Great night for sports on the tube. Caps and Pens at 8:00, Lakers and Rockets at 11:30, with 24 in between and Celtics/Magic during commercials. Caps and Pens are tied 2 a piece, outstanding game. Fast paced, lots of hitting, speed, great scoring opps, could watch hockey like this all night (maybe it will got to ot?). Ovechkin has 1 goal, a one timer from the slot. How do you let Alex O glide down the ice unchecked and fire a wide open shot from 15 feet? Crosby has two goals, the second of which was a great goal, lifting the stick of defender ot keep the play alive and banging it home. The teams are so evenly matched, it's literally going to come down to who wants it more, and goaltending......Magic and Celtics are tight after 1 quarter. Celtics have to be exhausted after that series with the Bulls.....Lebron James was named MVP today. No argument from me. He took a team of cast offs featuring Wally Scerbiak with a knee brace and some dude who looks like Carlito the wrestler, and won the eastern conference with 66 wins. That's an MVP. Is he the best player in the league? I think Kobe is such a great defender, I don't think Lebron is a shut down defender yet. kobe just locks you down, and puts up 30 points on the other end. Scary.
On CKDU Sports today, I mistakenly asked Coach Steve Sumarra of SMU footbal how Eric Glavic was doing, and if he would be ready to play. I didn't know that Glavic had transferred to Calgary, needless to say the Coach was not pleased. Yikes. Talk about not doing your research. I honestly do not remember seeing a press release regarding him transferring.
Interesting drama there. The head coach of Calgary is Blake Nill, who obtained god like status as Head Coach of SMU before leaving for Calgary 3 years ago. Nill recruited Glavic to SMU before bolting for UC. Glavic decided to keep his commitment to SMU but has obviously changed his mind. He still has 3 years left, he won the Hec Creighton award for most outstanding player 2 years ago, then sat out last year with a torn ACL. There are rumours that it hs seriously strained Nill and Sumarah's friendship, as the 2 had always been close while Sumarrah worked underneath Nill as offensive coordinator. It could get alot more interesting if Calgary wins the CanWest next season, and SMU wins the AUS. Calgary would then travel to SMU to play the national semi final at Huskies Stadium. Oh yeah.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Remembering the Bulls and Celtics
Some basketball pundits are calling it the greatest NBA playoff series in the associations 50 year history. For 7 thrilling games, the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls went shot for shot, stop for stop, more often than not, well past regulation time.
How often?
There were 7 overtimes, a record for any best of 7 playoff series. The 2 teams went to overtime in game 1 and game 5, and double overtime in game 4. In game 6 they went to triple overtime , a certified masterpiece that was the most highly watched first round playoff game in cable television history, and easily the greatest game played in Chicago since the days of Michael Jordan. Game 7 in Boston may be looked upon as anti climatic as the Celtics pulled away late and won by 10 points, but in its entirety, this series will be talked about by basketball enthusiasts for a long time.
Why exactly?
For starters, the teams are two of the leagues most notable franchises. The Boston Celtics are the NBA champs from last season, out muscling Kobe Bryantès Lakers for the franchises 17th title in its illustrious history . On the rafters in Boston, hang the numbers of Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell.
The Chicago Bulls wear the same red, black, and white uniforms once worn by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who led the franchise to 6 NBA titles in the nineties, revolutionizing the way the game is played in the process.
It also helps that the 2 teams are from Boston and Chicago, 2 of the biggest sports markets in the United States.
But beyond all of that, it was the way these two teams battled each other night in and night out, the heroic performances by so many players, and the contrasting physical makeup of the teams, that I will look back upon fondly.
On one side, the green and white of the Boston Celtics, led by two of the toughest all stars in the NBA, willing their team of misfits and outcasts to another playoff victory. On the other end, a team of athletic and cocky soon to bes, who seemed to jump so much higher, and run so much faster than thier seasoned and crafty counterparts, but simply could not deliver a knock out blow to a proud group of champions.
Ray Allen, the tough as nails gunner, scored 51 points in game 6. More importantly, he seemingly hit about 10 three point shots that either sent the game to overtime, or won the game for the Celtics. Paul Pierce was his warrior self, Derrick Rose showed flashes of brilliance, giving us a taste of whats to come. Ill remember Ben Gordon, valiantly trying to match Allen, his fellow UCONN alum, before crashing in the second half of game 7.
