Slow Clap

Alright… here we go… the Avs are out, the sting of defeat is considerably less than a week ago, now is the time to start the slow clap for a season well played.

<clap>…..<clap>….<Clap>…<Clap>..<CLAP>.<CLAP><CLAP><CLAP>

Doesn’t everybody feel better? Yeah.

Losing the way we did was rough, but seeing Cody McCormick out every third shift made it a bit easier. I mean, we were running lines full of AHL talent by the end, and it was eerily reminiscent of the entire season. Injury after injury all year long, and finally at the end we got solid and beat a tough Minnesota team in a rough-and-tumble series that we would have lost had this team made the playoffs a year ago. Props all around.

There’s plenty to worry about from coaching to goaltending to buffing up the blue line and bringing back offensive talent. We have the whole off-season to brood on all the big Q’s. But the answers to some of those questions may be a call-up away considering the solid to downright stellar play of the new Avalanche Youth Movement. Right now there is a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to look forward to.

Review What?

It’s been a quiet week on this here blog.

Of course, it’s been a solemn week here in Colorado sports land. I don’t even want to do a full week in review. I’ll keep this short and sweet (or bitter, as the case may be).

Nuggets found out how good they really are.

The Avs finally had time catch up with them.

The Rockies… well, the Rockies. What do you say? Can we have a re-do?

The Broncos made an interesting draft… but it’s hardly worth commenting on until training camp.

That’s all I have to say today. Later this week, I’ll post a write-up of my first ever Arena Football game.

THREE

Two teams in the history of the NHL have come back from down 3-0 in a best-of-seven to win the series.

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs come back to beat the Detroit Red Wings after falling behind 3-0 in the series.

Thirty three years later…

1975 New York Islanders come back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, finishing the job on April 26th.

Thirty Three years and three days later…

2008 Colorado Avalanche are down 3-0 with a chance to become the third team in NHL history to mount the seemingly unsurmountable comeback.

Start thinking in threes.

Dual-Semi-Live-Blog

The danger with live blogging a game is that things you say appear ridiculous later. But how that’s different from my normal blogging, I’m not sure. (rimshot goes here)

Avalanche game. First 10 minutes was amazing. Like a different team hit the ice. The goal was great, the attack time was great, the hitting was great… then the Wings showed up, and the Avs started skating backwards again, and it looked like the penalty kill unit was just trying to clear the puck, only that was when it was even strength. Period one ends with a 2-1 Wings lead. The Avs need to bottle up what they had in the first half of the period and make the second period something to remember, or this season will be just a memory.

Rockies game: WTF?! I turn over from the hockey game, and find the lineup in a state of disarray not even Hurdle could dream up. So here’s what happened. Baker got hurt before the game. Early on, Tulo pulls up gimpy (oh crap), which means Atkins shifts over to second (ouch), Barmes takes shortstop (fine), and Iannetta comes in to play third (?!). This leaves Podsednik and Spillborghs on the bench. That’s it, folks. Things are getting dicey for the boys in purple. We’ll see how this goes. If they can’t pull 2 of 3 from the stinking Giants, things are looking sad in Rockies-land. Injuries or none, the Giants are not good, and losing 2 or 3 in a row to them is just plain sorry.

More updates to come, as the night goes on, assuming I haven’t had too much beer to write/type/spell coherently.

***edit: Well, I didn’t get back to the computer. Avs lost, Rockies won. I’d gladly flip those two if I could. I’m feeling like my game 6 tickets aren’t going to be incredibly useful. Even if they can pull out game 4 (tonight was a much better effort for sure), I just don’t see them taking game 5 away at the Joe. ***

Hooray! NBA Offseason!

It is a ritual in the Sporting World According to Ian to celebrate the fateful day each year (during the first round of the playoffs) when the Denver Nuggets are eliminated from contention for the NBA title. It isn’t that I don’t like basketball, I love basketball, or that I don’t like the Nuggies, I’ve been a fan since they wore the silly 80’s skyline jersey. No, I celebrate the Nuggets’ removal from playoff contention because it means I don’t have to watch another lackadaisical effort by supposed superstars for the whole summer. No more pathetic (and OBVIOUSLY biased) officiating to make me upchuck my sub sandwich. No more showboating or bad coaching. Once the Nuggets are out, I get to ignore the disgusting celebration of all of these things for a few glorious months. No more wishing the NBA were more like college basketball… more like real basketball.

