The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers in Round One by a series total of 4-1. This was a revenge series for the Penguins, as they now knock out early the same team that has knocked them out the prior two years. Two years ago, it was a 4-3 victory for the Rangers in the Second Round after getting down 3-1. Last year, it was the Rangers against the Penguins who snuck in as the Second Wild Card. It went exactly the same that this series went, except for the fact that both teams are switched around. The Rangers won game one at home, the Penguins took game two at the Garden, and then the Rangers won the following three games.
I wasn't easy for the Penguins. Marc-Andre Fluery, their regular goalie, had been out for a couple of weeks with his second sustained concussion of the year. Their backup, Matthew Murray, suffered a concussion in the final game at the Flyers, so the Penguins were left with their third goaltender, Jeff Zatkoff.
Zatkoff would start the first two games, the first Stanley Cup playoff games he has ever started, and was good in the first but the magic ran out. Luckily, Murray was cleared for game three, and in his postseason debut, he allowed only one goal in a 3-1 Pens victory, as well as a 5-0 shutout in game four, and a 6-3 win in Game 5.
Murray outplayed King Henrik Lunqvist, considered to be possibly the best goalie in the game. Lundqvist got poked in the eye by a teammate's stick, and got taken out of game one, but was fine the rest of the series. He got lit up in games 4 and 5, and got benched. All ten that he allowed in the two games were not all his fault as his defense was terrible against the speedy Penguins skaters.
Rookies played a big part in the Pens success in this series. Murray, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, and Tom Kuhnhackl all were key in this series win. The most impressive was Sheary, who has moved into the first line with Sidney Crosby has been impressive, and his chemistry with Sid the Kid. This, along with Evgeni Malkin coming back and Phil Kessel heating up, this Pens team is dangerous, and Fluery might be on his way back.
The Penguins are put into a showdown with Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Captials, who have never gotten past the second round in the Ovechkin era. Crosby and Ovechkin have only met once in the Playoffs in a 4-3 Pens victory, the same year they won the Stanley Cup. The President Cup trophy winners in the Caps against the second-best team makes no sense, and I might rant about the playoff system, like the New York Islanders tanking to avoid the Metro side. But, the Caps should be a good Conference Semifinal, but it's a shame it's not a Eastern Conference final. The action will start this week.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Jake Arrieta Throws No-Hitter
Jake Arrieta has done it again. For the second time since August, Arrieta has thrown a no-hitter. Last year, it was at the Los Angeles Dodgers, and this year, it was at the Cincinnati Reds on Thrusday night. This game was over from the start, as the Cubs offense was pouring it on against the Reds struggling pitching staff. By the end of it, the Cubs offense put up 16 runs. So as well as having the pressure of trying to throw a no-hitter, Arrieta was getting cold with all of these innings where the offense was tearing the cover off of the ball.
Through six innings, Arrieta had around 85 pitches, and it looked like he might not have enough left in the tank to finish off the game for the Cubs. But, manager Joe Maddon thinks that the pitcher should get a chance at making some history, so it wouldn't have mattered if his pitch count got really high. But, he had two very quick innings, and was set up well with the chance to pitch his way to history. But, after a walk and two outs, the last batter, Zack Cosart stepped up to the plate. After taking two borderline pitches for balls outside, it was a 2-2 count. But, the next pitch he popped up to shallow right field. Jason Heyward called for it, and secured it, making Arrieta one of the very few to pitch multiple no-hitters in their career.
Just three years ago, he had a 6+ ERA for the Baltimore Orioles, and was traded that July 2nd to the Cubs. For who? Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger, as well as the Cubs getting Pedro Strop. Looking back, is that a big steal or what?
How about that offense? 16-0 is the second biggest margin of victory in a no-hitter since a 18-0 no-hitter in 1884. That's like less than twenty years after the Civil War and President Lincoln getting killed, as well as over twenty years before the Cubs won their first World Series title in 1907. Kris Bryant led the charge with two home runs and six RBI's, including a grand slam.
