...when the opponents make 3 errors.
Memo to Mike Scioscia: Send Vlad to Rancho to work on his swing. He has no business in the lineup at the moment.
Showing posts with label white sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white sox. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Meet the Mess
First of all, Mark sent me this. In addition to being hilarious, it's also topical: Frankie blew a 2-run save opportunity and the Mets would go on to get hammered 12-7, courtesy of a DeRosa HBP with the bases loaded and then a Pujols grand slam. Both those guys are on my fantasy team, so I mark that as a win for Marcus.*
Angels 4, Chicago 5
I really disagree with Vlad Guerrero being in the lineup at all tonight, and even more so batting 4th. Vlad, in particular, has always been a rhythm hitter, and generally needs some at-bats to start hitting again after injury. Bringing him directly back to the majors and batting him cleanup against a hot time like the White Sox is monumentally stupid. Granted, he had a decent night, going 1-3 with a walk, but his AB's looked pretty horrible, even for Vlad. Rehab assignments exist for a reason.
I'm also flummoxed by John Lackey's pitching. Two of Chicago's runs came from Gordon Beckham, a rookie who is okay, I guess, but certainly not good enough to be responsible for half of the runs on your linescore. He gave up two solo homers, one to Beckham and another to Carlos "So Overrated" Quentin. Quentin, by the way, is batting .227, so he's probably not even overrated at this point. He's just bad. (Yeah, small sample size, only 50 games this season. Big whoop. His OPS two years ago was .647.) Lackey managed to mix in 7 strikeouts with his 113 pitches.
Players who should've been in the lineup today: Howie Kendrick/Sean Rodriguez and Mike Napoli. Jeff Mathis does not provide the defensive skill necessary to make up for his limp noodle bat.
Texas is still playing, down 2-0 in the 4th. Rooting for Oakland is a strange feeling, but I'd really like to see the Angels in the playoffs.
*Different girlfriends, different NL East associations. There was a time I owned a Mets hat, but I've learned to appreciate the Phillies, mostly for defeating the Dodgers last season. Plus, Philly's much nicer than Queens.
Angels 4, Chicago 5
I really disagree with Vlad Guerrero being in the lineup at all tonight, and even more so batting 4th. Vlad, in particular, has always been a rhythm hitter, and generally needs some at-bats to start hitting again after injury. Bringing him directly back to the majors and batting him cleanup against a hot time like the White Sox is monumentally stupid. Granted, he had a decent night, going 1-3 with a walk, but his AB's looked pretty horrible, even for Vlad. Rehab assignments exist for a reason.
I'm also flummoxed by John Lackey's pitching. Two of Chicago's runs came from Gordon Beckham, a rookie who is okay, I guess, but certainly not good enough to be responsible for half of the runs on your linescore. He gave up two solo homers, one to Beckham and another to Carlos "So Overrated" Quentin. Quentin, by the way, is batting .227, so he's probably not even overrated at this point. He's just bad. (Yeah, small sample size, only 50 games this season. Big whoop. His OPS two years ago was .647.) Lackey managed to mix in 7 strikeouts with his 113 pitches.
Players who should've been in the lineup today: Howie Kendrick/Sean Rodriguez and Mike Napoli. Jeff Mathis does not provide the defensive skill necessary to make up for his limp noodle bat.
Texas is still playing, down 2-0 in the 4th. Rooting for Oakland is a strange feeling, but I'd really like to see the Angels in the playoffs.
*Different girlfriends, different NL East associations. There was a time I owned a Mets hat, but I've learned to appreciate the Phillies, mostly for defeating the Dodgers last season. Plus, Philly's much nicer than Queens.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I dislike sports media
Lakers 103, Denver 94
Say what you like, but the Lakers are nothing if not predictable. After an expected near-blowout loss in Game 4, they came back and won in LA for game 5, pushing the Nuggets to, at the very least, 7 games, and possibly to the golf course.
Before I go any further, let me say this: The next time someone says that the Lakers have no problem scoring, I'm going to threaten him/her with knives. It's become quite the trendy thing to say, that the Lakers can score at will but only defend when they feel like it.
That. Is. Nonsense.
