Some great first round match-ups in the NHL

From where I sit it looks like the NHL is set for an engaging first round of the playoffs...

via cbc.ca

It's not going to be easy to make predictions for any round of the playoffs, not with the level of parity that the NHL has today. There are basically two ways to predict sports; one involves heavy research and studying, the other is shooting darts at a board. Both are equally successful. So here's my combination of the two. Colorado beats Minnesota in 5, Varlamov will make the difference for the Avs. Chicago over St Louis in 6, the Blues are simply too injured to defeat the defending champs. I'll take Anaheim to get past Dallas in 5 at most, the Ducks are just too good. The toughest pick in the West is the Sharks-Kings series. My head says LA, my heart wants San Jose, so I'll follow my heart. Sharks in 7. In the East. Detroit keeps their playoff streak alive, but not for long Boston in 5. Montreal didn't get home ice, but Carey Price is better than Tampa's backup, Habs in 6. Marc-Andre Fleury will decide the future of the Penguins. If Columbus get better goaltending from Sergi Babrovski the Blue Jackets have a chance. In a bit of a surprise, I'll go with Columbus in 7. And in a return to the old Patrick Division the Rangers and Flyers will spend seven games beating each other up. Lundqvist and St Louis come up big, I'll take New York. I also reserve the right to blame the darts for a lack of getting anything right.

At least that's how I see it and I sit in the cheap seats.

An Oilers legend retires

From where I sit it looks like the Oilers are losing a piece of their heart...

via oilernation.com

With Ryan Smyth retiring Edmonton has lost it's last link to the 2006 Cup Final. It's also lost a leader in the dressing room and on the ice. At some point the Oilers need find a way to replace it, and not just on the third line, but on the top line where Smyth spent a good chunk of his time in Edmonton. For all the current crop can be exciting to watch, when they feel like it, the battle intensity of players like Smyth is severely lacking. This has also created a question over the possibility of retiring Smyth's familiar 94. Quite frankly, I don't see why not. Smyth has made a measurable difference both to the team and the community. His statistics can't be over looked. On a team famous for it's scoring prowess in the 1980s Smyth stands in the top tier in every offensive category. Nor should his contributions to Team Canada be cast aside. Gold at every major level. There are a good number of fans who feel the honour of jersey retirement should be reserved only for Cup champions. That's a noble goal to be certain, but tragically unrealistic. The Oilers are a long way away from even being a playoff contender, never mind a Cup winner. Get off the high horse and come to grips with the fact that there will never be another team like the old Oilers, but that doesn't mean the accomplishments of the new Oilers should be cast aside.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Time for change after another pro wrestler dies young

From where I sit it looks like the WWE continues to deal with far too many tragedies...

via philly.com

Ultimate Warrior (born James Hellwig) is the latest legend from my youth to die far too young. It doesn't take much research to find the staggering list of names. This isn't even secondary people or bit players. These are some of the biggest names from what was the WWF. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, The Big Bossman, The British Bulldog, Mr Perfect, the list is far too long to keep going. All of those deaths were related to drugs and/or drug abuse. If any other sport was losing stars at that rate the outcry would be staggering. The only comparison that comes to mind is car racing. The days of the 60s and 70s were simply deadly. Wrestling isn't any better. Add to that a lack of real transparency, the industry as a whole needs to reassess where they're at. Car racing is, by it's very nature, dangerous. I'm not trying to down play the physical nature of wrestling. They are amazing athletes plain and simple. However, the deaths behind the wheel are directly related to the sport and the risks involved. These deaths are from outside the ring. From bodies being pushed beyond their limits, mainly by drugs. It's sad. It needs to change. The future of the sport, and more importantly the lives of the stars depend on it.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

A Formula 1 race worth savouring

From where I sit it looks like Formula 1 is doing just fine...

