Quick Update

A few notes here very quickly 

 

First of all, after reading ESPN.com's NHL rumor mill, I want to add one more trade to my wish list.

Wild 

Michael Nylander (3 years- 4.8 M)

3rd Round Draft Pick

John Carlson (D-USHL)

Capitals

Niklas Backstrom (1 year, 3.1 M)

Kurtis Foster (1 year, 1.025 M)

I'm going to be honest, this one is pretty selfish.  I just want to see Niklas Backstrom on the same team as Nicklas Backstrom.  At any rate, that was rumored this morning, so I couldn't resist adding it to the list.  I figured while I was hear, I would make it work for both teams (it is what I do), and the Caps are looking to dump Nylander anyways.  This keeps both of the teams under the cap, and the pick and prospect are thrown in to make the deal appealing for Minnesota, who certainly gives up more in Backstrom than they would get in Nylander alone.  Carlson was a first rounder though for the Caps (who have a deep system and can afford to move some prospects), and probably pushes this over the top, as Backstrom could leave after this year.

God I'm good at this.

A couple of other quick notes

- I will get back to the Olympic stuff soon enough, I just wanted to get the deadline thing in before it became too late (Wednesday at noon, not Tuesday as I wrote yesterday)....please give it a look, I really think it is some of my better work.

- It may be a few more days until I get to the Olympic stuff...don't blame me, blame my professors for giving me 3 essays and 2 tests this week, sorry

Breaking the Silence- My Trade Deadline Wish List

                Despite the fact that I have been watching hockey (you're welcome) more than any other sport, and in fact, probably more than any other activity outside of going to the gym and studying (make any inference about my social life from this statement that you wish- it is probably justified), I have remained relatively silent about the subject so far in the 2008-2009 season.  Thumbing through the archives, it turns out that the last strictly NHL column that I wrote was back in June when I made a half hearted attempt at following the draft.  The reasons are twofold.  First of all, there hasn’t been that much to talk about.  The season has been compelling enough, but nothing has jumped out at me as something that needed to be addressed.  Alas, there was one thing that normally I would jump at the chance to editorialize about, the Sharks dominance of the Western Conference (at least for the first half).  Due to the inconvenience of starting college with the lofty expectations of not carrying a 1.5 GPA through my freshman year, time was scarce. (I actually could care less, it's just that I just need a 2.0 to play hockey)

While I had plenty to say about the Sharks, and I relished the chance to brag about them, I kept putting it off while they were on their historically hot start.  After a while, I decided that it would be too late to talk about the start, but I could still probably find an angle.  While searching for this angle it occurred to me, I had refrained from writing about my favorite team for two or three months, and they had been unstoppable.  To break my own streak in the middle of their hot streak would have been terrible karma, selfish (plus I wasn’t exactly looking for ways to kill time).  Alas, like all good things, the Sharks tear came to an end.  Unfourtunately though, they are a paltry 8-8 since the all-star break.  Therefore, I have deemed it safe to break my silence on the NHL, just in time for what is often one of my favorite dates on the NHL calendar.

Last year, I wrote an (excessively) extensive wrap up of the NHL trade deadline, going through every trade.  This year, I am taking the other side.  With just over 65 hours until the deadline as I write this, there are a number of deals (some of which are for selfish reasons, others that I just think would be good for both sides/the NHL).  So here is my NHL trade deadline wish list.  3 moves (with cap space considered), in no particular order that I would like to see go down before noon on Tuesday.

(Players are listed under the team that they would go to, with their cap figures in parentheses- years include 2008-2009 season)

 

San Jose-

Tim Connolly (3 years- 2.9 M)

 

Buffalo-

Jonathan Cheechoo (1 year- 3.0 M)

2010 2^nd Round Pick

 

This trade would be a slam dunk for San Jose.  Connolly would fit perfectly between Michalek and Clowe, making that one of the top second lines in the NHL (it already is with Pavelski).  Connolly’s game is more powerful than that of Little Joe, giving the second line a devastating forecheck that could wear down defensemen, especially in a seven game series.  As much as I like the Sharks team as is, I can’t shake the feeling that they need one more scorer.  If Pavelski moved down to the third line (with Grier and Mitchell if he comes back and is effective, Roenick if Mitchell needs more time), that gives San Jose three legitimate scoring lines.  Cheechoo is an effective scorer on a first or second line, but is little more than a grinder if on a checking line (although he does a good job of it). 