Just because the Lakers can score with relative ease doesn't mean they do. They frequently play stretches where they miss 5 or 6 straight shots from the field. Missed layups, missed threes, missed free throws, whatever, the fact is that they miss lots of shots, and usually when they're playing poor defense. Don't say the Lakers score at will, because if they did, they wouldn't have to play defense. They shoot right around 45% on average, just like everybody else in the damn league. Stop it. It would be a completely different story if they were winning/losing games with scores like 140-135, but they aren't.
Beyond that, I think Los Angeles played two good quarters and two average quarters last night. The fourth quarter, obviously, was their best, as they outscored the Nuggets 27-18 to break a third quarter tie and win the game. They also played a good second half of their third and first quarters, both times remembering they had to play defense to be effective.
I'm still taking issue with Phil Jackson's rotations. He really likes Derek Fisher, and while I'm a Fish fan myself, the best point guard on the floor last night was Shannon Brown. Let the kid play, particularly when his dunk over this clown* was probably the turning point in the game.
Also irritating was the Lakers' refusal to get the ball to their big men, yet again. Gasol and Bynum finished the game 9 of just 17, with Gasol going 5 of just 8. Get the ball to Pau and good things happen...somehow, the guys with the biggest offensive advantages are getting ignored by the triangle. Granted, it would help if Gasol would stop dropping passes from Kobe.
Lamar Odom had a big night, but I think it's being exaggerated a bit. He finished 7 of 15 with 19 points, 4 blocks, 15 rebounds, and 4 offensive rebounds. Those are good numbers, don't get me wrong, but he was taking some Dumb Shots (c) and only shot 4-7 from the free throw line. He missed a lot of makeable shots early on and missed Bryant open in the corner a couple times. It was a good game, no doubt, but certainly not what Odom is capable of.
Game 6 is Friday, and I fully expect the Lakers to lose by 20. Wouldn't it be nice if they won?
Memo to Whiskey's in Boston: It shouldn't take 15 people in Kobe jerseys to convince you to put an NBA playoff game on at least 1 of your 25 TV's. The Red Sox play 162 games...I'm sure your clientele can deal with 2 TV's not showing David Ortiz striking out on belt-high fastballs.
* Steph, in particular, has claimed that she's a fan of Andersen despite his "carefully over exaggerated in-game persona." I, on the other hand, respect his defensive skills (4 BS in 24 minutes), but let's not forget that 1.) he was suspended by the NBA for two years for violations of drug policy, and 2.) that "over exaggerated in-game persona" is something I see as selfishness. He can still do all that dumb Birdman crap without the ridiculous hair/"beard," and frankly I don't see his act as anything more than pandering to the crowd. Basketball is (and always has been) a game of style, but that's something I've never respected. I also don't think someone who's come back from a drug suspension is necessarily worth any sort of commendation. Josh Hamilton also falls into this bucket...your ability to return from your own stupid decisions shouldn't earn you a medal.
Angels 3, White Sox 1
I missed most of this game (as I hope any combination baseball/basketball fan did), but caught the last few innings once I had returned home and had access to my Slingbox and ESPN simultaneously.
First of all, Jered Weaver is this year's Joe Saunders. Weaver's been putting it together quite nicely, pitching 8 innings tonight on just 103 pitches. Weaver's discovery? First pitch strikes. Hell, strikes overall. He threw 67 of them last night, picking up 8 K's to just a single walk, giving up one run on a sac fly. You can't ask for much more, aside from the last three outs, which Fuentes nailed down with little in the way of hysterics. Sure, Frankie looks great as a Met, but I don't miss the angina during his saves.
The Angels, thankfully, have an off day.
Notes:
Say what you like, but the Lakers are nothing if not predictable. After an expected near-blowout loss in Game 4, they came back and won in LA for game 5, pushing the Nuggets to, at the very least, 7 games, and possibly to the golf course.
Before I go any further, let me say this: The next time someone says that the Lakers have no problem scoring, I'm going to threaten him/her with knives. It's become quite the trendy thing to say, that the Lakers can score at will but only defend when they feel like it.
That. Is. Nonsense.
Just because the Lakers can score with relative ease doesn't mean they do. They frequently play stretches where they miss 5 or 6 straight shots from the field. Missed layups, missed threes, missed free throws, whatever, the fact is that they miss lots of shots, and usually when they're playing poor defense. Don't say the Lakers score at will, because if they did, they wouldn't have to play defense. They shoot right around 45% on average, just like everybody else in the damn league. Stop it. It would be a completely different story if they were winning/losing games with scores like 140-135, but they aren't.