Another interesting note. The last two times the Cubs started 13-4? 1907 and 1908, the two years they won the World Series. Hopefully, that is foreshadowing a World Series title.
The Cubs took 3 of 4 from the Reds, are standing at 14-5, 3.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central. Arrieta will go next on Wednesday night vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, a series that starts on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
Through six innings, Arrieta had around 85 pitches, and it looked like he might not have enough left in the tank to finish off the game for the Cubs. But, manager Joe Maddon thinks that the pitcher should get a chance at making some history, so it wouldn't have mattered if his pitch count got really high. But, he had two very quick innings, and was set up well with the chance to pitch his way to history. But, after a walk and two outs, the last batter, Zack Cosart stepped up to the plate. After taking two borderline pitches for balls outside, it was a 2-2 count. But, the next pitch he popped up to shallow right field. Jason Heyward called for it, and secured it, making Arrieta one of the very few to pitch multiple no-hitters in their career.
Just three years ago, he had a 6+ ERA for the Baltimore Orioles, and was traded that July 2nd to the Cubs. For who? Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger, as well as the Cubs getting Pedro Strop. Looking back, is that a big steal or what?
How about that offense? 16-0 is the second biggest margin of victory in a no-hitter since a 18-0 no-hitter in 1884. That's like less than twenty years after the Civil War and President Lincoln getting killed, as well as over twenty years before the Cubs won their first World Series title in 1907. Kris Bryant led the charge with two home runs and six RBI's, including a grand slam.
Another interesting note. The last two times the Cubs started 13-4? 1907 and 1908, the two years they won the World Series. Hopefully, that is foreshadowing a World Series title.
The Cubs took 3 of 4 from the Reds, are standing at 14-5, 3.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central. Arrieta will go next on Wednesday night vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, a series that starts on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
Eagles Trade for Second Pick
Well, another big shake-up has taken place in the 2016 NFL Draft. About a week after the L.A. Rams for the first pick. It was rumored that the Browns were trying to trade their second overall pick, and that turned out to be true. It turned out the team they traded it to was the Philadelphia Eagles.
This is an interesting move for the Eagles, as they signed Sam Bradford to an expensive contract extension this offseason. There was still a good chance that they would draft a quarterback, perhaps a developmental prospect such as Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch. But, by trading up to number two, this means that they are looking to get a quarterback to be face of the franchise. They will get to choose either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, based off of who the Los Angeles Rams, who hold the number one pick, take.
Here is what each team gets in the deal
Cleveland Browns get: Eighth pick in First Round, third round pick (77th), fourth round pick (100th), a 2017 first rounder, and a 2018 second round pick.
Philadelphia Eagles get: Second Pick in First Round and a 2017 fourth round pick
For the Browns, this very well may mean that Robert Griffin III is their guy. After Goff and Wentz, the next best quarterback is Lynch, who would be a huge reach at pick number eight. I think that they will take a quarterback somewhere in the Draft. They have twelve picks, so they can build around RGIII, and if he doesn't work out, they can draft a QB next year. Or, with all of those 12 picks, they could trade down in the first round, acquire even more picks and take Lynch in the twenties, as I think that he will fall all the way to the Broncos at 31. But now they might draft Ezekiel Elliot out of Ohio State as the first running back in the Draft, but we will see.
This is an interesting move for the Eagles, as they signed Sam Bradford to an expensive contract extension this offseason. There was still a good chance that they would draft a quarterback, perhaps a developmental prospect such as Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch. But, by trading up to number two, this means that they are looking to get a quarterback to be face of the franchise. They will get to choose either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, based off of who the Los Angeles Rams, who hold the number one pick, take.
Here is what each team gets in the deal
Cleveland Browns get: Eighth pick in First Round, third round pick (77th), fourth round pick (100th), a 2017 first rounder, and a 2018 second round pick.
