HDH 9/29

Hump Day Hockey: 8 Days until the Puck Drops

            Philadelphia Flyer goaltender Michael Leighton will miss a month of the season due to a bulging disc in his lower back; however, the defending Eastern Conference champs got some production out of backup net minder Brian Boucher during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs and should expect the same while Leighton recovers.  The Flyers biggest concern at this point is the status of center Ian Laperriere, who recently informed the team that he’s still recovering from a concussion suffered during the first round of last year’s playoffs (April 22 against the Devils).  As I mentioned in last week’s post, the NHL has stepped up their enforcement against hits to the head and with stories like this seemingly overwhelming the offseason hockey scene (Bruins’ Marc Savard could be placed on the long term Injured Reserve which “requires a player miss 10 games and 24 days prior to returning”), they may have to do more if their new rules don’t work.

            The NHL and HBO announced plans for a documentary series detailing the 2011 New Years Day Winter Classic between the Pens and Caps.  HBO had great success with their Hard Knocks series (documentary show focusing on a single NFL team during training camp) the past few years, which most recently featured the New York Jets.  Hopefully: the show will generate more puck fans; likely: the show attracts viewers solely for the purpose of the Ovi-Crosby rivalry and slightly bumps the ratings on the Winter Classic. 

           

Rapid Fire

·      The Stanley Cup returned to Chicago yesterday with the names of Blackhawks players, coaches, personnel freshly engraved. 

·      A tropical storm in Florida forced the Panthers to cancel their pre-season game against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Let the Hurricane vs. Tropical Storm jokes begin. 

·      Veteran Patrick Lalime will continue to get playing time behind Ryan Miller. 

·      Mike Fisher, who most know not for his excellent hockey skills but his marriage to singer Carrie Underwood, says that the attention drawn to him due to the Summer wedding hasn’t been too extravagant:

“You know what, living in Ottawa, we’re kind of protected from a lot of it,” Fisher says. “Nashville, the same. It would be different if we were living in L.A. or New York or something, but we’re fortunate to be living where we are.”

·      Ben Bishop’s performance through the first few pre-season games provides the Blues with a solid backup to Jaroslav Halak, who St. Louis signed after his amazing playoff run with the Habs.  

Appreciating Sports on TV

Television makes life much easier for sports fans looking to follow their favorite team or simply watch a good matchup.  Video captures certain sports moments that cannot be described with words, like Michael Jordan floating in mid-air before he buried the game winner in the ‘98 Finals, Kevin Dyson falling one-yard short against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, or the image of Kirk Gibson celebrating as he hobbled around the bases after his walk-off home run in Game 1 of the ‘88 World Series.  These moments are etched in the minds of sports fans forever, and the thought of not having video of these events seems ludicrous.

            The 1960 World Series between the Pirates and the Yankees culminated in what some deem the greatest game ever.  With the series tied 3-3, the Yankees headed to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh for the final game of the series.  After a back and forth battle, the Pirates entered the bottom of the ninth with the score even at 9. Pirates’ second basemen, Bill Mazeroski, led off the inning with what remains today as the only walk-off homerun in a World Series Game 7.  That’s the ultimate backyard Wiffle Ball scenario that you enact with your brother on a summer day. 

“Smith steps up to the plate, World Series game 7, everything is on the line for this youngster.  He watches the pitcher’s windup, here’s the delivery, and … there it is folks!  The World Series is over thanks to the sweet swing of Garrett Smith!” 

However, a full video from that game did not exist because for most games prior to the 1970s, Major League Baseball would erase or discard the footage after its use.  However, as reported by the New York Times last week, a complete tape from that game was found in the wine cellar of Bing Crosby.  When Crosby wasn’t dreaming of a White Christmas, the part-owner of the Pirates was dreaming of a Pittsburgh World Series title.  From within the article,

“Crosby, the singer and movie, radio and TV star, had more foresight than the television networks and stations, which erased or discarded nearly all of the Major League Baseball games they carried until the 1970s. 