Beyond that, I think Los Angeles played two good quarters and two average quarters last night. The fourth quarter, obviously, was their best, as they outscored the Nuggets 27-18 to break a third quarter tie and win the game. They also played a good second half of their third and first quarters, both times remembering they had to play defense to be effective.
I'm still taking issue with Phil Jackson's rotations. He really likes Derek Fisher, and while I'm a Fish fan myself, the best point guard on the floor last night was Shannon Brown. Let the kid play, particularly when his dunk over this clown* was probably the turning point in the game.
Also irritating was the Lakers' refusal to get the ball to their big men, yet again. Gasol and Bynum finished the game 9 of just 17, with Gasol going 5 of just 8. Get the ball to Pau and good things happen...somehow, the guys with the biggest offensive advantages are getting ignored by the triangle. Granted, it would help if Gasol would stop dropping passes from Kobe.
Lamar Odom had a big night, but I think it's being exaggerated a bit. He finished 7 of 15 with 19 points, 4 blocks, 15 rebounds, and 4 offensive rebounds. Those are good numbers, don't get me wrong, but he was taking some Dumb Shots (c) and only shot 4-7 from the free throw line. He missed a lot of makeable shots early on and missed Bryant open in the corner a couple times. It was a good game, no doubt, but certainly not what Odom is capable of.
Game 6 is Friday, and I fully expect the Lakers to lose by 20. Wouldn't it be nice if they won?
Memo to Whiskey's in Boston: It shouldn't take 15 people in Kobe jerseys to convince you to put an NBA playoff game on at least 1 of your 25 TV's. The Red Sox play 162 games...I'm sure your clientele can deal with 2 TV's not showing David Ortiz striking out on belt-high fastballs.
* Steph, in particular, has claimed that she's a fan of Andersen despite his "carefully over exaggerated in-game persona." I, on the other hand, respect his defensive skills (4 BS in 24 minutes), but let's not forget that 1.) he was suspended by the NBA for two years for violations of drug policy, and 2.) that "over exaggerated in-game persona" is something I see as selfishness. He can still do all that dumb Birdman crap without the ridiculous hair/"beard," and frankly I don't see his act as anything more than pandering to the crowd. Basketball is (and always has been) a game of style, but that's something I've never respected. I also don't think someone who's come back from a drug suspension is necessarily worth any sort of commendation. Josh Hamilton also falls into this bucket...your ability to return from your own stupid decisions shouldn't earn you a medal.
Angels 3, White Sox 1
I missed most of this game (as I hope any combination baseball/basketball fan did), but caught the last few innings once I had returned home and had access to my Slingbox and ESPN simultaneously.
First of all, Jered Weaver is this year's Joe Saunders. Weaver's been putting it together quite nicely, pitching 8 innings tonight on just 103 pitches. Weaver's discovery? First pitch strikes. Hell, strikes overall. He threw 67 of them last night, picking up 8 K's to just a single walk, giving up one run on a sac fly. You can't ask for much more, aside from the last three outs, which Fuentes nailed down with little in the way of hysterics. Sure, Frankie looks great as a Met, but I don't miss the angina during his saves.
The Angels, thankfully, have an off day.
Notes:
- Tim Brown says Torii Hunter is an AL MVP candidate. I agree, but Evan Longoria is the clear choice right now. You can't argue, though, that Torii's become the face of the franchise, and you couldn't ask for a better face.
- The Magic have the chance to eliminate Cleveland tonight. Don't bank on it.
- This site's got some pretty cool shirts. I'm fond of this and this, but this is my personal favorite.
- Also, this and this in the mail. Hilarious sieve pictures forthcoming.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Ervin Santana and the Curious Case of the Missing Velocity
Santana got shelled last night, making 3 outs on 12 batters faced. He was charged with 7 runs on 9 hits, including a homer, and managed to throw 37 pitches.
What the hell happened?
Well, either Ervin is turning into the younger, less effective Magic of 2007, or there's something physical afoot. Let's take a look at some Fangraphs data.