Philadelphia Eagles get: Second Pick in First Round and a 2017 fourth round pick
For the Browns, this very well may mean that Robert Griffin III is their guy. After Goff and Wentz, the next best quarterback is Lynch, who would be a huge reach at pick number eight. I think that they will take a quarterback somewhere in the Draft. They have twelve picks, so they can build around RGIII, and if he doesn't work out, they can draft a QB next year. Or, with all of those 12 picks, they could trade down in the first round, acquire even more picks and take Lynch in the twenties, as I think that he will fall all the way to the Broncos at 31. But now they might draft Ezekiel Elliot out of Ohio State as the first running back in the Draft, but we will see.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Jake Arrieta Continues Tear, but cubs Lose Series
On Saturday, Jake Arrieta took to the mound at Wrigley for the first time this season. When Arrieta takes to the mound, it always feels like a for sure victory for the Chicago Cubs. Again, this start was the same. He went for eight shutout innings with eight strikeouts, and he made his 23rd quality start in a row. This moved the Beast to 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three starts.
Arrieta has shown here early that last year's historic season was not a fluke. He has looked like the best pitcher in baseball, and that is not all that he has done. He hit a 442 foot home run in Arizona, and has showed just how good of an athlete that he is.
The offense took care of business on Saturday as well. Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler went back-to-back on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the 4th. Dexter Fowler then hit a three run home run in the bottom of the seventh and then the Cubs added one more in the bottom of the eighth, and the Cubs won 6-2.
The rest of the series didn't go as well for the Cubs. On Friday, they lost by a score of 6 to 1. It was a very bad day for the bullpen, defense, and offense. They could only muster one run in the later parts of the game, and the defense was terrible. They committed four errors that afternoon, in which was one of the worst defensive games that you will see the whole rest of the year.
Sunday was a terrible day for the Cubs offense as well. They only got three hits in the entire game, and they couldn't push in a run. On the bright side for the Cubs, Jon Lester kept up his great season. In 7.1 innings, he gave up only one run. That was off of a home run in the basket for Nolan Arenado. It stayed 1-0 the whole rest of the way, until Arenado came up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. With a full count against Justin Grimm, Arenado went yard again, giving the Rockies a 2-0 victory and a series win against the Cubs in Wrigley.
The Cubs are back at it tomorrow the 18th on the road against the Cardinals. It is the return to Busch Stadium for former Cardinals John Lackey and Jason Heyward. It is John Lackey (2-0, 5.68 ERA) against Mike Leake (0-1, 6.97 ERA) at 7:00 CST.
Arrieta has shown here early that last year's historic season was not a fluke. He has looked like the best pitcher in baseball, and that is not all that he has done. He hit a 442 foot home run in Arizona, and has showed just how good of an athlete that he is.
The offense took care of business on Saturday as well. Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler went back-to-back on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the 4th. Dexter Fowler then hit a three run home run in the bottom of the seventh and then the Cubs added one more in the bottom of the eighth, and the Cubs won 6-2.
The rest of the series didn't go as well for the Cubs. On Friday, they lost by a score of 6 to 1. It was a very bad day for the bullpen, defense, and offense. They could only muster one run in the later parts of the game, and the defense was terrible. They committed four errors that afternoon, in which was one of the worst defensive games that you will see the whole rest of the year.
Sunday was a terrible day for the Cubs offense as well. They only got three hits in the entire game, and they couldn't push in a run. On the bright side for the Cubs, Jon Lester kept up his great season. In 7.1 innings, he gave up only one run. That was off of a home run in the basket for Nolan Arenado. It stayed 1-0 the whole rest of the way, until Arenado came up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. With a full count against Justin Grimm, Arenado went yard again, giving the Rockies a 2-0 victory and a series win against the Cubs in Wrigley.
The Cubs are back at it tomorrow the 18th on the road against the Cardinals. It is the return to Busch Stadium for former Cardinals John Lackey and Jason Heyward. It is John Lackey (2-0, 5.68 ERA) against Mike Leake (0-1, 6.97 ERA) at 7:00 CST.