So to wrap up this, another failed season in Denver basketball history, I would like to announce a full-proof plan for making the Nuggets into title contenders for next year and years to come. Ready? GO!

Trade Carmello Anthony to the Houston Rockets for Shane Battier and a slew of first round draft picks over the next two years.

Trade Marcus Camby to anybody willing to take on his enormous salary and limited skill set. Trade him for lots of draft picks.

DO NOT trade the following players:

JR Smith, Allen Iverson, Nene Hilario, Linas Klieza, Eduardo Najera, Rocky (mascot),  and Kenyon Martin.

Anybody else can go. Even George Karl. He’s not a bad coach… but he’s not a good coach either. It’s a wash.

Use two tons of draft picks to take chances on high-potential, high-risk guards and forwards and one sure thing at center.

Start them all at various points next season.

Watch the magic happen.

Looking for Answers

The Rockies made some moves in the wake of last night’s drubbing - including designating Jayson Nix for assignment. The Nix Experiment is something we were all looking forward to- we were all hoping for a Tulo-like rookie season. However, at this point, we’re just hoping we can get a Tulo-like season out of Tulo right now. Nix, while a serviceable second baseman, has just been overmatched by the pitching in the bigs, and this may spell the end of his time with the Rockies, as he now as to clear waivers before he can be sent to the Sky Sox. But since there aren’t many teams looking for a .111 hitter, he could clear and get some more work at the Triple-A level.  The bright side, is that Barmes has taken advantage of the situation with some decent fielding and some of the better hitting the Rocks have seen this short troubled season with a .305 average and 18 hits, including 2 homeruns.

Secondly, Ubaldo “Wheels-off” Jimenez was put on notice– which I think is a bit of a generous move on Hurdle’s part. This guy has simply imploded at every start. It’s no wonder that the bullpen is fried beyond any ability to hold when they’re essentially being asked to pitch 6+ innings per game. What sort of bizarro world is this, when the bullpen is logging all the innings, Corpas gets lifted as the closer for Brian “Chest-High-Curveball” Fuentes, and Helton is moved into the 2-hole because Tulo can’t seem to get on base or push across a run?

Which prematurely brings me to the third move, that is sliding Helton up to the second spot, with Holliday at three and Atkins at four, and Tulo moving up to six. I’m hoping this loosens up Holliday a bit more, maybe gives him a few pitches to hit… but I fear that Holliday’s best days were back when he had Helton protecting him in the clean-up spot. Either way, I don’t see this is a world-shaking move, just the kind of thing that needs to be done to shake the roster up a bit and show the guys that this team will not take this sitting down.

Finally, I’m looking at the move that hasn’t been made officially, but is causing some stir in the clubhouse. Willy Taveras has not been the everyday starter at centerfield, and he’s been grumping about it to the media. He sure enjoyed the days when his spot was safe because the other guy on the team with wheels was an infielder. Willy doesn’t like being pushed, and I’m here to tell Willy that he needs to suck it up and bring the performance, because Podsy is the real deal. Podsednik has a 100-point lead over will in OBP, Slugging percentage, and a 50 point advantage in batting average. Podsednik can use his speed in the outfield, and he can steal a base as good as Willy - so it seems to me that Willy’s best bet is to shut his mouth and let his numbers do the talking. And what they’re saying right now, is Podsednik is taking his job. I know Hurdle says he doesn’t want a committee for an outfielder, but I say do it and if Willy doesn’t like it, ship him out and give the job to Podsednik. Maybe we could get into a deal for another starting pitcher for Taveras, or something. So in conclusion, let it be known that I’ve been a fan of Scott Podsednik since his days with the Mariners, and I’m a fan now and wouldn’t be bothered to see him in the lineup everyday. He’s certainly making a case for earning that job on the field.

