"We're In His Kitchen"

It doesn't happen very often, but tonight's crowd at the Wachovia Center affected the outcome of tonight's game. For once, the lunatics at one of our local sporting venues was able to rattle a young, talented athlete to the point that he was not able to perform anywhere near his best. I have a feeling that Carey Price will not forget his first playoff game in Philly. The crowd got the 20 year old goal tender so worked up that he let in 3 goals on 12 shots. Yup, that's a stellar .750% save percentage.

In fact, tonight's interview with Scottie Upshall at the end of the 2nd period, was one of my all time favorite mid-game interviews of a Philly athlete. Scottie was asked if he thought the Flyers had rattled Price. Upshall tried to be diplomatic by answering that Price "is very talented", but then slyly admitted "we're in his kitchen right now." I love bravado like that.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Mar-TAN BEE-ron. All I can say is: where the eff have you been hiding this type of performance? BEE-ron has been unbelievable the last two games. He is the biggest reason this series is not 3-0 Habs.

Ok, that was the good of tonight's playoff victory. Here's the bad: The officiating. I really don't like to complain about the refs, but something fishy is going on in this series. Was Hatcher's selfish hit in the third period a penalty? Sure, it was, but a 5 minute major? No effing way. It almost seemed as if Gary Bettman called the refs between stoppages of play to tell the refs to start putting the Habs on the powerplay to make the game more interesting.

At this point, I'm sick of the officiating in the playoffs. It almost seems as if the NHL has handed down an edict that we are to be kicked out of the playoffs at all costs, but we keep on winning.

I'm not sure if I can take it though. Tonight's game took years off my life. I was really banking on the Flyers cruising through the 3rd period, but of course, they did not make it easy. I actually threw something at the TV after the 2nd Habs goal. I was not fun to be around.

But isn't that the story of this season? I'm guessing there's a lot more left to this roller coaster ride.

Weekend Wrap Up

Wow, what a weekend for sports, huh? I'm guessing a lot of you didn't get a whole lot done over the last three days. Today alone, I had 6 events that I was flipping between. (My remote got a workout. Thank God that my remote thumb, in comparison to the rest of my body, is in good shape.) You can't ask for anything more on a crappy day in the end of April. Well, unless you're my wife, she can always find a multitude of additional things to ask for.

Without further adieu, let's get to the highlights:

1) Flyers even up their series: Unfortunately, I didn't get to see a second of this game since I was at a wedding Saturday night, but from the highlights I watched, BEE-ron stole a victory for the Orange & Black. We looked as though we were badly outshot and outplayed, but only Mar-TAN saved us from defeat. Over the past decade, how many times can you say a Flyers goalie stole a victory for us in the playoffs? I can't think of many, so this victory was quite satisfying. Additionally, I also like that this series is generating a little bad blood and controversy with the crappy refereeing in Game 1 and the sucker punch of Timonen at the end of Game 2. It's almost like watching the WWE. In any event, things sure will be interesting as the series switches to Philly.

By the way, here is additional version of the Hitler You Tube video. While I like the Cowboy one best because it was first, this one is pretty good since it involves us:

2.) Sixers split their two games at home this weekend - I'm still not on this bandwagon. I watched about 30 seconds over both games this weekend. I guess a review from me would be kind of fruitless since I barely watched both games.

3) Phillies take two out of three from the Bucs - Of course I'm happy when the Phils win, but with every thing going on this weekend, I didn't catch a pitch. I'm guessing the only thing to complain about is that Brett Myers can't seem to win ballgames this year.

4) The Eagles Draft - If you want to see one decision annoy an entire wedding full of fans, try showing up a wedding after the Birds trade away another first round draft pick. I'm really tired of the organizational arrogance from this team. They look at reporters like they are crazy when Big Red is asked whether a 228 lb DE (our third round pick). I suppose the Laws and Jackson picks could pan out, but I'm a little reluctant to go out on a limb an say they will be big time players for this franchise. However, I will go out on a limb and say that only one pick from thw 2nd day is with the team after 4 years. Not a single guy jumped out at me. I love how an 8-8 team can draft like they have no immediate needs. That's the feedback I got. Additionally, I'm just tired of this team continually saving for a "tomorrow" that's never coming.