A canny preservationist of his own legacy, Crosby, who died in 1977, kept a half-century’s worth of records, tapes and films in the wine cellar turned vault in his Hillsborough, Calif., home.”

In an era where ESPN regularly shows Friday night high school football games on national television, it’s nice to hear about stories like this that highlight the value of video.  We all could use a little reminder of how fortunate we are to live in this day and age where following sports doesn’t require waiting for the box scores in the morning paper the next day.  

Hump Day Hockey

Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins could possibly miss a large chunk of this season due to lingering issues regarding a concussion he incurred on March 7th after being hit Penguins Forward, Matt Cooke.

            What better way to get through the week than with a little reminder of the puck world – if only we all got paid to skate around and hit each other. 

           

            Pre-season hockey games began last night: I’ll make sure to wake you all up when the real stuff begins.  However, there have been still been some significant headlines and stories emerging from training camps in the past week. 

           

            The Washington Capitals signed defenseman Tom Poti to a two-year extension.  The 12-year veteran will receive $3 million next season and $2.75 million in 2012-2013.  Poti ranked 11^th in the NHL in the plus/minus category, a stat heralded by many hockey experts as a key way to examine players (especially defenseman), with a +26 ranking on the season.  The plus/minus stat essentially looks at the goal outcome while a certain player was on the ice: in a given game, if the Capitals lost 4-3, but Poti was only on the ice for 2 of the Capitals goals and one of the opponents goals, his plus/minus rating would be a +1 on the day.  Poti told the Washington Post that he gave up some money in order to play for a team with a serious chance at winning not just one but multiple Stanley Cups.

           

            Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins could miss the entire season according to ESPNBoston.com, due to post-concussion syndrome stemming from a hit he suffered on March 7^th of last season.  However, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli denied the ESPN report that Savard could miss the entire season, commenting “it is contradictory and untrue,” in an interview with the Boston Globe. 

            The NHL altered their rulebook in order to prevent hits to the head.  With swirling talks day in and day out about the concussion epidemic in the NFL and the danger of maple bats in baseball, fans should appreciate the NHL and commissioner Gary Bettman for stepping up and implementing policies that protect their players.  Far too many times last season, hockey highlights found their way onto Sports Center simply because another player suffered a hard check from the side or behind that left them lying unconsciously on the ground.

             

Rapid Fire

            Chris Drury, captain of the New York Rangers, will miss the beginning of the season due to a broken index finger he suffered while blocking a shot.  Drury is expected to be out for roughly 4 weeks, which means he’ll likely miss the first 3 or 4 games. 

            2^nd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, and who many view as the top prospect joining the league, Bruins forward Tyler Seguin appears ready to fill whatever role coach Claude Julien asks of him. 

            Florida Panthers veterans hope that dropping the gloves during training camp will spark an intensity in the locker room that turns around the poor performance on the ice of recent teams.

            After starting off his last two summer vacations on the wrong foot, Marian Hossa finally relaxed with the Cup and savored the taste of victory this summer after winning it all with the Blackhawks last June. 

            New Wild forward, John Madden, will continue to prove himself in Minnesota, just like he’s done his entire life.  

Ballparks Impact Financial Success

PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is highly regarded as one of the most beautiful of the recently built ballparks; however, the Pirate's lack of success causes it to be empty most of the time.

            Nine MLB franchises welcomed over 3 million fans through their turnstiles during the 2009 season and similar numbers are likely to occur again this season.  One of the primary differences between MLB and the NFL is the source of revenue: the NFL makes the bulk of its money (over two-thirds) from national television broadcasts, Major League Baseball generates less than 20 percent of overall sales from national broadcasts. 

            While some awful baseball teams see great attendance figures (the Cubs are currently 15 games under .500 but still averaged 37, 878 fans at Wrigley Field this year – 92.1 % of capacity), other great baseball teams play in front of empty crowds night after night (the Tampa Bay Rays, who fluctuate daily with the Yankees for the best record in all of baseball, see an average of 22,923 fans a night at Tropicana Field – 52.4 % of capacity).  Rays left fielder, Carl Crawford, has publicly complained about the empty seats at “The Trop” this season, and that lack of an intense atmosphere could propel him to sign somewhere else next winter when he enters free agency.  