During the 2008 season, Santana's average fastball velocity was third-best in the majors at 94.8 mph. Combined with a slider that averaged 84.2 mph, Santana's control finally caught up to his stuff, and he had the best season of his career. However, over his first two starts of 2009, his average fastball velocity is down to 91.1 and his slider's at 81. His changeup, normally around 85, is now near 87.
Interestingly, he seems to be getting more movement on all of his pitches. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much that's helping. It's important to note that Santana is currently getting screwed by a .482 (!) BABIP, which is completely unsustainable for a major league pitcher with any sort of talent. I suspect most of that is derivative from the Chicago game.
Of course, this is all attached to a small sample size warning, as Santana has only pitched 12.2 innings so far. At the same time, there are distinctly few pitchers who have moved from power to finesse successfully, and Santana does not have the baseball IQ necessary to successfully accomplish such a switch.
Velocity is a tricky thing, mostly because it's so dependent on pitcher "feel." If Ervin's not comfortable with his elbow yet, he's probably not going to throw with 100% confidence and his velocity will suffer. I suspect this might be the case, as he's throwing twice as many changeups as he did last season, and these changeups are replacing both fastballs and sliders, both of which are better pitches.
If his velocity stays down after about 50 innings, the Angels might want to take a peak into his elbow and see if Tommy John seems like a good idea. Much of Santana's success comes from his slider, and as previously discussed, the slider is really tough on the UCL in the elbow.
Weird batting line of the day: Alexei Ramirez, 7 AB, 4 H, 3 RBI, 7 LOB ...that's ridiculous.
Why I'm not worried about Texas (yet): Harrison, 5 IP, 11 H, 7 ER ...pitching's a bitch.
Lakers
I didn't catch the game as I was driving back to Boston from LBI, but from what I understand, they looked tired. And looking at the box score, I'm inclined to agree. With a team as tall as the Lakers (why do they prefer "long" to "tall" in the NBA?), you don't tend to see a -18 rebounding margin, and a -11 on the offensive boards. As such, I'm not tremendously worried. All the Lakers need to do now is win their home games and they can start preparing for the Finals.
Which isn't to say I expect them to make the Finals, but it'd be nice if a team I liked won something. Or at least had the opportunity to win something.
Other problems with the Lakers: Kobe shooting 10 threes and making 2, Derek Fisher playing 23 minutes and shooting 5 threes (making 1), Pau Gasol only getting 11 shots from the field, Andrew Bynum only picking up 7 boards despite 14 points and 5 fouls in 23 minutes.
Miscellany:
What the hell happened?
Well, either Ervin is turning into the younger, less effective Magic of 2007, or there's something physical afoot. Let's take a look at some Fangraphs data.
During the 2008 season, Santana's average fastball velocity was third-best in the majors at 94.8 mph. Combined with a slider that averaged 84.2 mph, Santana's control finally caught up to his stuff, and he had the best season of his career. However, over his first two starts of 2009, his average fastball velocity is down to 91.1 and his slider's at 81. His changeup, normally around 85, is now near 87.
Interestingly, he seems to be getting more movement on all of his pitches. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much that's helping. It's important to note that Santana is currently getting screwed by a .482 (!) BABIP, which is completely unsustainable for a major league pitcher with any sort of talent. I suspect most of that is derivative from the Chicago game.
Of course, this is all attached to a small sample size warning, as Santana has only pitched 12.2 innings so far. At the same time, there are distinctly few pitchers who have moved from power to finesse successfully, and Santana does not have the baseball IQ necessary to successfully accomplish such a switch.
Velocity is a tricky thing, mostly because it's so dependent on pitcher "feel." If Ervin's not comfortable with his elbow yet, he's probably not going to throw with 100% confidence and his velocity will suffer. I suspect this might be the case, as he's throwing twice as many changeups as he did last season, and these changeups are replacing both fastballs and sliders, both of which are better pitches.
If his velocity stays down after about 50 innings, the Angels might want to take a peak into his elbow and see if Tommy John seems like a good idea. Much of Santana's success comes from his slider, and as previously discussed, the slider is really tough on the UCL in the elbow.
Weird batting line of the day: Alexei Ramirez, 7 AB, 4 H, 3 RBI, 7 LOB ...that's ridiculous.
Why I'm not worried about Texas (yet): Harrison, 5 IP, 11 H, 7 ER ...pitching's a bitch.