Who will forget Brad Miller's three point shot and layup at the end of regulation in game 6 to bring the Bulls back from the cusp of elimination? Who will forget Yannicks kid, Joakim Noah, all legs and arms with pony tail flailing about, stealing Paul Pierces errant pass and going in for an AND1 dunk, giving the Bulls a game 6 win, sending the series back to Boston? Who will forget Rajon Rondo and Kirk Hinrich, nearly coming to blows after the two got tangled up and mid court? The names Scalibrane, Big Baby, and Eddie House are now etched in our brains, thanks to the play of three guys, who remind us that you don’t have to look like an Nba player to be one.
It was a first round series for the ages, and I think all basketball fans wish it had never ended . But fear not, Kobe vs Lebron is lurking in the near future, and may give us one more chance to jump off our couch, yell, and clap out loud.
How often?
There were 7 overtimes, a record for any best of 7 playoff series. The 2 teams went to overtime in game 1 and game 5, and double overtime in game 4. In game 6 they went to triple overtime , a certified masterpiece that was the most highly watched first round playoff game in cable television history, and easily the greatest game played in Chicago since the days of Michael Jordan. Game 7 in Boston may be looked upon as anti climatic as the Celtics pulled away late and won by 10 points, but in its entirety, this series will be talked about by basketball enthusiasts for a long time.
Why exactly?
For starters, the teams are two of the leagues most notable franchises. The Boston Celtics are the NBA champs from last season, out muscling Kobe Bryantès Lakers for the franchises 17th title in its illustrious history . On the rafters in Boston, hang the numbers of Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell.
The Chicago Bulls wear the same red, black, and white uniforms once worn by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who led the franchise to 6 NBA titles in the nineties, revolutionizing the way the game is played in the process.
It also helps that the 2 teams are from Boston and Chicago, 2 of the biggest sports markets in the United States.
But beyond all of that, it was the way these two teams battled each other night in and night out, the heroic performances by so many players, and the contrasting physical makeup of the teams, that I will look back upon fondly.
On one side, the green and white of the Boston Celtics, led by two of the toughest all stars in the NBA, willing their team of misfits and outcasts to another playoff victory. On the other end, a team of athletic and cocky soon to bes, who seemed to jump so much higher, and run so much faster than thier seasoned and crafty counterparts, but simply could not deliver a knock out blow to a proud group of champions.
Ray Allen, the tough as nails gunner, scored 51 points in game 6. More importantly, he seemingly hit about 10 three point shots that either sent the game to overtime, or won the game for the Celtics. Paul Pierce was his warrior self, Derrick Rose showed flashes of brilliance, giving us a taste of whats to come. Ill remember Ben Gordon, valiantly trying to match Allen, his fellow UCONN alum, before crashing in the second half of game 7.
Who will forget Brad Miller's three point shot and layup at the end of regulation in game 6 to bring the Bulls back from the cusp of elimination? Who will forget Yannicks kid, Joakim Noah, all legs and arms with pony tail flailing about, stealing Paul Pierces errant pass and going in for an AND1 dunk, giving the Bulls a game 6 win, sending the series back to Boston? Who will forget Rajon Rondo and Kirk Hinrich, nearly coming to blows after the two got tangled up and mid court? The names Scalibrane, Big Baby, and Eddie House are now etched in our brains, thanks to the play of three guys, who remind us that you don’t have to look like an Nba player to be one.
It was a first round series for the ages, and I think all basketball fans wish it had never ended . But fear not, Kobe vs Lebron is lurking in the near future, and may give us one more chance to jump off our couch, yell, and clap out loud.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Bulls/Celtics Game 7
\Is Ben Gordon tough? Killin the Bulls with triples right now, Bulls lead 32-23. Responding for the Celts? Who else but Brian Scalibrani!! Wow. What an incredible block by Derrick Rose on chicken Scalibrani on the breakawaay dunk attempt. First of all i did'nt know that Brian could jump higher than me, but Rose's block was just another example of how much more athletic the Bulls are than the Celts.....Rose, Gordon, Salmons, Yannick's kid, Tyrus Thomas, the Bulls have alot of athletes. How many pure athletes do the Celts have? Leon Powe and Kevin Garnett....except they are both injured. Even Paul Pierce is a little slow afoot. Celtics have alot of weird looking guys. Rondo, Scalibrani, Kendrick Perkins, and especially Glen Davis. He may have the strangest NBA body I've ever seen. He literally looks like a big baby.