On top of that, to have an additional $3 million coming off of the books this summer would be a good thing for San Jose.  If San Jose uses Connolly as a rental and loses him in July, they have $3 million in cap space to re-sign Clowe and Mitchell and possibly Roenick, Grier and Blake, which would potentially clear space to go after a free agent.  If they re-sign Connolly, even better.  The second rounder would be going back to Buffalo, as the Sharks acquired it for Craig Rivet last summer.

As far as Buffalo is concerned, this deal makes sense, mainly if they think they may lose Connolly in the offseason.  Cheechoo, while having a terrible year, is still a valuable asset.  He will likely never sniff 50 goals again, like he did in 2006, but he is more than capable of helping a team win hockey games.  As I alluded to above, Cheechoo is something of a chameleon.  Put on the third line, he accepts his role, and plays a grinder’s game, but his production suffers.  He is most valuable when playing with a playmaker (Drew Stafford anyone?), going to the net, and scoring goals.  In San Jose, he has been shut out by a team with too many good scorers.  A change of scenery would do him good, and while it would be somewhat of a risk, it is certainly worth it (with the draft pick sweetening the deal for Buffalo).

(plus he has some of the best cellys in the league, which is at least the equivalent of a second round draft pick, right?)

(note:  I wouldn’t feel good about moving Cheechoo as a Sharks fan.  I like him as a player.  I really do.  I just think that he has a lot more value for about 25 other NHL teams.  Not only is it best for the Sharks to unload a $3 million role player- he is, like it or not- but it would be the best thing for Cheech.  I really do believe he can be a star in this league again, but he has to be on a first line to do it, and that’s not what the Sharks need from him.  This really would be better for all parties involved.  I promise.)

 

Montreal-

Vinnie Lecavalier (11 years- 6.78 M, moves to 7.72 starting in 2009-2010)

 

Tampa Bay-

2009 First Round Pick

2009 Second Round Pick

2010 Second Round Pick

Alexei Kovalev (1 year- 4.5 M)

Mathieu Dandenault (1 year- 1.725 M)

Robert Lang’s Contract (1 year- 4.0 M)

 

($10 million in expiring contracts and Draft Picks/Prospects)

 

Believe it or not, this trade really does work for both sides.  For Montreal, it is a no brainer.  They lack a go-to scorer, which Lecavalier is in spades.  On top of that, it really is important for the Habs to have a French-Canadian star.  No one is more provincial than Quebeckers.  Lecavalier, in terms of talent, really is in the same league as the Crosbys, Malkins and Ovechkins, but he is largely forgotten (since 2004) on the Gulf Coast.  Put him in Montreal and he becomes the biggest star in the league (in his own market, at any rate). 

Did I mention that they don’t have to give up a single player of value to get him?  They were willing to keep Kovalev home just a week ago, Dandenault wants out anyways, and Lang is out for the year.  This makes them exponentially better, and they will sell about 5 million jerseys in the next two weeks. 

For the Bolts, it is a bit of a tougher sell, but there is certainly logic in the deal.  They aren’t winning with Vinnie, and it will be difficult, if not impossible, to build the depth they sorely need with a contract approaching $8 million next year.  Sure, plenty of teams have been able to compete with one player making more than that, but the Lightning’s cap situation really is dire.  Next year, they are on the hook for $36 million to just 11 players (players from a team that may finish dead last at that).  Ideally they would package Ryan Malone’s God awful contract in the Lecavalier deal, but the Habs really can’t afford it.  While those three guys are worthless to the Habs, who can win now, they have major value to the Lightning simply because they will open up cap room in the offseason.  The more I write about this, the more it makes sense (but wait, there’s more).