Lakers
I didn't catch the game as I was driving back to Boston from LBI, but from what I understand, they looked tired. And looking at the box score, I'm inclined to agree. With a team as tall as the Lakers (why do they prefer "long" to "tall" in the NBA?), you don't tend to see a -18 rebounding margin, and a -11 on the offensive boards. As such, I'm not tremendously worried. All the Lakers need to do now is win their home games and they can start preparing for the Finals.
Which isn't to say I expect them to make the Finals, but it'd be nice if a team I liked won something. Or at least had the opportunity to win something.
Other problems with the Lakers: Kobe shooting 10 threes and making 2, Derek Fisher playing 23 minutes and shooting 5 threes (making 1), Pau Gasol only getting 11 shots from the field, Andrew Bynum only picking up 7 boards despite 14 points and 5 fouls in 23 minutes.
Miscellany:
- This blog averages about 10 unique visitors a day. Yesterday, it hit 50 in 12 hours. Gotta love HH.
- Dumb, although I'm inclined to agree. I guess we'll see tonight.
- Still no blog updates (shocking, I know), but Thiessen is apparently enjoying his time in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Go Pens, I guess...frankly, anyone but the Ducks/Bruins can win and you'll hear no whining from this Kings fan.
- The Padres are...over .500? The hell is going on?
- The drive from southern New Jersey to Boston is long but not tremendously miserable. That said, Massachusetts is cheating, as far as I'm concerned. If I can't dress up like a cop, then cops shouldn't be able to dress up like me. Unmarked state police vehicles for the sole purpose of revenue generation should be illegal.
- Next floor hockey game is June 4th. I'm trying to get some goalie pads before then.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Angels win the first of '09
Angels 12, White Sox 3
You know it's spring training when the Angels use three catchers (Bobby Wilson, Ryan Budde, and Ben Johnson) along with two more as DH's in Mike Napoli and Hank Conger. Granted, with Scioscia at the helm, the catchers tend to see a lot of action, particularly in the earlier games. Of the batters you can expect to see in April, Brandon Wood hit two deep fly balls for outs at the wall, Bobby Abreu went 0 for 1 with a walk (and saw about 20 combined pitches during his at-bats), Sean Rodriguez went 0-1 with a walk, Kendry Morales went 0-3, and Napoli had a 2-RBI double.
Most of the damage was done in the 8th against Brad Salmon, charged with 6 runs. Conger went 2-3 on the day with 3 RBI, and Fredy Sandoval (who I still see as a legitimate MLB prospect) also picked up two hits, including a double, and 2 RBI.
On the pitching side, Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo eachepitched hitless innings, with Shields earning his K over Jim Thome and Arredondo picking up a pair. You won't see any of the other pitchers in Anaheim this season, although seeing another Francisco Rodriguez out there was pretty weird.
The Angels take on Oakland today at 12:05 Pacific.
Kings 0, Philadelphia 2
A rough game fo the Kings, who put 34 shots on net without getting a goal and lost 1-0 before the 1 second remaining empty netter sealed the game for Philly. Even this loss is encouraging, though, in that the Kings were playing their second game in as many nights and still outskated a very good Flyers team.
Erik Ersberg got the start over Jon Quick, expected after Quick played 65 minutes + a shootout of hockey the previous night. Ersberg was spectacular in the first and solid through the rest of the game, making 18 saves on 19 shots.
I am continually impressed by the combination of Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Both are extremely skilled in the defensive zone, and Doguhty has the ability to outskate everyone in taking the puck into the offensive zone. Johnson has a heavy shot and a great sense of positioning on the ice. Both of these guys will be recognized for their talents in the coming years as the Kings become regular Stanley Cup contenders.
Northeastern 47, Drexel 46
The men's basketball team beat Providence earlier this season. Providence just beat #1 Pittsburgh. Does this mean we've earned a little 1 next to our name?
Regardless, Drexel came into Matthews Arena earlier this month and harassed the Huskies into choking up a 13 point second half lead, beating Northeastern 62-58. It was, by far, the worst loss of the season for the Huskies and is the reason why they are currently in second in the CAA.