via dailymail.co.uk

Sure, the battle at the front was between teammates, but let's face it that was a proper battle. Hamilton and Rosberg put on a delightful battle over the closing laps leaving views the world over gasping. There was a series of great battles from 3^rd through, well 12^th. Outside of Hamilton and Rosberg, the rest of the points paying positions were separated by under 10 seconds. Just to keep everyone happy there was even a big wreck. Thankfully Gutierrez walked away, after figuring out which country he was in. So, for at least one race the critics are quiet. Sadly, this will last until the next race when inevitably someone will again bring up the lack of noise from the cars. It's a silly, needless exercise that only serves to make the sport look bad. Change is constant in life. Last we heard from the complainers it was the new aero package. But even that isn't a unique happening. We've heard complaints about moving away form the turbos; that the turbos have too much boost; that the cars don't slide around anymore; that the sport is becoming too safe; that the cars have wings and that the cars have rear engines. And those are just off the top of my head. There will always be complaining about sports. Some times, all too infrequently, all the bitching and moaning is quieted as we all get to bask in the glory of Formula 1 at it's finest.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

NCAA faces major headaches, Boomer gets the hint and an amazing pic

From where I sit it looks like the NCAA could be turned upside down...

With Northwestern being approved to start a union, it seems the list of interested schools is already forming. The question that will be facing schools now is how does this impact both their football program and other sports. What about public schools? Will this be the death of college sports as we know it? Students won't want to go to public schools if they won't get paid; while private universities might just cancel major sports all together. Keep in mind this won't impact field hockey or water polo or badminton. The minor sports, where the students aren't actually making the schools any money. This is really all about the money. Of course the schools don't want to pay the kids. Why would they? There will doubtlessly be doom and gloom coming from the universities. But they money will still be out there. And as long as there is massive amounts of money to be made, there will be someone looking to get paid.

Meanwhile, the message has gotten through to Boomer Esiason...

via en.wikipedia.org

And good for him for being man enough to admit he screwed up and apologize. Having worked in radio I can fully understand what happens when you get foot-in-mouth disease. And even then it's still hard to go on-air and fess up.

One last thing here...this picture is simply staggering...

via veooz.com

Given the perspective, it's quite hard to tell how far off the tornado is, but I'm amazed at how casual everyone is acting. In any case, this is an amazing photo showing not only the power of nature, but the dedication of some sports fans.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

Murphy shouldn't have to defend himself for being a father

From where I sit it looks like there's been some undue criticism of Daniel Murphy...

via sports.yahoo.com

What sort of callous idiot calls out a new parent? Boomer Esiason is hardly someone who should be critical. Let's start with a professional comparison.  Over the course of a 13 year careen Boomer played in 187 games, last season Murphy played in 161. Obviously those are different sports, but still it's not like Esiason went on the road for 2 weeks at a time. Murphy will be home for roughly 2 weeks at most for the rest of the season. He didn't miss a playoff game. He missed the first two games of the season. As for Esiason, part of what makes the comments ridiculous is Boomer's own devotion to his son. Gunner Esiason has cystic fibrosis. Boomer has set up several charities in his son's name and helped raise millions of dollars for research and treatment for a terrifying, usually fatal, disease. And here he is critiquing Murphy for being a good father and supportive spouse. It seems strangely hypocritical for someone spending so much time to being a loving parent to criticize another for being devoted.

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.

CFLPA shows really bad timing

From where I sit it looks like both the CFL and the CFLPA need to work on their timing...

Why is the latest CBA discussion starting against baseball's opening day?  The new President of the CFLPA is talking seriously about refusing to play, but not many others are talking about it because the focus is on baseball.  Out of most of the professional sports, CFL players are underpaid. Yes, they are still getting a lot of money, but no where near what their contemporaries in the NFL receive. So, in that aspect I agree, the CFLers should get an appropriate piece of the pie. The players say they won’t play under the current CBA. There are plenty of questions to ask about what happens next. However, who's bright idea was it to make all that public on Opening Day of MLB? They couldn't even sit on it until mid-week? Apparently not.  Naturally, the league came back with a muted reaction, but that still overlooks the horrible timing. Even in CFL crazy cities, this was anything but front page news. I'm well aware that this is all merely posturing and may amount to nothing. But posturing is done for attention, and if nobody is looking what's the point?

At least that's how I see it...and I sit in the cheap seats.