The best part of the draft was that my boy Ray Rice got picked in the 2nd round by the Ravens. I now have a second favorite team to root for.

Over the next week, I ask that you guys bare with me. My long nightmare is just about over. I have one more effing paper to finish and I'll be done with M.B.A. program and then I get back to blogging as my main side project (aren't you guys lucky!) I really can't wait. I have some ideas on how to improve the website. Hopefully, you guys will like it.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

After being the benefactor of some questionable calls on Tuesday night, the Flyers got hosed multiple times in their 4-3 OT loss to the Habs. I thought they were screwed by the review of the first Kovalev goal AND the penalty on Richards with 1:09 left was brutal. That being said, if Jeff Carter wins a faceoff or if BEE-ron makes one more save, the Flyers take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Overall, I was pretty happy with how the Flyers played. They did not seem out of place against the Habs the way they did in their four losses to them in the regular season.

In any event, the big guns (Briere, Richards and Carter) have been quiet since early in Game 6 against the Caps. I'd really like to see them step it up on Saturday night. Matter of fact, we need them to step it up or this could be a real short series.

In any event, I'm depressed. Good night.

To Prove I Am An Equal Opportunity Blogger...

The Phils and Sixers lost today. The Phils lost tonight as Prince Fielder's fat ass absolutely owned Cole, taking him yard twice. You might have missed the game because it was on CN8, which has the most disgraceful picture in all of MLB. The Phils would be better off being televised on local cable access television.

I watched about 30 seconds of tonight's Sixers game, which makes tonight no different than all 82 games of the regular season. Apparently, the Pistons showed up to the arena and remind the Sixers that they are still...well, the Sixers.

Oh, and there were more rumors of the Birds trying to make a trade. None of these rumors have yet come to fruition.

Discuss amongst yourselves....

Where's The Public Outcry?

Had the following happened in Philly it would have been the leading story on Sports Center and Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon would be ripping our fans for an entire week. There is such a double standard when it comes to our fan base vs the rest of the world. I really hate the national media sometimes.

Best Prediction I've Read From The Best Hockey Writer In The City

I just had to share this prediction (or should I say non prediciton) from Bill Meltzer of Hockeybuzz.com.

Outside of Philadelphia, any series involving the Flyers will generally be cast as the dastardly, dirty Flyers against an opponent who represents all that is good and pure about the game. It's annoying and tiresome, but it will never change. (THIS STATEMENT IS SO TRUE!)

As far as expert predictions go, who cares?

No one truly knows heading into a series what type of personality it will take on, and momentum can change in a hurry. The more you watch hockey, the more you realize that it's impossible to predict.

Any talking head or know-it-all columnist who claims they have a bead on this or any other series should be confronted with their success percentage in making accurate predictions -- even the best of the bunch have "winning percentages" that would get an NHL head coach fired or a goaltender released.

On paper, this is the Habs series to lose. But, as the cliche goes, there's a reason why the games are played on ice and not on paper.

I highly recommend reading Bill's stuff if you are a Flyers fan. You will learn so much about the game and I have learned more about the sport from reading his blog entries on Hockeybuzz.com than I have from years and years of reading the Inquirer and Daily News coverage.

As for my prediction....I see the Canadiens in 6. (Sorry, I have to be a realist here.)

Montreal Is Full Of Fairies

This is by far the sorriest fan video I've ever seen. I can no longer take this team or their fan base seriously. I sure hope they play this before the games because it must emasculate the Habs right on the spot.




How much did they have to pay the Brother to be in this gay video. My guess is that the guy is Haitian and was shipped in just for the video to lend some street cred.

F&*k Yeah!!!!!!!!!

