie Weis, the same Charlie Weis who made Tom Brady into what he is today. And people say "Oh, Quinn can't win the big game". Well guess what, Peyton Manning couldn't win the big game supposedly, and look at him now. Dan Marino never won the big game, but he had a pretty good career too. To me, the only reason Quinn dropped so far is due to the fact teams overanalyse in some cases too too much, and because really, after Miami, no other team REALLY needed a QB, no other reason.
2. Tampa Bay taking Gaines Adams at 4: Everybody, including myself, thought Calvin Johnson would end up going to Tampa Bay, but, obviously we all forgot that Detroit loves taking Wide Receivers for some reason, so Tampa didn't get Johnson. But, I would say Adams is a perfectly reasonable compromise. If you look at their depth chart, all of their good defensive lineman (Such as Simeon Rice) are all on the wrong side of 30. Adams seems to have that explosion off the line, and although he may need to bulk up a bit to play end, a bit only means 5-10 pounds, and "smaller" defensive ends at the 255 pound range can succeed at the NFL level.

Honourable Mention: Denver Broncos taking Jarvis Moss

Lets hope Moss can be the fix to the pass rush woes the Broncos have. Now, to find a middle linebacker...