Well that was simply disturbing. After Gordon put the Bulls up 32-23, the Celtics went on a 28-6 run to finish the half....I forgot how the Celtics are able to clamp down on defence....every possesion for the Bulls looked so painful. It didn't help that they overdribbled and stopped moving the basketball, but Boston's defence was tight.....Yannick's kid looks like me if I was 7'0" tall. No discernable skills to speak of but just lots of hustle, screens, and rebounds.....not sure why Del Negro got away from Tyrus Thomas, i liked the combo of Thomas and Noah much more than Noah/Miller....John Salmons will be back in the second half (3 fouls) and should give the Bulls a boost....Del Negro was saying he didn't feel like a rookie coach after all the team has gone through so far in this series, but he looked like a rookie coach in that first half. Any proven NBA coach would have called a timout as things were unravelling and called a play that would get the team an easy basket and back on track (see Larry Brown). Every possesion the Bulls had in the last 8 minutes looked awful, literally every possesion.
If I'm Del Negro I'm going with Rose/Gordon/Salmons/Thomas/Noah as much as possible the rest of the way. Hinrich is not looking comfortable (those two missed foul shots were a killer), and Miller brings the team down in athleticism. Get those young athletes out there, move the ball, try to get open looks for Salmons and Gordon, and hope that Noah/Thomas can really outplay Perkins and Davis....Tim Thomas has really dropped off the earth, hard to believe he can't be a contributor on the Bulls, he was great for the Suns a few years back when they had lost Stoudamire for the playoffs.
Doug Collins is the best analyst for making a really great point, and then beating it to death! Right now he's stuck on the Bulls not moving the ball. My favorite Doug Collins regular point of emphasis, "The last 2 minutes in each quarter is so important, you want to make sure you get quality shots."
Well that was simply disturbing. After Gordon put the Bulls up 32-23, the Celtics went on a 28-6 run to finish the half....I forgot how the Celtics are able to clamp down on defence....every possesion for the Bulls looked so painful. It didn't help that they overdribbled and stopped moving the basketball, but Boston's defence was tight.....Yannick's kid looks like me if I was 7'0" tall. No discernable skills to speak of but just lots of hustle, screens, and rebounds.....not sure why Del Negro got away from Tyrus Thomas, i liked the combo of Thomas and Noah much more than Noah/Miller....John Salmons will be back in the second half (3 fouls) and should give the Bulls a boost....Del Negro was saying he didn't feel like a rookie coach after all the team has gone through so far in this series, but he looked like a rookie coach in that first half. Any proven NBA coach would have called a timout as things were unravelling and called a play that would get the team an easy basket and back on track (see Larry Brown). Every possesion the Bulls had in the last 8 minutes looked awful, literally every possesion.
If I'm Del Negro I'm going with Rose/Gordon/Salmons/Thomas/Noah as much as possible the rest of the way. Hinrich is not looking comfortable (those two missed foul shots were a killer), and Miller brings the team down in athleticism. Get those young athletes out there, move the ball, try to get open looks for Salmons and Gordon, and hope that Noah/Thomas can really outplay Perkins and Davis....Tim Thomas has really dropped off the earth, hard to believe he can't be a contributor on the Bulls, he was great for the Suns a few years back when they had lost Stoudamire for the playoffs.
Doug Collins is the best analyst for making a really great point, and then beating it to death! Right now he's stuck on the Bulls not moving the ball. My favorite Doug Collins regular point of emphasis, "The last 2 minutes in each quarter is so important, you want to make sure you get quality shots."
Well, I still like the Thomas/Noah combo better, but, Brad Miller does spread the floor with his jump shot and brings alot of poise to the floor with a young team. I guess it's match ups...with Perkins and Davis I'd rather have Thomas/Noah, but with Scalibrani you can afford to take an athlete like Thomas off the floor in favour of the seasoned vet, Miller (who just made a tough layup to cut the lead to 7 before a Paul Pierce dunk!) The dunk by Pierce is an example of how Miller hurts you. There's no way Pierce gets around Noah or Thomas coming off that screen, but Miller is just too slow.