Despite the fact that I was almost thrown out of the house after letting out a huge outburst of joyous expletives (similar to that listed above) while my daughter was sleeping, I was truly over joyed this evening. It's not very often that you are absolutely stunned by the result of a game, but tonight surely fit the bill. I did not think the Flyers had any shot whatsoever of winning tonight. I fully expected a 5-1 drubbing where we fell apart at the seams after a couple bad penalty calls. However, we were instead given the gift of watching a gritty, gutty team scrap and claw its way to victory.

Winning a playoff series is one of the more enjoyable things to see your team accomplish. To see them win it in a 7th game is even more exhilarating. When it happens in O.T. of game 7, we are talking a whole other level. The toll it takes on your body is unexplainable...and no, I'm not talking about the players. I'm talking about us phans! I told my wife and my buddy Uncle Farrell that I wasn't sure if I could watch the entire game as I think it is doing damage to my health. Farrell laughed at first as he's not all that familiar with the great sport of hockey, but with about 2 minutes left in the third period and says "I know what you mean. This is pretty intense."

I'm just glad to see the Flyers move on. It seems like forever since they beat Toronto on that O.T. goal by J.R. to move onto the Eastern Conference finals. We can talk about the next series and how I'm conflicted with my rooting interests at a later day. Let's enjoy this one for a day or so.

In the Infamous Words of Terry Murray....

What we have here is a choking situation.

I'm disgusted. I'm really shocked at how this team melted down after taking a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd period. I don't think the Caps are a better team then the Flyers. The Flyers just got steamrolled from about the 5 minute mark of the 2nd period through the rest of the game. Once things started going south, there was no turning things around for the Flyers.

By the way, not sure if you noticed, but the Caps got back into the series when they realized that Semen and Backstrom could score at will when Jason Smith is on the ice. I love how small our captain has come up this year. Don't let the door hit you in the ass at the end of the year, Jason.

Can they turn things around for tomorrow night? I really don't know. This team has been brutal all year in back to backs. Why should things change now?

Black Saturday

It doesn't get any worse for Philly Sports than it did today.

Let's recap the horrors in sequential order:

1) The Flyers lost game 5 in Washington today, losing Mike Knuble for the rest of the series in the process with a hamstring injury. The Flyers have no one else to blame than themselves as they didn't decide to show up until the 3rd period and were unable to overcome terrible officiating in the final period. The Flyers better take care of business on Monday back at the big bank building or things could get awfully interesting.

2) The Phils fail to get any timely hits and lose 4-2 to the Mets. Who was it that said that we own the Mets are in their head? That guy is a real idiot because the Phils haven't beaten the Mets since. In case you missed it, we are still waiting for Ryan Howards to get a bit hit.



3) B Hop drops a split decision to some dude from Wales named Joe with an unpronouncable last name. (Let's call him Joe C.) As B Hop suggested, I have let this fight "marinate in my mind" and have decided that B Hop needs to hang it up. He just got worked by a dude that looks like he should be doing my taxes, not beating an all time great fighter. By the way, the best part of the fight (other than Max Kellerman's outstanding commentary) was Joe C's father, who served as his trainer. I never heard such entertaining uses of the F word. He deserves much more air time.

I'm Spent

I got nothing left. I don't think I could have gone much longer with that game. I know its been said a gazillion times, but it bears repeating....There is absolutely nothing in sports quite like Overtime Hockey. How can you not love it.

What a game. What a relief.

Thank God for Mike Knuble and Jeff Carter.

Good night...GREAT HOCKEY!

Happy Schedule Day!

In case you live under a rock in the Philadelphia area, the Eagles' schedule was released today, which is always one of the bigger days in the city. I know I get pretty excited for it. The funny thing is that over the last five years or so, I think I have the Birds 10-6 every year and my buddy the Capt has them 11-5 or 12-4. This year, he's at 12-4 and I'm at 9-7. I hope he's right. Originally, I had them at 10-6, but then figured I should move one game to the loss category because they always lose to someone they should beat.

Anyhow, here's the schedule. What do you guys see?