I actually completely forgot about this game until well after it was over. I checked the score walking back from broomball and was pleasantly surprised to see that the Huskies, courtesy of Big Spot Baptiste Bataille's 1.3 seconds-left jumper, pulled out a 1 point win on the road. This is a season-saver. It guarantees NU a first-round bye in the CAA tournament in Richmond, something they've never had before. The only team in the CAA to make the NCAA tournament this year will be the winner, and one less game is never a bad thing.
For the record, Bataille is maturing into the clutchiest player on the team. His miracle three-pointer against Georgia State that should have forced the game into overtime was erased by poor defense during an inbounds pass, but this is the second shot he's hit that's been a difference-maker. He'll be back next year, too.
I Killed Mufasa 1, Evan Berry's Pancakes 0
Apparently my broomball team is now called "I Killed Mufasa." Who knew?
Anyway, I got a little testy after this weekend's loss and had a frank post-game discussion criticizing our lack of offense. Playing goalie for a team which infrequently scores is hard, but combining an inability to score with a lackadaisical defensive effort is aggravating, particularly when I maintain such a passion for the game. So, after doing my best to explain the need for being two-way players, I went back to my dorm still fuming.
Yesterday, I sent an email with some nifty MS Paint drawings indicating how I thought we should be positioning both on offense and defense. Essentially, the team needed to be forcing the action towards the other net while on offense while collapsing towards me on defense. One of the unique aspects of broomball is that breakaways aren't tremendously dangerous. 90% of the players in this league don't have the skill to put an accurate, hard shot in the air, so most breakaways I just concentrate on cutting the angle and play the waiting game. My offensive scheme leads to more breakaways but emphasizes point shots as well as following breakaways to keep trailers out of the crease and force rebounds to the outside.
To summarize, it worked. Sorta.
The first shot I saw glanced off the post, the second almost snuck through five-hole, and the third was an ugly stick save that rebounded right into the middle of the crease. From there on out, though, I played fundamentally good goalie with few exceptions. I had a neat save where I knocked down a shot, then dove across the crease to knock the one-time rebound shot wide with the tip of my glove. It was lucky, but it probably looked pretty cool.
I had an easy penalty shot fired into my chest, along with a couple breakaways that stayed low and deflected wide. We scored with 3:25 left in the third, with Tom's first collegiate goal (congrats!) coming off a rebound from Jeff's shot shallow in the slot. He elevated the ball over an outstretched goalie for the gamewinner.
Then, all hell broke lose.
I saw five or six good shots in the last three minutes. My best save came with about a minute left on a deflected shot that hit me in the chest before I cradled it and rolled over it. I was telling my defenders to dump the ball down the ice, but our defense coming back into the defensive zone was a little porous.
Our offense is still impotent. This team wasn't very good, although they played well. We can't expect to win scoring a single goal in most games, so I think we're going to need to further refine our offensive strategy. The key is probably more bodies in front of the net...the stupid back door play that works consistently against NU hockey would probably be a cinch to execute against most defenses and goalies.
Miscellany:
WANT. Damn those Canadians and their way cooler McDonalds.
This one's good too. "Five hole!"
You know it's spring training when the Angels use three catchers (Bobby Wilson, Ryan Budde, and Ben Johnson) along with two more as DH's in Mike Napoli and Hank Conger. Granted, with Scioscia at the helm, the catchers tend to see a lot of action, particularly in the earlier games. Of the batters you can expect to see in April, Brandon Wood hit two deep fly balls for outs at the wall, Bobby Abreu went 0 for 1 with a walk (and saw about 20 combined pitches during his at-bats), Sean Rodriguez went 0-1 with a walk, Kendry Morales went 0-3, and Napoli had a 2-RBI double.
Most of the damage was done in the 8th against Brad Salmon, charged with 6 runs. Conger went 2-3 on the day with 3 RBI, and Fredy Sandoval (who I still see as a legitimate MLB prospect) also picked up two hits, including a double, and 2 RBI.
On the pitching side, Scot Shields and Jose Arredondo eachepitched hitless innings, with Shields earning his K over Jim Thome and Arredondo picking up a pair. You won't see any of the other pitchers in Anaheim this season, although seeing another Francisco Rodriguez out there was pretty weird.
The Angels take on Oakland today at 12:05 Pacific.