I love Ben Gordon, but I do not like to watch him drible for 10 seconds and force a jump shot. Derrick Rose is so tough you'd think he had played at UCONN.....it seems like every shot Ray Allen takes find the bottom of the net. Is it just me?
My god Glen Davis is weird looking!
Why isn't big game Marv Alberts calling this game? Kevin Harlan is ok, but you got to have Marv for a game like this.
Yannick's kid has to finish stronger! He misses alot of potential and1's.
Game I don't care about: Atlanta/Miami game 7
Series I'm looking Forward to: Houston vs LA. Kobe vs Artest..love it.
Well the Bulls punched back and got to within 7 to start the 4th quarter. I'm cheering hard for the Bulls, I like all the youth and athleticism. Boston vs Orlando? Meh. Chicago vs Orlando? Not bad......I'd love to see a Cavs/Bulls eastern conference final.
With the exception of the Heat in '06, it is really hard to knock an NBA champion out of the playoffs. It is not easy to win an NBA championship, which is why the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, and Spurs, and Pistons account for about 80% of them. Any team that wins an NBA championship is tough, so trying to beat them 4 times the next season is hard, probably too hard for a young Bulls team.....speaking of age, I can't believe Lindsay Hunter is still playing. I remember when he was the next Isiah Thomas for the Pistons in early nineties!
Celtics win by about 8. Too many scoring droughts for the Bulls. That's a game they could have had. They just have too many mental lapses and get away from doing the right things. I thought the Bulls coaching staff did a poor job. They didn't seem to have any way of getting the youthful Bulls back on track offensively during periods where they really seemed to lose their way. Overdribbling by Gordon and Salmons for sure. Noah getting into foul trouble didn't help.
Ray Allen is a mean man. He and Paul Pierce may be the most mentally tough duo in the NBA. Kirk Hinrich came on in the 4th quarter as well, showing that Jayhawk products are pretty tough too!
Eddie House had a great game, although he travelled on that last three pointer, and he gave the Bulls 3 points on foul shots via a technical and a bad foul. He's another guy who ain't pretty to look at. Let's face it, the Celtics are an ugly, ugly team. Not too watch, because they do play good team basketball, but to look at...they are ugly. I wonder what Brian Scalibrane would be like if he wasn't fat? He might actually be a really decent player instead of a spot up shooter.'
Celtics/Magic? I'm taking the Magic in 7, just because they are healthier and have no one who can match up with Dwight Howard. But as I said, it's hard to beat NBA champs 4 times in two weeks.
Intriguing series that's kind of under the radar? Mavs and Nuggets. Mavs have been one of the better teams in the association the past couple of months and the Nuggets are a team that have really found their groove. Chauncy Billups has been a perfect fit to that team. One great thing I like about the Nuggets? After last year's pathetic exit in the playoffs, they decided to fix things by changing personnel, not the coach. They realized that George Karl is a great coach, he just needed a different group. Thus, Iverson out, Billups in, and the Nuggets are looking like a team that could compete with the Lakers.
Ranking the Top Playoff Matchups in the NBA/NHL
So both the NBA and NHL are in the second round. Here are my rankings for the two leagues combined. #1 being the series that I'll plan my week around to watch, #8 being the series I doubt I'll look at too much.
1. Capitals/Penguins-By far the most intriguing series in both leagues.
2. Ducks/Red Wings-Game 2 tomorrow will be perfect sunday afternoon entertainment.
3. Lakers/Rockets - Kobe vs Artest, Adelman vs Jackson, Yao vs ....Gasol??? Well, it's got Kobe and Artest.
4. Canucks/Blackhawks- Chicago blew out Vancouver at GM Place, will be interesting to see how Luongo responds in game 3.
5. Mavs/ Nuggets - Series has a relevancy problem, as I'm not sure either team could beat the Lakers next round. But should be fun. up tempo ball.
6. Celtics/Magic - Magic should win if "master of panic" Stan Van Gundy keeps his cool.
7. Cavs/Hawks- I like the Hawks, but Cavs should win in 5 at the most.
8. Hurricanes/Bruins - Bruins will sweep.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
April 26
NBA Delivers
Well on a slow hockey day, with the only game being Washington's trouncing of a Rangers team that has completely melted down, the NBA cared and gave us 3 incredible games. Right now the Rockets and Portland are coming down the stretch exchanging threes' in a crazy 4th quarter. The only game that was no contest was the Cavs game 4 dismantling of a seemingly outclassed Pistons team, thus sweeping Detroit out of the playoffs. You'd think a team that still has 3 core players from their championship team a few years back would show a little more heart, but Detroit went down with barely a whisper. How horrible does that Billups/Iverson trade seem now? Billups is filling it up for Denver vs the Hornets.