September
DAY... DATE.... OPPONENT..... TIME
Sun....... 7.......... RAMS................ 1:00 PM
Mon......15........ @ Cowboys........8:30 PM
Sun...... 21........ STEELERS........ 4:15 PM
Sun...... 28....... @ Bears.............. 8:15 PM

October
DAY.... DATE.... OPPONENT....TIME
Sun.........5.......... REDSKINS......1:00 PM
Sun........12........ @ 49ers........... 4:15 PM
Sun........19........ BYE
Sun....... 26....... FALCONS........ 1:00 PM

November
DAY..... DATE..... OPPONENT... TIME
Sun.......... 2......... @ Seahawks.... 4:15 PM
Sun.......... 9......... GIANTS........... 8:15 PM
Sun......... 16........ @ Bengals........ 1:00 PM
Sun......... 23........ @ Ravens........ 1:00 PM
Thurs..... 27........ CARDINALS... 8:00 PM

December
DAY.... DATE..... OPPONENT..... TIME
Sun........ 7........... @ Giants........... 1:00 PM
Mon...... 15.......... BROWNS.......... 8:30 PM
Sun....... 21.......... @ Redskins...... 1:00 PM
Sun....... 28.......... COWBOYS....... 1:00 PM

Gotta Love Playoff Hockey

Games like tonight are what make you a hockey fan. How can you not like a game that has a lot of fast paced action, highlight goals, big hits, good goaltending, as well as a little bit of drama and controversy. To top it off, the Flyers won the game. Not sure how you could walk away from this game and not be a bigger fan of the sport.

Anyhow, you have to be awfully impressed with how Danny Briere has stepped up in the playoffs. Traditionally, smaller, quick, skilled players disappear when the playoffs come. Not Danny. He scoring big goal after big goal. He's certainly starting to live up to his big contract. I don't think you'll hear anyone booing him anytime soon at home games anymore.

How clutch was Mike Richards' penalty shot goal? I'm not sure we've seen a more clutch player in this city in any sport over the last five years or so.

Nice to see big Derian Hatcher back. It seems like he was made to play in the playoffs. Gotta love big, nasty, mean defensemen.

Has anyone seen Alexander Ovechkin lately? Just wondering.

That Mike Green kid is scary good. He has a cannon shot, can pass the puck and skate like the wind. He kind of looks like a latter day Paul Coffey.

The Flyers have now outplayed the Caps in 7 1/2 of 9 periods. That 3rd period of Game One really annoys me. We could be looking at a short series.

I thought the penalty kill was pretty strong once again. I just wish the Flyers played a bit smarter and stayed out of the box so much.

Thursday can't get here soon enough. Can't wait.

Say Your Prayers and Hold Your Breath

We may have seen the season flash before our eyes towards the end of the 2nd period when Brooks Laich cheap shotted Kimmo Timonen into the net causing him an upper body injury from which he did not return. (Apparently, he was hurt when he hit the camera in the back of the net....Does ridiculous, freak shit like that happen anywhere else but in Philadlephia? If anyone can think of bullshit like that happening to any team anywhere else, please let me know. I'd love to know.) Adding insult to injury, Laich later scored a goal on a disputed high stick tip in.

I just hope and pray Timmonen is ok. We may beat the Caps without him, but that's it. With him in the lineup, this team could do some damage in the Eastern Conference.

Please Lord, let Kimo be ok. I know I'm being selfish here, but we really need the fella on the ice!
If he's not, I'm hoping Riley Cote gives Laich the Jessie Boulerice treatment.


(Just make sure to scroll to the 59 second mark for the action!)

This Guy Has Balls!

By playing tonight against the Caps, there is no explanation necessary for Patrick Thoresen's testicular fortitude.

Ok, in case you missed it, Thoresen took a shot to the nuts in Game 1 that broke his cup. Yes, you read that right. It broke his cup. He went to the hospital with bruised balls and then played tonight five days later.

He didn't score tonight, but played a hard nosed, gritty game. Nice job, Patrick. Nice job.