All the cap talk is one thing, but that doesn’t even factor in the fact that the Lightning have a half empty building in the worst economy in 80+ years.  Is there any way, I mean any way that they are going to spend $55 million if that is where the cap is next year?  You are telling me that it doesn’t make sense to shed what will probably be about a sixth of the payroll on a team that has no chance of making the playoffs anyways?  Think about how much sense it makes to have an NHL team in Nashville, Miami, Tampa Bay, Raleigh and Atlanta, then think about the complete opposite of that.  That’s how much sense this makes.

All this saving money is nice, I hear you saying, but what about the on ice product?  I would say I’m glad you asked, but the fact is the Lightning owners don’t care….

                Seriously, they could care less….

                I’m not joking, complete indifference…

                Really, it is a non-factor….but I will tell you anyways.  As I said the Lightning can’t win with Vinnie.  That much has been proven.  Let’s say that they get rid of the $10 million that expires from this deal, so that leaves them with $29 million in payroll.  Now, they probably don’t spend the entire $55 million, but they could certainly spend around $45 (easy for me to say, I know, but really, they could).  That leaves them $16 million to fill 10 roster spots.  With that kind of flexibility, they could go after a prize like Marion Gaborik, Mike Cammalerri or Daniel Sedin (all UFAs), pick up a $3-4 Million dollar player such as the aforementioned Connolly, Mike Comrie, Brian Gionta or Johan Franzen (also UFAs) and have plenty of room to fill the rest of the roster with solid depth, and still be $10 million under the cap.  On top of that, they are probably not going to win many games with Kovalev, St. Louis, Prospal and a bunch of AHLers.  While this sounds like a bad thing, it means that they will be in the top 2-3 (at worst) in a draft loaded with top end talent.  Now they are building around Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, their prize free agent signing and Jonathan Tavares, Viktor Hedman or “worst case” Matt Duchene or Evander Kane.  That may not win in 2010, but you can bet that if they play their cards right, it will by, say, 2012.  

This really is the single best thing that could happen for the National Hockey League.  Unfortunately, NHL owners are, almost without exception, unable to look big picture, as the Lightning would have to do, which makes this unlikely to go down, because God forbid they have to tell their “fans” that they traded Dan Boyle and Lecavalier in the same year! Even if it is the best thing for their team.  If David Stern ran the NHL, he would absolutely make this happen.

 

(I really could keep going, but I’m starting to get mad thinking about how much sense this makes and the fact that it will never happen, let’s just move on.)

 

Atlanta-

Anyone

 

Anywhere (other than the Southeast division with the possible exception of Washington)-

Ilya Kovalchuk

 

Vinnie at least won a cup in Tampa, Kovalchuk is a top 5 talent in the NHL and plays in empty buildings, but only until early April.  They won’t trade him, but if there is any justice in the world he will leave in the summer of 2010.  What an enormous shame it would be for him to stay in Atlanta much longer.

 

(Ok, that doesn’t count, I’ll do one more)

NBA-

Gary Betteman

 

NHL-

David Stern

 

If you have ever read me before, you don’t need an explanation, if not read this, this, this (not direct, but pretty scathing), this, or this. That’s 6 Betteman slams in 30 sports columns (four of the posts are notes, one isn’t about sports) we are around 1 in 5, that is Simmons-Isaiah territory.

 

(Fine, one more real one)

 

(I would do Jay Beowmeister for Chris Pronger, but that would be good for this guy and the Ducks, and it is my wish list.  The only place that Pronger gets traded on my wish list is to Siberia in exchange for a turd sandwich, but I already did two joke trades, and I couldn’t find the turd sandwich’s cap figure.  That and the fact that this trade doesn’t really make sense for either team, I just wanted to do the turd joke.)