This year has started tough for the Rockies, and I know it’s only April and there’s a ton of baseball to play. The Rockies, however, simply cannot count on a ridiculous 20-game surge in September to carry them to the playoffs– that kind of thing only happens once in a great while. If they hope to make a run at the division, they’re going to have to start winning series with division rivals, at least splitting with the good teams, and beating the snot out of the not-so-good teams. Right now, everyone in the league has lost their fear of this lineup and are licking their chops to take a whack at the defending NL champs. Let’s hope the shakeup can restore some confidence.

Close as They Come

I have lost sleep. No, seriously, I have lost sleep over this series. I just don’t know how to call it. The teams match up so evenly on paper, and in the real world an undermanned Avs squad lost four games to the Red Wings during the regular season. But this is certainly not that Colorado team, and while the Red Wings have looked soft at times the Avalanche has steadily seemed more sure of themselves, more capable offensively defensively and in net, over the course of the last couple months of hockey. And so my instincts tell me to take the coward’s exit in predicting these first four games by calling home victories all around. I am not one to fight instinct. And in a matchup as close as this one, the last change that is afforded to the home team becomes a huge factor. Here goes…

Game One 4/24 @ Detroit Red Wings

If we are going to win a game in Detroit, this one is the most likely to be it. I believe that the Avalanche will come out of the gates more fired up, but the Wings can score at any time. If Colorado can get up early they have a chance, but if Detroit scores first it will become almost impossible for the Avs to come back/keep pace. Prove me wrong boys. (Do it in overtime, that’ll really piss the Wing Faithful off.) Avs lose 3-4.

Game Two 4/26 @ Detroit Red Wings

You’ll notice that all of my predictions will be for high-scoring games. This has less to do with defense or goaltending and more to do with the vast expanses of open ice that I believe this matchup will produce. Barring the Wings playing fully dominant puck-control hockey, these games should be back and forth across the neutral zone all game long. Game Two in Detroit in the Western Semi-Finals… well, I’d be a fool to pick the road team. And I am only occasionally a fool. Avs lose 2-3.

Game Three 4/29 vs Detroit Red Wings

At some point in this series the Avalanche offense will explode for five goals against EITHER Chris Osgood or Dominek Hasek. I don’t see Mike Babcock being dumb enough to put a goaltender as mistake-prone as Hasek in net against the Avs, so we’ll say that on April 29th, 2008 Chris Osgood gets scored on five times by the Colorado Avalanche. Don’t forget to pick up a fresh bottle of whiskey. (That’s a personal note, feel free to disregard.) Avs win 5-3.

Game Four 5/1 vs Detroit Red Wings

Rubber game? Not quite. I expect this series to go seven games, and that means the only true rubber game is Numero Siete in Detroit on May 7th. Don’t hold your breath, that’s a good way to kill brain cells. A better way is to toss back a few cold brews and enjoy the two weeks of playoff hockey between now and then. Avs win Game Four 4-3.

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Rivalry

Once the euphoria had worn off after Colorado’s Stanley Cup Championship in 2001, many Avalanche fans (myself included) began to feel just a touch of sadness; the road to The Cup had not gone through Detroit. The second seeded Red Wings lost to the upstart Los Angeles Kings in six games (who then took the Avs to a game seven,) and Avalanche Nation was left wondering what might have come of a playoff matchup with Detroit wherein top-seeded Colorado would have had home ice for once.

There are still a handful of (arrogant) Detroit fans that deny the existence of a rivalry between these two teams, but the fact is that only three Western Conference teams have made regular appearances in the Conference Finals over the last twelve seasons; the Dallas Stars, The Detroit Red Wings, and the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars and Wings have managed to be upset by lower seeds in offsetting years for the majority of that time span, and so have avoided playing each other for the West title and the Campbell Bowl. (The one exception was the 97-98 West Finals.) In fact, two of these three teams played each other in every Conference Final from the 95-96 season through the 01-02 season. The Avalanche beat the Stars once and the Wings once, the Wings beat the Avs twice and the Stars once, and the Stars won the Conference twice, both times against the Avalanche and in consecutive seasons. Even if you don’t call it rivalry by name, the three-way slugfest between these teams did define nearly ten years of playoff hockey. In the whole of the league only the New Jersey Devils can also claim membership in the group of the most consistently elite clubs over that time span. And for Detroit fans who would point to their long history in the league as proof that a younger franchise could not possibly constitute a rivalry, I’ll remind you that the Avalanche/Nordiques franchise combines to become one of the more storied franchises in professional hockey history. And also that all of Detroit’s “traditional rivals” from hockey’s Stone Age are regular basement dwellers now.