You Wonder Why We Are One Of The Top Ten Most Frustrated Sports Cities

This week, Forbes magazine released their list of the Ten Most Miserable Sports Cities. Philly was ranked 9th. After the last couple days, I think we've moved up a few slots. In the span of three days, we have had the refs/umps totally screw us in three different sports. Let us count the ways:

1) On Sunday, the umpires ruled a completely foul ball a home run when video replay would have clearly over turned it.

2) The refs found a way to screw the Sixers on Monday that I had never seen in all my years of watching sports. The Sixers/Cavs game ended with the Cavs missing a shot with no time left. Then, the refs went to video replay to see if a foul occurred prior to the end of the game. I'm still not sure this was legal.

3) Tonight, the refs time and time again tried to screw the Flyers. They let the Caps score on a high stick tip in by the same guy that was allowed to cheap shot our best defenseman out of the game. They called a penalty when Alex Ovechkin dove worse than anything Sidney Crosby has ever done.

Thank God the refs turned things around and called a clear penalty shot chance for the Flyers. Had they swallowed their whistles there, I think I might have destroyed my t.v.

That Was More Like It!

Thanks to some early opportunistic goal scoring, competent defensive play, and unexpectedly outstanding goaltending, your Philadelphia Flyers are back to all square in their first round playoff series.

As well as the Flyers played today, you can't help but have a "what if" feeling tonight. Had the Flyers just played a little tighter defense, the refs called a stoppage a play after Thoreson took a slap shot to the nuts or BEE-ron made a key save or two at some point in the third period on Friday night, then the Flyers would be in the driver seat as they head back to Philly. Instead, the Flyers come back tied and looking very much like a confident team that knows it is better than this Capitals team.

One of the bigger changes I noticed today was how much contact affected the play of Caps' defenseman, Mike Green. He looked like a different player after getting hit a few times. By contrast, Ovechkin didn't seem as interested and I wonder if it was because he wasn't involved in the physical play as much as he was on Friday.

The one thing that has me a bit worried is our inability to establish ourselves down low and pound in some goals. Most of the goals so far we've scored against the Caps have been off the rush. I'm waiting to see Richards, Lupul, Hartnell, Upshall an Knuble start to wear down the Caps defense and knock in some goals from in close.

Basically, the Flyers have been the better of the two teams for 5 of the 6 periods so far. If the Flyers can continue to play like they did today, I think we'll like the results for the rest of the series.

*************************************

Other thoughts from the weekend:

1) Gotta love Action News' lead story tonight: A Flyer's wife delays child birth for playoff game. In case you missed it, apparently Mar-TAN BEE-ron's wife delayed the birth of their child until tomorrow so Martin would be there to see the kid born.

2) The Phils blew a good chance today to get over the .500 mark. I don't know what happened to Chase on that ill fated throw in the 10th inning. I don't know why he rushed himself so much to try to throw out a pitcher. Overall, it was a good series for the Phils. On Saturday, Cole once again showed that is undoubtedly the best starting pitcher the Phils have had since Schill.

3) Memo to Sixers: It's kind of important to go into the playoffs on a roll. How about showing up and giving a good effort.

4) The final round of the Masters was completely boring. It's a shame Tiger missed all those putts on the back nine it could have made Immelman's last couple holes pretty interesting.

5) Is anyone else intrigued by the complete lack of news coming from the Eagles as of late? I'm wondering if they have something up their sleeve.

Absolutely Pathetic

Tonight's third period was quite possibly the worst period of hockey played by a Flyers team in my lifetime.

I'm physically ill thinking about how they melted down in the third period. The ice seemed slanted. Did the Flyers spend any time in the offensive zone in the third period? It was downright disgraceful.

Once again, this team showed a split personality. They can look dominant and then completely uninspired. I still blame the coach. I really don't think he's the guy to get this team anywhere.

By the way, can someone lay a hit on someone in an opposite uniform? Sure, the stats said there were a ton of hits, but seemed like they did a lot more flying around then we did. I really want to see someone knock Ovechkin on his ass. He's already annoying me.

I don't want to see much more of Jaroslav Modry he completely blows.

Did BEE-ron make one big save? It didn't seem like it.