 

Columbus-

Olli Jokinen (2 years- 5.2 M)

 

Phoenix-

Derick Brassard (2 years- 1.24 M)

 

I really don’t know why Phoenix would want to trade Jokinen, he is probably the best player on a young team that has a chance to be good as early as next year, and he isn’t in a contract year.  Everyone else seems to think he could move, though, so I am more than happy to go with it. 

                For Columbus, this is a statement move.  That statement: we want to win now.  Jokinen isn’t old, and they really wouldn’t be getting worse down the road, but that is certainly the message in dealing a guy who was the best rookie in the NHL before going down.  It would be difficult to part ways with Brassard, but the upside is too large to turn down.  Nash and Jokinen would thrive together, not to mention be one of the scariest first lines in hockey and give the Jackets a legitimate chance to go deep in the playoffs.  It is a particularly large upgrade for this year, as Brassard is out for the rest of the season.

                Again, I don’t really get dealing Jokinen, but as long as they are going to, they can’t do any better than this.  The injury shouldn’t bother them, they have no real shot of contending this season, and Brassard is young enough that he will make a full recovery.  More importantly, this keeps with the two things they are looking to accomplish.  Picking up the 21 year old Brassard would keep with the build for the future strategy currently in place, and they manage to dump most of Jokinen’s contract, which is the only logical explanation why they would want to get rid of him this year. 

 

So, three trades, three win-wins.  I don’t ask for much Gary (debatable, I know, but go with it), just get this done for me.

2010 Olympic Hockey Preview; Part II

The Longshot

8. Germany

I really didn’t know what to do with the Germans.  While 8 is (to me anyways) the clear spot for them, they don’t really fit in with any other teams. 

On the one hand, they clearly have more talent than any of the teams in the “thanks for showing up” category.  The German team is, at least for the first couple of lines, stocked with NHL talent.  They also have a goaltender with NHL and international experience, as well as an up and comer who may in fact take the place of the veteran.  The Germans will fill the remainder of their roster spots from the strong DEL (comparable roughly to the AHL). 

So where to put the Germans?  Well, they are in limbo, so we will treat them as such.  Not a true contender for the Gold, it isn’t worth choosing an entire roster for Die Deutsch.  On the other hand, they are a step ahead of Switzerland, Norway, Latvia and Belarus, so we need to give them slightly more attention.  The solution…I will go ahead and break down the German team position by position, rather than person by person.

Defenseman

The Germans are actually in fair shape along the blueline.  Christain Ehrhoff has shown flashes of brilliance for San Jose, but the Germans will need him to step up in this tournament and be a number 1, at least as far as offense and transition games are concerned, something he is not for the Sharks.  Ehrhoff will be joined on Germany’s back end by three other NHLers, Ottawa’s Christoph Schubert, Carolina’s Dennis Seidenberg, and Nashville’s Alexander Sulzer (who has spent most of this season in the AHL).  The remaining two Spots on defense will likely be filled by DEL players, although Bruins prospect Denis Reul and Toronto prospect Korbinian Holzer will likely attempt to make the jump from World Juniors to the Olympics.

Forwards

Up front, the Germans are much weaker.  They lack the both the depth and the go-to scorer that this tournament’s contending teams have in spades.  The Bruins’ Marco Sturm, and the Sabers’ Jochen Hecht are holdovers from the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, and will likely be relied upon once again to carry the scoring for Germany.  Marcel Goc of San Jose is really the only other full time NHLer up front that is expected to lace up for the Germans.  The one thing that could help in this facet would be if Germany could entice Mikhail Grabovski and Dany Heatley to play for their national squad.  Both were born in Deutschland, but play for Belarus and Canada respectively, having been born to parents living as expatriates, then raised in their respective countries, rather than Germany.  Unfourtionately, Heatley and Grabovski are not eligible to play for Germany in IIHF sanctioned events such as the Olympics having previously played for Canada and Belarus, although they could play for Germany in the 2011 World Cup.