Kings 0, Philadelphia 2
A rough game fo the Kings, who put 34 shots on net without getting a goal and lost 1-0 before the 1 second remaining empty netter sealed the game for Philly. Even this loss is encouraging, though, in that the Kings were playing their second game in as many nights and still outskated a very good Flyers team.
Erik Ersberg got the start over Jon Quick, expected after Quick played 65 minutes + a shootout of hockey the previous night. Ersberg was spectacular in the first and solid through the rest of the game, making 18 saves on 19 shots.
I am continually impressed by the combination of Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Both are extremely skilled in the defensive zone, and Doguhty has the ability to outskate everyone in taking the puck into the offensive zone. Johnson has a heavy shot and a great sense of positioning on the ice. Both of these guys will be recognized for their talents in the coming years as the Kings become regular Stanley Cup contenders.
Northeastern 47, Drexel 46
The men's basketball team beat Providence earlier this season. Providence just beat #1 Pittsburgh. Does this mean we've earned a little 1 next to our name?
Regardless, Drexel came into Matthews Arena earlier this month and harassed the Huskies into choking up a 13 point second half lead, beating Northeastern 62-58. It was, by far, the worst loss of the season for the Huskies and is the reason why they are currently in second in the CAA.
I actually completely forgot about this game until well after it was over. I checked the score walking back from broomball and was pleasantly surprised to see that the Huskies, courtesy of Big Spot Baptiste Bataille's 1.3 seconds-left jumper, pulled out a 1 point win on the road. This is a season-saver. It guarantees NU a first-round bye in the CAA tournament in Richmond, something they've never had before. The only team in the CAA to make the NCAA tournament this year will be the winner, and one less game is never a bad thing.
For the record, Bataille is maturing into the clutchiest player on the team. His miracle three-pointer against Georgia State that should have forced the game into overtime was erased by poor defense during an inbounds pass, but this is the second shot he's hit that's been a difference-maker. He'll be back next year, too.
I Killed Mufasa 1, Evan Berry's Pancakes 0
Apparently my broomball team is now called "I Killed Mufasa." Who knew?
Anyway, I got a little testy after this weekend's loss and had a frank post-game discussion criticizing our lack of offense. Playing goalie for a team which infrequently scores is hard, but combining an inability to score with a lackadaisical defensive effort is aggravating, particularly when I maintain such a passion for the game. So, after doing my best to explain the need for being two-way players, I went back to my dorm still fuming.
Yesterday, I sent an email with some nifty MS Paint drawings indicating how I thought we should be positioning both on offense and defense. Essentially, the team needed to be forcing the action towards the other net while on offense while collapsing towards me on defense. One of the unique aspects of broomball is that breakaways aren't tremendously dangerous. 90% of the players in this league don't have the skill to put an accurate, hard shot in the air, so most breakaways I just concentrate on cutting the angle and play the waiting game. My offensive scheme leads to more breakaways but emphasizes point shots as well as following breakaways to keep trailers out of the crease and force rebounds to the outside.
To summarize, it worked. Sorta.
The first shot I saw glanced off the post, the second almost snuck through five-hole, and the third was an ugly stick save that rebounded right into the middle of the crease. From there on out, though, I played fundamentally good goalie with few exceptions. I had a neat save where I knocked down a shot, then dove across the crease to knock the one-time rebound shot wide with the tip of my glove. It was lucky, but it probably looked pretty cool.
I had an easy penalty shot fired into my chest, along with a couple breakaways that stayed low and deflected wide. We scored with 3:25 left in the third, with Tom's first collegiate goal (congrats!) coming off a rebound from Jeff's shot shallow in the slot. He elevated the ball over an outstretched goalie for the gamewinner.
Then, all hell broke lose.
I saw five or six good shots in the last three minutes. My best save came with about a minute left on a deflected shot that hit me in the chest before I cradled it and rolled over it. I was telling my defenders to dump the ball down the ice, but our defense coming back into the defensive zone was a little porous.
Our offense is still impotent. This team wasn't very good, although they played well. We can't expect to win scoring a single goal in most games, so I think we're going to need to further refine our offensive strategy. The key is probably more bodies in front of the net...the stupid back door play that works consistently against NU hockey would probably be a cinch to execute against most defenses and goalies.
Miscellany:
WANT. Damn those Canadians and their way cooler McDonalds.
This one's good too. "Five hole!"
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