There need not be worry or doubt this year, however, as the Avalanche’s road to The Cup will definitely go through Detroit, and could potentially go through Dallas as well. For those of you who would lament the perils of the path to playoff immortality remember this; the NHL postseason features the most grueling playoff in all of sports. Winning it all means your whole team playing at its highest level, to a man, for two straight months. And the team that comes out on top of the remaining Western Conference Playoff field will have willed their way to the top and earned the right to spank whatever hapless band of players comes out of the East to challenge them. This is the hockey playoffs not some NBA foul-fest or an NFL tactics tourney. In the NHL the team with the most impressive combination of skill and willpower wins it. So eat it up, the good stuff only comes once a year.

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Tulo Gets Benched

Denver Post reports Tulo rides the pine tonight

Thoughts on this? Necessary this early? A quick little kick in the butt to wake him up? Will it work?

Week in Review - April 14-20, 2008

This has turned out to be an eventful week on the Colorado Pro Sports scene. So here’s the recap…

We’ll start with the Rockies, who started the week in San Diego with another crushing defeat, this time at the hands of Randy Wolf and the Padres. Ubaldo melted down something fierce. The Rocks came back with a resounding 10-2 win on Wednesday, then on Thursday they played what amounts to an unscheduled doubleheader-and-a-half, an epic 22-inning, 6-hour-plus affair that finally ended in the wee hours of morning with Tulo doubling in the winner. So much has already been said about this game, so I recommend you just take a peek at the box score and enjoy. After the marathon game, the Rocks flew into Houston, and rather than come out flat, they dropped a couple solid wins on the Astros (with Kaz Matsui and his surgically repaired posterior in tow) including another solid outing by Aaron Cook. The week wrapped up with the Rockies dropping the final game of the set. This week, the Rocks come home for a pair of two-game sets (is there anything positive about that?) with the Phillies and the Cubs before hitting the road for a set of divisional matchups with the Dodgers and the Giants.

The Nuggets found themselves in the playoffs, and had just enough time to soak in the sweet smell of victory before getting doused with the stench of The Buss Family Fortune. Anything better than a 4-1 loss will be a miracle. Thankfully, the NBA draws the playoffs out for a solid 2 months, so we’ll get to enjoy this for a while.

And, of course, saving the best of the week until last…

The Avalanche dropped an OT contest to Minnesota, which left them trailing the series 2-1. But Game 4 brought the onslaught, and after a 5 goal lead, things got messy. The Wild showed who they really are as a team, and never recovered. The Avs went back to Minnesota, and despite being brutally outshot in the game, rode an unbelievable performance by Jose Theodore to what some might term a “stolen game” victory, and the series lead. The Avs never looked back, and the Pepsi Center was rocking in playoff form again for Game 6. The Avs played tight defense, Theodore kept up his high level of performance, and the boys in maroon skated to a 4-2 series victory. Now the Avalanche wait for the result of the Calgary/San Jose game (who knew it would go 7?) to determine their next opponent. Should the Sharks win, the Avs head off to Hockeytown to reignite a rivalry that has gone a bit chilly since the days of Roy and Osgood. Should the Flames pull off the upset, the seeds get flipped over and Colorado heads to Dallas to take on the Stars, the team that formerly called Minnesota home. Either way, goaltending performance will be key. And either way, there promises to be some good hockey in the Rocky Mountains again.

That’s it for this Week in Review. It’s supposed to be a nice week, so grab some Rockpile tickets and enjoy an evening at the ballpark this week.