Bulls/Celtics
Incredible game today. A sunday afternoon playoff classic that would rank right up there with the best. Ray Allen with a 3 to send it to overtime. Ben Gordon responds with a 3 over Paul Pierce to send it to double overtime (is it just me or are UCONN products really tough!). Gordon with that crazy runner at the end of the 4th, the hustle plays of Yannick Noah's kid, Kirk Hinrich missing the front end of pair a of foul shots after Chicken Scalibrani's intentional foul, Paul Pierce with a huge 3 and a crazy and1 that pulled the Celts close in the 2nd ot. In the end it was.....John Salmons (not pronounced like the fish) who was the hero, hitting a huge 3 and then blocking Pierce's 3 pointer at the buzzer to seal the win for the Bulls. Awesome. Can't wait for game 5 in Boston
Blackhawks/Flames
I wrote a few days back that if you're a Flames fan, you have to be dissapointed that Calgary is not winning that series, or even have it won. Their game 5 performance was unacceptable. How do you not come out with intensity for that game. How could their collective juices not be flowing for a game 5. Shameful.
Portland/Houston
This game is in the last minute, the Blazers have the ball down 2 with about 30 ticks left.
I always forget how huge Ron Artest is. Hard to believe a guy that big can be so quick and graceful. Brandon Roy got the clearout and drove to the basket...offensvie foul! Tough call. Game over, Rockets take strangle hold now up 3-1. A Houston/LA second rounder would be pretty sweet with the Kobe/Artest rivalry.
Doug Collins made a great point about the way the Rockets have added alot of high energy players that have made them alot more fun to watch. Lowry, Landry, the european dude with the soccer hair, good add ons to go with guys like Yao and Battier.....I love Jeff Van Gundy as an analyst. He calls it exactly as he sees it and does not seem to care what players will think of his comments. He was all over John Salmons late in the 4th for missing a key box out off a Ray Allen foul shot. Then he was on Glen Davis (maybe the wierdest body of any player in the NBA) for trying to make a steal on the much quicker Derrick Rose which led to a Scallibrani block call.....I'm really worried now about my Devils pick. I told Ryan Delong there was no way in hell that Carolina wins that series, yikes. Carolina looks like they have a little more speed and Brodeur does not look like himself....did you see the Viktor Cozlov goal today, as Bob Cole would say, "Oh Baby'! I love how he bulldozed Lundquist and put him in the net at the end of it.
Well on a slow hockey day, with the only game being Washington's trouncing of a Rangers team that has completely melted down, the NBA cared and gave us 3 incredible games. Right now the Rockets and Portland are coming down the stretch exchanging threes' in a crazy 4th quarter. The only game that was no contest was the Cavs game 4 dismantling of a seemingly outclassed Pistons team, thus sweeping Detroit out of the playoffs. You'd think a team that still has 3 core players from their championship team a few years back would show a little more heart, but Detroit went down with barely a whisper. How horrible does that Billups/Iverson trade seem now? Billups is filling it up for Denver vs the Hornets.
Bulls/Celtics
Incredible game today. A sunday afternoon playoff classic that would rank right up there with the best. Ray Allen with a 3 to send it to overtime. Ben Gordon responds with a 3 over Paul Pierce to send it to double overtime (is it just me or are UCONN products really tough!). Gordon with that crazy runner at the end of the 4th, the hustle plays of Yannick Noah's kid, Kirk Hinrich missing the front end of pair a of foul shots after Chicken Scalibrani's intentional foul, Paul Pierce with a huge 3 and a crazy and1 that pulled the Celts close in the 2nd ot. In the end it was.....John Salmons (not pronounced like the fish) who was the hero, hitting a huge 3 and then blocking Pierce's 3 pointer at the buzzer to seal the win for the Bulls. Awesome. Can't wait for game 5 in Boston
Blackhawks/Flames
I wrote a few days back that if you're a Flames fan, you have to be dissapointed that Calgary is not winning that series, or even have it won. Their game 5 performance was unacceptable. How do you not come out with intensity for that game. How could their collective juices not be flowing for a game 5. Shameful.