            The underlying reason for these differences in attendance figures has a lot to do with performance, a little to do with the demographics of the regions teams play in (some argue there is simply no appeal for baseball in Florida, where the Rays and Marlins both consistently draw low crowds regardless of performance), but another cause is a team’s ballpark.  A baseball stadium affects a club’s financial and on-field success more than any other sport. 

            Although 90 feet from first to home and 60 feet 6 inches separates the pitcher from the batter, varying amounts of foul territory and differing fence distances in the outfield makes each ballpark slightly different.  On top of the purely on-field variations between fields, their structural appearances, both inside and outside, give each their own feel.  Walking into Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, seeing the hand turned scoreboards and small seating capacities, elicits an old-time appreciation for our American past time, while Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, with its retractable roof and large concourse area, provides a very different but nonetheless enjoyable fan experience. 

            Since 1992, when the Baltimore Orioles opened Camden Yards, 20 of the 30 MLB teams have unveiled new ballparks.  As the “we have a new ballpark” sensation fades away in the future as the stadiums get older (the Twins averaged 29,466 fans per game in 2009 at the Metrodome, but since moving to Target Field, that number has jumped to 39,770), it will be interesting to see how the economic side of baseball does. Many clubs, including the Orioles, strived for an old-time feel when they built their new ballpark, with the idea that they could create a charm around their team’s field similar to that of Fenway and Wrigley.  The Orioles are probably the best example of what will happen to most teams as time wears on: in 2004 Camden Yards averaged 34,444 fans per game, then by 2006 that number had fallen to 26,581, and this season they rank 24^th in attendance figures with a meager 20,698 average.

            Team executives come up with as many possible ways to draw customers to the park; installing showers in the outfield of U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox) to cool fans down on a hot summer day, putting a pool in the right field of Chase Field (D’Backs), or allowing kids to play wiffle ball in a custom miniature field built in the outfield concourse of the Ballpark in Arlington (Rangers).  Teams will race sausages around the field (Brewers), pass out bobble heads to each fan and put on firework shows at the end of the game to lure fans in.  The reality is that fans, for the most part, are most willing to pay money for a good team or a great ballpark, and when you combine the two, you find the highest attendance figures (the Phillies, who hold one of the best records in all of baseball, sit atop the NL East, have made appearances in two consecutive World Series’, and play in beautiful Citizens Bank Park which was built in 2004, have averaged 45,000 fans a game in 2010, 103.4% of capacity).  

Luongo Hands Back the "C", the Devils Get Fined, and Nobody Notices!

            The sporting world does not pay enough attention to the NHL.  Boom!  I said it and you know it’s true.  When was the last time you saw an NHL game on national television before the playoffs.  NBC is the only station that makes any effort and they don’t start televising their “Sunday NHL on NBC” until after the NFL regular season is over.  Even if puck lovers must concede the American dominance of professional football, why can’t we at least get some exposure on other nights of the week.  Versus Network has national games very often, but not many people even get that channel. ESPN rarely shows hockey highlights on Sports Center and unlike NFL Live, Baseball Tonight, College Football Live, etc.; the NHL does not have it’s own highlight and analysis show on ESPN.  We're less than a month away from the first real games and the mainstream sports media is not publicizing the start of the season at all!  Moral of the story: the average sports fan needs to be exposed more to hockey:

Roberto Luongo (pictured above) announced he will be stepping down as captain of the Vancouver Canucks.  At first-glance this decision seems odd but it really reflects the leadership of Luongo.  From Iain Macintyre’s piece in the Vancouver Sun:

Roberto Luongo said he resigned as captain of the Vancouver Canucks because he wants to focus entirely on being the best goaltender he can be in order to give his National Hockey League team its best chance of winning a Stanley Cup

He admitted that being asked as captain to comment on the play of teammates was uncomfortable, given his position, and he is happy he will no longer have that dilemma.