Goaltender

Germany will likely field two of the four San Jose Sharks on their roster at goaltender.  The likely starter Thomas Greiss spent most of last season as Evgeni Nabokov’s backup, but has yet to play in the NHL this season because of Brian Boucher’s emergence as Nabokov’s #2.  The likely number 2 will be youngster Timo Pielmeir, still playing in the QMJHL, who starred in World Juniors this past year.   

So, in the end, in order to judge Germany’s chances, one must first define their goals.  Germany is much too shallow (as well as lacking in top end talent) to compete for any sort of medal.  Teams such as the Scandinavians or North Americans will be better than the Germans pretty much to a man, and it will likely show.

Having said all that, there is hope for the German team in Vancouver.  A win or two, maybe even making the second round would be considered a successful trip in 2010.  That is a definite possibility.  Belarus is a beatable opponent, and if Germany could upset the Sweeds or the Finns ( a long shot, but not quite impossible), they would likely be able to draw a weaker team in the qualifying round. 

So a medal is completely out of the question, but a couple of wins could be a big boost for the German team.

 

Up Next…the Velvet Sleepers

2010 Olympic Hockey Preview

The qualifying rounds are done, and in but a year’s time, the greatest hockey players in the world will hone in on the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia for the hockey tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Twelve teams will show up in Western Canada, looking to take home the gold for their nations.
I, for one, enjoy little more than international hockey, and therefore am eager to begin handicapping the tournament. With this in mind, I have decided to bring to you the first 2010 Winter Olympic power rankings…

Alas, there is one problem; the rosters have not yet been announced. While some may see this as a problem, I for one see it as an opportunity. This gives me the opportunity to pick my own teams, adding yet another level of discussion.
So here you have it, the first installment of the roster prediction/power rankings for the 2010 Games:

Group 1- Thanks for Showing Up

While I would have liked to pick the entire squads for the entire tournament, one at a time, the majority of a couple of these rosters are going to be made up of non-NHLers, whom I have no authority to analyze. So instead, I’ll give an overview of the lower groups, before breaking down the contenders one at a time.
It is no secret that while 12 teams make for a tidy tournament bracket, there certainly aren’t 12 teams capable of contending for the championship. For these squads, qualifying for the tournament was the main goal; a couple of wins in the tourney itself would be gravy.  

12. Norway

Rounding out the bottom of our rankings, are the Norwegians. This squad boasts just one NHLer, and while having one NHLer for most amateur hockey tournaments would be a huge advantage, something tells me that it won’t be enough for the hosts of the 1994 games. The NHLer in question is Ole Kristian Tollefson, a 24 year old defenseman from Columbus (well, actually from Olso, but he plays for Columbus). I am as big a believer as anyone that teams should be built from the blueline out, but Tollefson’s 10 career points in 4 seasons are unlikely to worry the likes of Nicklas Lindstrom and Zdeno Chara. Patrick Thoreson, who played over 100 games and tallied 24 points in the NHL up through last season before moving to the Swiss league, will be the Norwegian’s biggest scoring threat. The phenomenally named Espen Knutsen is probably the most prominent player in Norway’s recent history, and although he retired in 2005, he could be a candidate for the Olympic squad. Three Norwegians (Jonas Holos- COL, Mats Froshaug- VAN and Scott Winkler-DAL) are NHL draft picks who have yet to make it to the NHL. The only other note on their roster is that they will likely have a forward named Per-Åge Skrøder. I don’t know anything about the guy, but that is an absolutely epic name.
The roster is short, and the schedule won’t make it any easier. Norway is in a group with the United States and Canada. Their only opportunity for a win will likely come against a Swiss team that also outclasses them, but not by quite as much. Add all of that to the fact that even a tie against Norway comes with dire consequences, and it could be a long tournament for the afterthought of Scandinavian hockey.