Portland/Houston
This game is in the last minute, the Blazers have the ball down 2 with about 30 ticks left.
I always forget how huge Ron Artest is. Hard to believe a guy that big can be so quick and graceful. Brandon Roy got the clearout and drove to the basket...offensvie foul! Tough call. Game over, Rockets take strangle hold now up 3-1. A Houston/LA second rounder would be pretty sweet with the Kobe/Artest rivalry.
Doug Collins made a great point about the way the Rockets have added alot of high energy players that have made them alot more fun to watch. Lowry, Landry, the european dude with the soccer hair, good add ons to go with guys like Yao and Battier.....I love Jeff Van Gundy as an analyst. He calls it exactly as he sees it and does not seem to care what players will think of his comments. He was all over John Salmons late in the 4th for missing a key box out off a Ray Allen foul shot. Then he was on Glen Davis (maybe the wierdest body of any player in the NBA) for trying to make a steal on the much quicker Derrick Rose which led to a Scallibrani block call.....I'm really worried now about my Devils pick. I told Ryan Delong there was no way in hell that Carolina wins that series, yikes. Carolina looks like they have a little more speed and Brodeur does not look like himself....did you see the Viktor Cozlov goal today, as Bob Cole would say, "Oh Baby'! I love how he bulldozed Lundquist and put him in the net at the end of it.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
April 21
Not a bad night for sports on the tube. A little miffed about CBC cutting away from the Pens/Flyers for Canucks/Blues. I'm assuming they are contractually obligated to show the Canucks, because they must know that most people east of BC would rather see that Pens game. Great series so far, heading into a pivotal game 4...Canucks have that Blues series pretty much wrapped up. Turns out the Pens won, now up 3-1.
Hurricanes scored the game winner with two tenths left on the clock to beat the Devils, 4-3. Brodeur went bananas after the game ( I love how goalies always have a hard time breaking their sticks, meanwhile a regular stick snaps on a wrist shot). He definitely got bumped but he was 2-3 feet outside his crease. I've got the Devils going to the Cup so hopefully they can recover back in beautiful Newark, New Jersey.
Can't wait for the Ducks/Sharks game. What an intriguing match up, especially with the Ducks winning the first 2 games. All those gritty former cup winners on the Ducks vs the president trophy winning Sharks with a recent history of folding in the playoffs. If you lose this playoff series, you're looking at a long 12 months before the 2010 playoffs if you are a San Jose Shark.
Switched over to the Cavs/Pistons game, Detroit has actually closed to within 8 points with 4 minutes to play! Can you imagine if the Cavs actually had 2 or 3 more decent players besides Mo Williams to go with Lebron. James got 66 wins out of a group that consisted of a dude who looks like Carlito the wrestler, and Willy Sczerbiak with a knee brace! Wow.
No way the Jazz beat the Lakers tonight. I'll be shocked if the Jazz win a game in that series. Is it just me or does L.A. go 12 deep. Their best player in game 1 may have been Trevor Ariza! You get the feeling that Cabbie could put a uniform on and put up 10 and 5.
GREAT SAVE LUONGO!! (love that Jim Hughson expression). Luongo just made a very special save with 5 mins left and game still tied.
Canucks/Blues now in OT, I wish they were showing the Ducks game but i think you can watch it on CBC website. Obviously an ot game is great and it's a canadian team, but I can't take a 3-0 series seriously until the losing team at least wins a game...especially now that the Sharks/Ducks are 2-2 in the 1st... that's it I'm going to the CBC website.
Just watched a great scrap in the Ducks game between 6'3" Doug Murray and 6'5" George Parros. However, it went about 20 seconds too long. Some punches were thrown and exchanged, but it reached the point where both guys were just hanging on, yet the linesmen did not step in. This has been a point of contention for me all season. The linesmen need to get in there and break it up when it's painfully obvious to everyone that both guys have got nothing left in the tank. Then maybe guys will stop getting dragged to the ice and banging their heads.
Earlier I posted a piece from the new Roger Clemens book, if you get a chance give it a lookover, it's really good. I just read a different brand spankin new book on the fall of the Rocket by Jeff Pearlman, entitled the Day the Rocket Came Back to Earth, and it was a great read as well. Although a little too similar to the book about the fall of Barry Bonds that Pearlman wrote 2 years ago, both in style and context, but still a great book.
