Jered Weaver is probably a decent goalie

Angels 4, Tampa Bay 3

I didn't catch this game, like, at all, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a win (and a Rangers loss). Goodness, Weaver is pitching well. 4 walks in 6 innings, which isn't great, but he only gave up 2 runs, a deficit the Angels "offense" is occasionally capable of overcoming. Of course, they led the whole game, so that's irrelevant.

Jeff Mathis is not good at baseball and shouldn't ever play.

Also, the seventh inning:

- D. Oliver relieved J. Weaver
- J. Dillon hit for R. Brignac
- J. Dillon hit by pitch
- B.J. Upton flied out to deep center
- C. Crawford hit by pitch, J. Dillon to second
- J. Dillon to third, C. Crawford to second on wild pitch
- E. Longoria intentionally walked
- C. Pena lined into double play, E. Longoria out at first

Um...yeah.


Lakers 104, Orlando 108

The Magic won by 4 points despite shooting a ridiculous 63%. Kobe missed 5 free throws and had a critical final possession turnover (again). You'd think they'd call a timeout when Gasol is lying on the ground clutching the ball...but you'd be wrong.

I'd be more concerned if not for the unlikelihoods that won this game for the Magic. The Lakers need to win one in Orlando and win the title at home and I won't whine. I still say Lakers in 6.


Jeff's Team 4, The Force 8? 9?

By far our best game, and by far my best game. We actually led 4-3 at one point in the second, but a couple softies and a couple nice shots ended that pretty quickly. Before the game, Jeff hit me right in the crotch on a shot behind me, which probably ended up helping. I've been playing like a hockey goalie...that is to say, I've been on my feet and dropped for shots. That hasn't really been working, and after writhing on the ground a little, I decided I wasn't gonna risk it again and stayed dropped down for most of the game.

Surprisingly effective, for the most part. I felt a little more comfortable with the pads from a lower position, and overall it just felt a lot more like broomball, which I am less terrible at. This strategy works better at preventing the crappy five-hole goals and tight angle shots, like those off faceoffs, but really sucks at defending a breakaway. I only bit hard at a deke once though, which was nice.

In other news, I have absolutely no use for my glove. I might as well just play with that arm tied behind my back, for all the good it does. I'll have to learn how to use it, because all it did today was deflect a single shot into the net and cover up anything on the ground.

I also seem to play better when I'm talking, which seems to be well in line with the rest of my life.

Here's a shot of my most raised stance. Without skates/ice, it's hard to drop down, so generally won't come up higher than this. I'm typically using a goalie stick as well, which puts my blocker in a better position, but this was a surreptitious photo on an illegal cell phone camera after the game.

A frightening scowl, indeed.

...and this picture below is a representation of my typical net coverage. Note the floating glove and the puck in the back of the net.
I give goalies a lot of crap for five-hole goals, but they are surprisingly difficult to defend. My employer currently owes me about 8 grand, some of which could go to goalie pants/jock, a helmet, and real chest protector, all of which are pointless at the floor/roller level but kinda important when you hit the ice.


Miscellany:

• The Pens won 2-1, forcing the Cup Finals to a decisive 7th game. Interesting note: The Red Wings have never played a Game 7 in the Finals in the years they've won.
• Should the Pens win, I'm going to petition Brad Thiessen to bring the Cup to Matthews Arena on the day he gets it. I figure maybe the guilt of his leaving would let me touch the Cup here at NU.
  
• I still can't get this bike out of my head. Belt drive! Apparently they're also near impossible to get. Trek makes a cheaper, 8 speed model as well. It'd probably look nearly as good if you replaced the rims with yellow/neon green deep vees, and maybe some matching handlebar grips.
  
• Tomorrow, MLB draft discussion, and a recap of my desire to strangle Jeff Boras with Manny's dreadlocks.
  
• If any of you read this on Facebook, do me a favor and leave a comment...my traffic figures are already at least one person higher than I thought.