Seriously, how the eff do they let Brashear score a goal? I don't think he played the entire third period.

Game 2 is a must win. Either they win or this may be a short series.

Back Where They Belong

After a one year hiatus, your Philadelphia Flyers are back in the playoffs and I am happy. To me, there are very few things in sports better than a hotly contested NHL playoff series. Let's hope we have one upon us. I think we do. Both teams play fast and loose, which usually translates to pretty exciting hockey. Plus, both teams play with a degree of physicality, which should make things pretty interesting at each stoppage of play.

There are a few keys to the series, but the biggest key is not what you think. Sure, the Flyers' ability to defend Ovechkin will play a huge role in the series, but I think biggest key is which Mar-TAN BEE-ron shows up. Will we get the guy that played very beginning and very end of the season, or the guy that played from December to February? If we get the "good" Mar-TAN, I think the Flyers can win in 5 games. If not, this series will be a struggle with the Flyers likely losing.

I expect big series from Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell. I also expect either Carter or Briere to have a decent series as well. I also want to see how Braydon Coburn holds up playing against AO. That should be an interesting matchup.

As for an official pick, I'll stick with what I had yesterday. Flyers in 6.

With the start of the Masters upon us and the Phils getting into the swing of things, we have one of the best weekends of Philadelphia sports. Enjoy it, guys.

My NHL Playoff Picks

Some of you care, most don't. In any event, here are my NHL Playoff picks:



First Round:



West:


(1) Detroit over (8) Nashville - I really wish this series was a loser leave town match for Nashville. Do we really need hockey in Nashville? Would anyone miss it if they moved to Hamilton, Ontario? Didn't think so.



(7) Calgary over (2) San Jose - Of course I have the benefit of watching the first half of game one when making this pick, but San Jose is as soft as ever. Dion Phaneuf has the Sharks more worried about him than playing hockey.



(4) Anaheim over (5) Dallas - See above. Dallas is soft. Anaheim is not and they have the best collection of defensemen in the world and we all know that defense is like pitching when it comes to the post season. You can't win without it.



(6) Colorado over (3) Minnesota - Your guess is as good as mine. I know nothing about either team except that Forsberg is now playing for the Avs.



East:



(1) Habs over (8) Bruins - I have a $50 futures bet with 15-1 odds on the Canadiens winning the cup. If you want to say I'm slightly biased with this pick, then you are well within your right.



(2) Pittsburgh over (7) Senators - If you want to see a team that has totally quit on their fans, organization, etc., then tune in one of these games with the Senators. They can't get onto the golf course fast enough.



(6) Flyers over (3) Caps - Alex Ovechkin is the best athlete you've never seen. Capt, you are about to be wowed. This guy is Michael Jordan in skates. All that being said, I think the Flyers are deeper, nastier and more defensively sound, which will lead to a series win in 6 games. I have to admit though, Mar-tan BEE-ron scares the bejeezus out of me.



(5) Rangers over (4) Devils - Thankfully, the Devils are matched up with the one team that routinely handles them which should make for a quick exit by the Sister In Law Banger and Friends.



Second Round:


West:



(7) Calgary over (1) Detroit - See above. Detroit is as soft as Todd Pinkston. Calgary will pound them on their way to their second straight upset.



(4) Anaheim over (6) Colorado - By about the third game of the series, Forsberg will be back in Sweden looking for new skate for his bad foot.



East:



(1) Habs over (6) Flyers - I love the Flyers, but I think winning $750 would make me happier. In all seriousness, the Flyers don't have the horses on defense to shut down a team like the Habs.



(2) Pittsburgh over (5) Rangers - There's no way the NHL won't rig the playoffs to ensure that Sidney Crosby makes at least the Eastern Conference Finals.



Conference Finals:



(4) Ducks over (7) Flames - The clock strikes midnight for the Flames.



(1) Habs over (2) Pens - Crosby gets bent over and takes it like a man in this series.

Stanley Cup Finals:

Habs over Ducks - The Philly Sports Phan wins his bet and Vegas and the world is good!