Alex Burrows....scores! Thank god... tough angle shot, no way that puck should get by Mason. Canucks can rest up for round 2 and now we can settle in and watch Ducks/Sharks.
Hurricanes scored the game winner with two tenths left on the clock to beat the Devils, 4-3. Brodeur went bananas after the game ( I love how goalies always have a hard time breaking their sticks, meanwhile a regular stick snaps on a wrist shot). He definitely got bumped but he was 2-3 feet outside his crease. I've got the Devils going to the Cup so hopefully they can recover back in beautiful Newark, New Jersey.
Can't wait for the Ducks/Sharks game. What an intriguing match up, especially with the Ducks winning the first 2 games. All those gritty former cup winners on the Ducks vs the president trophy winning Sharks with a recent history of folding in the playoffs. If you lose this playoff series, you're looking at a long 12 months before the 2010 playoffs if you are a San Jose Shark.
Switched over to the Cavs/Pistons game, Detroit has actually closed to within 8 points with 4 minutes to play! Can you imagine if the Cavs actually had 2 or 3 more decent players besides Mo Williams to go with Lebron. James got 66 wins out of a group that consisted of a dude who looks like Carlito the wrestler, and Willy Sczerbiak with a knee brace! Wow.
No way the Jazz beat the Lakers tonight. I'll be shocked if the Jazz win a game in that series. Is it just me or does L.A. go 12 deep. Their best player in game 1 may have been Trevor Ariza! You get the feeling that Cabbie could put a uniform on and put up 10 and 5.
GREAT SAVE LUONGO!! (love that Jim Hughson expression). Luongo just made a very special save with 5 mins left and game still tied.
Canucks/Blues now in OT, I wish they were showing the Ducks game but i think you can watch it on CBC website. Obviously an ot game is great and it's a canadian team, but I can't take a 3-0 series seriously until the losing team at least wins a game...especially now that the Sharks/Ducks are 2-2 in the 1st... that's it I'm going to the CBC website.
Just watched a great scrap in the Ducks game between 6'3" Doug Murray and 6'5" George Parros. However, it went about 20 seconds too long. Some punches were thrown and exchanged, but it reached the point where both guys were just hanging on, yet the linesmen did not step in. This has been a point of contention for me all season. The linesmen need to get in there and break it up when it's painfully obvious to everyone that both guys have got nothing left in the tank. Then maybe guys will stop getting dragged to the ice and banging their heads.
Earlier I posted a piece from the new Roger Clemens book, if you get a chance give it a lookover, it's really good. I just read a different brand spankin new book on the fall of the Rocket by Jeff Pearlman, entitled the Day the Rocket Came Back to Earth, and it was a great read as well. Although a little too similar to the book about the fall of Barry Bonds that Pearlman wrote 2 years ago, both in style and context, but still a great book.
Alex Burrows....scores! Thank god... tough angle shot, no way that puck should get by Mason. Canucks can rest up for round 2 and now we can settle in and watch Ducks/Sharks.
roger clemens book excerpt
Found this on the CNNSI website. It's a piece from an upcoming book about Clemens' steroid usage. I just finished a similar book called "The Rocket That Fell to Earth",
Excerpted from AMERICAN ICON: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime, by Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red. Copyright © by Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red. To be published May 12, 2009, by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
In their reporting for American Icon, the book from which this article was adapted, the New York Daily News investigative team of Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red reviewed thousands of pages of court documents, congressional depositions, police reports, medical files and transcripts of secretly recorded phone calls. They interviewed MLB players and executives, players' association officials, U.S. congressional leaders, law enforcement agents, attorneys, steroid suppliers, trainers, doctors and doping experts. Their repeated requests to speak to Roger Clemens were refused. The team's original reporting for the Daily News won the Associated Press Sports Editors award for Best Investigative Reporting in 2008.
Even to a former New York City cop, the question was jarring. "Can you help me?" Roger Clemens asked. "I can't inject in my booty."
This is how Brian McNamee, then the Toronto Blue Jays' new strength and conditioning coordinator, remembers it all starting. He glanced up at Clemens, whose broad frame blocked most of McNamee's view of the rest of the SkyDome clubhouse. A few other players milled about the room, preparing for the upcoming series against the Baltimore Orioles. Toronto designated hitter and occasional outfielder Jose Canseco was picking through his stall nearby, his back to Clemens and McNamee.