11. Belarus

Assuming that you just read the section about the Norwegians, the Belarusians (shouldn’t that be Belarussians? Whatever…) will seem to have a ton of firepower. In fact, they have approximately three times as much, with a squad that boasts four NHL players.
In fact, the Belarus team actually has three players, Ruslan Salei, Mikhail Grabovski and Andrei Kostytsin who are quality NHLers, and a fourth, Kostytsin’s brother Sergei, who is a budding young player for the Montreal (nevermind that he just got sent to the AHL). They also have current KHLer Konstantin Koltsov who played a number of years in the NHL (144 games 38 points in the NHL). Like the Norwegians, the Belarusians will likely field a number of NHL picks who have yet to play in the NHL, but the majority of their talent will likely come from the Kontinental League.
Belarus shouldn’t be able to contend for anything meaningful, but will play their biggest game of the tournament against group C foe Germany, in what could potentially be a close game.

10. Latvia

The Latvians, the second to last team to qualify for the tournament (before only Norway), will likely also face an uphill challenge in BC. Their main asset, which neither Belarus nor Norway can boast, is a goaltender with NHL experience. Peter Skudra will likely tend the nets for the Latvians, and although he hasn’t played in the NHL since 2003, he will bring some experience, which the team (once again, made up largely of KHLers) lacks. Karlis Skrastins is the most notable NHLer for the Latvains. He is joined by Kings’ grinder Raitis Ivanans, Martins Karsums, a regular healthy scratch who has yet to find his place in Boston and Viktor Tikhonov, a promising first round draft pick of the Coyotes.
Still, not even rumors of the return of Arturs Irbe to the Latvians nets can bolster this team into any sort of medal consideration, especially with three quality teams in their bracket.


9. Switzerland

Obviously, quality goaltending is a major asset, especially in a short tournament such as the Olympics. Unfortunately, the fact that the Swiss have twice as many NHL goaltenders as forwards probably will not work in the favor of this traditionally neutral nation. Mark Streit is the only NHL skater for the Swiss team, but a strong presence in the Kontinental league as well as a relatively strong Swiss league will give this team a reasonable talent pool to draw from. Goaltending, though, will be their clear strength. Unfourtionately, that strength comes in the form of depth, with a pool containing NHL caliber tendys David Abishire, Jonas Hiller, Martin Gerber and Tobias Stephan. Of those, Hiller will likely get the nod, but they may need more than one of them, as they are matched up against the USA and Canada with their minor league caliber talent.


Up Next…The Longshot

Mad Football

I, for one am sick and tired of hearing it over and over: “These are the wildest playoffs ever!  We haven’t seen anything like this before!”  It is time to face facts.

Say it with me now…

(channeling Robin Williams--careful for the language on the clip)

We don’t know anything about the NFL.

We don’t know anything about the NFL.

We don’t know anything about the NFL.

(Still don’t get the idea?  Watch from 2:03 till 2:32, I’ll wait…….Thank you Jim)

That’s right, one more time: We don’t know anything about the NFL.

(and It's not your fault)

Considering the following 4 things;

1.       The Cardinals supposedly “came out of nowhere,” and for two weeks have been the best team in the NFL.  This would be nothing if it were October, but the red, orange and yellow leaves have long since fallen, meaning that it is playoff season when we find the Red and (white…I guess), on top of the NFL.  Of the other 3 teams, the Eagles were declared dead weeks ago when Donavan McNabb was done in Philly, and no one on the blogosphere, radio or television had the Ravens with their rookie head coach and quarterback going to the playoffs coming into ’08, let alone the AFC Championships.

2.       On the other side, we were told that the Giants were the class of the NFL for the entire season, only to be one and done in the playoffs.

3.       (and now for your explanations)  In three of the four sports, we receive what would be considered an appropriate sample size.  Baseball plays 162 games, and the NBA and NHL play 82.  An appropriate sample size from which trends can be extrapolated according to statisticians (the real kind, not those who keep sports stats) is approximately 40, well within the boundaries of those three seasons.  The NFL season is scarcely 1/3 of that established benchmark.  According to this, any statistics that we are able to take regarding teams ability to win football games are not sufficient to predict future behavior.  Without getting too far into the numbers, this means that it is entirely possible (from a statistical point of view) that the 4-12 Seattle Seahawks were equally capable of winning football games as the 12-4 Carolina Panthers.  Breaking down turnovers, points scored, and yards gained etc. can give football’s answer to SABRmetricians plenty of things to play with, and indeed an idea of how good a team is, but so many things go into winning football games (from offense, defense and special teams to clock management, play calling etc), that football more than any other sport really defies statistical analysis when it comes to the 2 columns that matter (W and L) at the end of the day.