Josh Gordon Fails Another Drug Test
Earlier this week, we again heard news from troubled suspended NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon. Gordon was suspended for the full year last year, and was in the process of getting reinstated. We finally heard some news on him this week, but it wasn't what Gordon wanted to hear. It was leaked out that he had failed yet another NFL drug test, which means that he is still not ready to be reinstated by the NFL.
This begs the question: Is Gordon ever going to get back into the League? If he does ever get back, I don't think that he would have any trouble getting action. Because first, the team that he played for, the Cleveland Browns, are a big joke. The most games they have won in a season since 1999 was ten, and they still failed the make the Postseason. They are always picking early in the Draft, and this year isn't any different. They have the second pick, and they are set to ruin yet another quarterback's career, this time it is most likely Carson Wentz's career.
Secondly, he is a good player. The last year he played a full season, he went for over 1,000 yards and was one of the elite pass catchers in the NFL. With all of that talent, you would think that he would concentrate on football and get off of drugs, right? Well, I guess not. He keeps doing drugs and is missing out on millions of dollars and perhaps getting out of Cleveland to get a chance to win a Super Bowl. But, I guess bongs mean more to him.
This isn't the only receiver in the NFL to have problems with drugs. Martavis Bryant of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the latest to experience this problem. After missing four games to start the season, Bryant failed yet another drug test this offseason and is suspended for the season. He will have to find a way to improve and then get reinstated, and get back in the flow of the Steeler offense.
The other case was Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon. After being taken as a top five pick, Blackmon showed the off the field issues he had during college that scared off teams. He had numerous DUI's and failed drug tests, and is out of the League. Gordon and Bryant will have to turn it around before it gets Blackmon bad. I don't think that Gordon has a chance to have a place in the League, and it isn't getting better.
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This begs the question: Is Gordon ever going to get back into the League? If he does ever get back, I don't think that he would have any trouble getting action. Because first, the team that he played for, the Cleveland Browns, are a big joke. The most games they have won in a season since 1999 was ten, and they still failed the make the Postseason. They are always picking early in the Draft, and this year isn't any different. They have the second pick, and they are set to ruin yet another quarterback's career, this time it is most likely Carson Wentz's career.
Secondly, he is a good player. The last year he played a full season, he went for over 1,000 yards and was one of the elite pass catchers in the NFL. With all of that talent, you would think that he would concentrate on football and get off of drugs, right? Well, I guess not. He keeps doing drugs and is missing out on millions of dollars and perhaps getting out of Cleveland to get a chance to win a Super Bowl. But, I guess bongs mean more to him.
This isn't the only receiver in the NFL to have problems with drugs. Martavis Bryant of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the latest to experience this problem. After missing four games to start the season, Bryant failed yet another drug test this offseason and is suspended for the season. He will have to find a way to improve and then get reinstated, and get back in the flow of the Steeler offense.
The other case was Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon. After being taken as a top five pick, Blackmon showed the off the field issues he had during college that scared off teams. He had numerous DUI's and failed drug tests, and is out of the League. Gordon and Bryant will have to turn it around before it gets Blackmon bad. I don't think that Gordon has a chance to have a place in the League, and it isn't getting better.
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Los Angeles Rams trade for First Pick
The Tennessee Titans held the first pick after the 2015-16 NFL season, and it was known that they were going to actively shop it for a king's ransom. It didn't look like they were going to get a deal done, until early today. In a surprise blockbuster trade, the Los Angeles Rams traded for the first overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. In order to do this, they gave up a ton.
The Rams Get: The No.1 Pick, fourth round pick (113), and a sixth-round pick (177)
The Titans Get: Picks 15, 43, 45, and 76. They get the Rams first and third round pick in 2017.
This looks like a deal that will be of great benefit for both teams. The Rams will get a chance to draft a franchise quarterback. The Titans have stockpiled picks. They now have six of the first 76 picks in this year's draft, as well as two first round picks in next year's draft.