It will be interesting to see how Luongo performs on the ice this season and more importantly during the 2011 Playoffs. The 10-year veteran struggled in last season’s Western Conference Semifinals against the Blackhawks, allowing 21 goals in 6 games, resulting in a loss to the Hawks in the 2^nd consecutive post-season.

The Devils are going to be fined and forfeit draft picks because of  their actions with regards to the contract they offered Ilya Kovalchuk this Summer. What the NHL is trying to crack down on is teams who give their players deals that pay excess amounts in the first few years and very little in the end (this loophole in the salary cap system is technically forbidden by the NHL).  Other players such as Marian Hossa and Roberto Luongo have backloaded contracts that the NHL did nothing about when they began. 

And Ryan Lambert of Yahoo Sports’ Puck Daddy hates football.  Let it be known that I do not hate football.  I will admit to loving hockey though.  

Starlin Castro: The Unpraised NL Rookie

            

Castro congratulates teammates after his first big-league at bat: a three-run homer off Cincinnati Reds RHP Homer Bailey

            Baseball fans across the country have been treated to various surprises throughout the 2010 season.  The unexpected storylines include the Padres and Rangers pitching staffs who have led them both to first place atop the NL and AL Western Divisions, the Reds and Braves emerging as contenders in their divisions, and various young stars popping up out of nowhere.  Nearly every major sports site or network dubbed 2010 "the year-of the pitcher" due to the improbable influx of perfect games, no-hitters, and near perfection (I’m truly sorry Mr. Galarraga). 

            One of the most covered stories in Major League Baseball recently is the possibility of the first Triple Crown in 43 years (when a batter leads the league in homeruns, runs batted in and batting average).  Joey Votto, Albert Pujols, and Carlos Gonzalez (with one of the best nicknames in baseball – Cargo) all stand legitimate chances of obtaining this feat: the only thing that stands in the way of any of them is each other.  Every somewhat knowledgeable baseball fan already knows about all that; what most haven’t picked up on is a guy by the name of Starlin Castro. 

            The Chicago Cubs shortstop was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in early May when the platoon role of Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot at second base failed: then manager Lou Piniella, who has since retired from baseball, moved Ryan Theriot from shortstop to second base and granted the 20-year old Castro the starting short stop role.  The kid wasted no time in his May 7^th debut: a 2 for 5 performance including a 3-run homer in his first at bat, a triple, and 6 RBIs on the day.

            Castro has the 2^nd fewest plate appearances amongst NL Shortstops (401), yet he still leads that group in doubles and lies 2^nd in triples behind only Troy-Tulowitzki; Tulo (.322) and Castro (.317) are third and fourth respectively in batting average amongst all NL players.  Since the All-Star break, Castro leads all of baseball in hits (74) and doubles (19).  However, the Triple Crown trio and the many standout National League rookies (Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg, Buster Posey, and Jaime Garcia) often overshadow Castro.  

Starlin Castro month by month split stats courtesy of Fangraphs.com (all stats as of morning of 9/10/10)

	G	AB	PA	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	AVG
May	23	87	93	27	23	1	1	2	10	13	5	.310
Jun	25	75	89	17	10	7	0	0	6	6	9	.227
Jul	25	97	104	35	22	9	3	1	10	13	5	.361
Aug	29	122	128	41	29	11	1	0	19	9	4	.336
Sep	5	20	22	7	6	1	0	0	4	0	0	.350

           

            The above table reveals the awful June that Starlin Castro has, but more importantly, how he bounced back after that.  Often a player who achieves great success in his first month or so in the big leagues gets “figured out” by the rest of the league as scouting information on him becomes more plentiful his second time through teams.  However, when players are able to raise their stats back up after slumping for a little, odds are that player didn’t merely get lucky during that hot month he started the year off with.    According to ESPN Senior Writer, Tim Kurkjian, one major league scout raved, “I said it in spring training and I still believe it.  He will be a National League All-Star in 2012.  He is terrific.”

            Hopefully fans outside of Chicago realize this youngster’s potential sooner rather than later.  He deserves to be in Rookie of the Year talks.