4.       We know what a pitcher does, we know what a power forward does, and we know what a first baseman does.  While we know what a quarterback does (or at least most of it), %99.9 of fans couldn’t watch a football game and tell the difference between an all pro guard and one who is on his way out of the league.  While the offensive line thing is no new revelation, most fans watch the ball when they watch games, meaning that if they weren’t told by the Ron Jaworski and Peter Kings of the world, they would never be able to tell you who is a shut down corner, and only the most diehard fans would know about run stopping linebackers, so let’s be honest, very few people can pick out a defensive MVP, let alone break down a 4-3 without help from the media (this is particularly important in the playoffs where “defense wins championships”).  While there are a few people (particularly the aforementioned Jaworski and King) who attempt to give us a glimpse into the hidden side of football, no fan truly knows everything that goes on in a play, let alone a game.  The defensive MVP this year went undrafted by 32 teams with front offices chocked full of experts attempting to put the best defense that they can on the field, which really tells you all you need to know.  This leads to complexities that are lost to everyone that watches.  For instance how many people watched the Atlanta-Arizona game, turned to their  buddies and said “I can’t believe Ryan is snapping the ball on 1 every time!”  %01?  %.00001?  And while multiple Cardinals have said this was the case, the fact is the most observant fans probably just said “wow, Arizona is getting a lot of pressure on Ryan,” while the vast majority of the fans just said “the Falcons offense seems off.”

So there you go.  It doesn’t make it any less fun to watch (or indeed predict) but it is time to admit it.  The fact is, no matter how much football fans watch or play, the fact is THEY KNOW NOTHING!

Introducing The OV Sports Hall of Fame

Ladies and Gentlemen, after much deliberation (not really), we here at OV Sports (ok, it's just me...) are launching page 2 of obstructed view sports.  Worry not, you will still get the sporadic and irrelevent ramblings you have grown accustomed to seeing at ovsports.blogspot.com, but luckily for you, the OV Sports empire has just doubled in size.  

Later this evening, we will be launching the OV Sports YouTube Hall of Fame.  While this needs a much better name, I am a busy student athelete at a prestigious university, so I don't have time (please spare me the comments contending that the mere existence of this page happes to prove the preceeding sentance wrong).  The plan for this blog is to post the best youtube clips that I come across.  It is pretty simple.  This will probably be updated more often than the main OV Sports page, simply because it is simpler to embed a youtube video on a webpage (it consists of hitting ctrl+c and ctrl+v, pretty advanced programing jargin, forgive me) than to write a thousand words in elequent prose matched only by Shaq and Miss Teen South Carolina.  

Anyways, that URL is ovsports2.blogspot.com (I will post this on the side of this blog), enjoy.

A Quick Prediction

Arizona could win the Super Bowl.  Usually I try to refrain from one paragraph blog posts but I have to put this one up here.  As I type this, Arizona, who no one has given a chance since about week 11 is up 14-7 with Carolina in a game most predicted would be a blowout, they are doing it without Anquan Boldin and I’m coming to realize that everyone may have been wrong about them.  The reasons are pretty simple, they have an experienced quarterback, their running game is coming on at the right time, and they don’t have any glaring holes provided they are in warmish weather.  If they win tonight, they will have to win at most one cold weather game (maybe none), and while it may not be exceedingly likely, stranger things have certainly happened.  So sorry for the short post, but I just wanted to get this one on the record.  Sure, they could fall apart and lose this game 35-14, it is still early, but it is time to give this team a chance.