There is no question at what position the Rams are going to draft first. You don't give up all of those picks to trade up and draft an offensive tackle. They are going after a franchise quarterback. The decision comes between California's Jared Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. Whomever they choose better work out. If they don't, this will end up being a terrible trade for the Rams. They have no pick after the first until the fourth round, which means they won't be able to pick up many pieces. As well as next year, they have already given up their first and third round picks. If it turns out to be RG III like, the Rams will be in a sticky situation for a while.
The Titans could be set up well for a while. With 6 of the first 76 picks in the Draft, the Titans can stock up on prospects and fill up on needs. With a franchise quarterback already in place, the Titans can take over a very weak AFC South for years to come. We will see what positions they address to surround Marcus Mariota with some more talent.
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The Rams Get: The No.1 Pick, fourth round pick (113), and a sixth-round pick (177)
The Titans Get: Picks 15, 43, 45, and 76. They get the Rams first and third round pick in 2017.
This looks like a deal that will be of great benefit for both teams. The Rams will get a chance to draft a franchise quarterback. The Titans have stockpiled picks. They now have six of the first 76 picks in this year's draft, as well as two first round picks in next year's draft.
There is no question at what position the Rams are going to draft first. You don't give up all of those picks to trade up and draft an offensive tackle. They are going after a franchise quarterback. The decision comes between California's Jared Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. Whomever they choose better work out. If they don't, this will end up being a terrible trade for the Rams. They have no pick after the first until the fourth round, which means they won't be able to pick up many pieces. As well as next year, they have already given up their first and third round picks. If it turns out to be RG III like, the Rams will be in a sticky situation for a while.
The Titans could be set up well for a while. With 6 of the first 76 picks in the Draft, the Titans can stock up on prospects and fill up on needs. With a franchise quarterback already in place, the Titans can take over a very weak AFC South for years to come. We will see what positions they address to surround Marcus Mariota with some more talent.
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Sunday, April 10, 2016
Willett Wins Masters After Spieth Collapse
Going into the back nine, Jordan Spieth had just made four birdies in a row to get to seven under par. He had a five stroke lead over Danny Willett, and it looked like Spieth would cruise to his second straight Green Jacket. But, he went the Greg Norman route and it all fell apart on ten. He bogeyed ten and eleven, and walked to the Par-3 12th Hole. The first shot hits and rolls back into the water. Then, from the drop zone, he chunked his wedge like I do and it went into the water. Then, he overcompensated and hit his fifth shot into the greenside bunker. From there, he got up-and-down for a quadruple bogey. Spieth fell to fourth and Willett took the lead at -4, later extending that score to -5, where he would finish. Spieth made birdies at 13 and 15 to get him to three under, but missed a short birdie putt on sixteen. He then bogeyed 17, and needing a hole-in-one on the par-4 18th hole, Willett was guaranteed the Green Jacket. He becomes only the second Englishman to ever win a Green Jacket, joining Sir Nick Faldo, who won it three times. Willett almost didn't play, because his wife Nicole was due to have a baby. But, that baby was born about 11 days early, and Willett was the last to arrive late Monday night, and the rest is now history.
For Spieth, this 80th playing of the Masters will haunt him. He had a chance to become one of the few elite names to win the Masters in back-to-back. But, he ties for second with Englishman Lee Westwood. We will see how he recovers from this, and if he will be able to defend his U.S Open title and perhaps add a British Open and PGA Championship to his resume.
Cedar Rapids native and Elmcrest member Zach Johnson missed the cut by two strokes, after he hit the water on his backswing on the thirteenth hole on Friday, tough luck for the 2007 Masters winner.
For Spieth, this 80th playing of the Masters will haunt him. He had a chance to become one of the few elite names to win the Masters in back-to-back. But, he ties for second with Englishman Lee Westwood. We will see how he recovers from this, and if he will be able to defend his U.S Open title and perhaps add a British Open and PGA Championship to his resume.
Cedar Rapids native and Elmcrest member Zach Johnson missed the cut by two strokes, after he hit the water on his backswing on the thirteenth hole on Friday, tough luck for the 2007 Masters winner.
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