The trainer, who had come to baseball from the NYPD, was slumped in his own stall. Why, he wondered, was arguably the greatest pitcher of his era asking for help in sticking a hypodermic needle in his ass?
Clemens handed McNamee a small, white, opaque container resembling an aspirin bottle without a label. "What do you think of these?" Clemens asked. McNamee took the container and poured some white pills into his hand. They looked like oral testosterone, a substance he had only recently researched. "That looks like Anadrol-50," said Canseco, suddenly barging into the conversation. Before McNamee or Clemens could object, the burly Canseco took a couple of the pills and shoved them into his mouth.
McNamee wheeled around to face Clemens. "Don't take that," he told the pitcher. "That's really bad for you." Clemens then gave McNamee a bag filled with 50 to 100 glassine bottles and told him to get rid of them. McNamee later suspected that the bottles contained cypionate or enanthate: straight testosterone.
At 35, Clemens was Toronto's staff ace and highest-paid player, pulling in a cool $8.55 million. Two-and-a-half months into the 1998 season, however, his record was a pedestrian 6-6. He was less than a year removed from going 21-7 and winning his fourth Cy Young Award, but something was off, and his club was suffering as a result. Toronto was fading fast in the American League East standings.
During spring training McNamee had taken stock of Clemens's flabby physique. He didn't think the pitcher would continue to be successful without a change in his conditioning routine, even though Clemens maintained that his workout regimen was unequaled in professional sports. Now the Rocket wanted someone to help him with needle injections?
Clemens was aware of the recent strains in McNamee's personal life. At the end of spring training, a family emergency had called the trainer home to Queens. His one-year-old son, Brian Jr., was diabetic. McNamee and his wife, Eileen, spent the better part of a week being taught how to prick their infant's finger for a drop of blood, test it for hyperglycemia and then inject him with the appropriate doses of short-acting and long-acting insulin. McNamee learned to mix the insulin and draw it into needles for subcutaneous shots. It was a delicate process, getting the exact amount of the hormone into a pinch of fat so it could be released gradually into the bloodstream. The Toronto players and staff felt sympathy for McNamee. Clemens was among those who had expressed concern for Brian Jr., but now his motives seemed decidedly personal.
McNamee looked back at Clemens. "Yeah," the trainer said. "I think I can handle that."
"All right," Clemens said. "I'll let you know."
One of the perks of playing for Toronto was living in the luxury hotel attached to the stadium. Only five minutes after a hard game, an exhausted player could crash in one of the 70 rooms beyond the outfield. When the team was at home, Clemens lived in a SkyDome apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the diamond.
Shortly after their clubhouse conversation that day in June, Clemens summoned McNamee to the apartment, and by the time the trainer arrived, the pitcher had already laid out some clear glass vials containing a cloudy white liquid. The labels identified the substance as Winstrol, an anabolic steroid. There were some large needles, too, and sterilizing alcohol.
There was one problem. McNamee had experience only with the small-bore subcutaneous needles he used to inject his son. He was now looking at wide-bore needles meant to puncture dense muscle and inject a thick fluid deep into tissue. His mind began racing. He had no authority to give injections to players, let alone to the face of the franchise. But Clemens had asked, and McNamee had agreed. There was no turning back. Anyway, McNamee figured, Clemens was more prone to hurt himself if he stuck needles into his own ass.
The pitcher bent over. McNamee dabbed Clemens's skin with alcohol so as not to cause an infection. Then he stuck the needle into the pitcher's buttocks and depressed the plunger of the syringe. Now they were accomplices.
From that moment McNamee and Clemens had the kind of relationship that can create the tightest bonds of loyalty -- and pave the way for a painful falling out. When they had first met, at that season's spring training in Dunedin, Fla., Clemens still felt remnants of the bitterness that had consumed him after his dismissal from the Boston Red Sox following the 1996 season. He'd poured his guts into that team for 13 years, only to be sent off with what he perceived as an insult: Boston general manager Dan Duquette said Clemens had reached "the twilight of his career." After signing a three-year, $24.75 million contract to play for the Blue Jays in 1997, Clemens shot back, "I could pitch till I'm 45 because of the conditioning I do, especially with my legs."
In their reporting for American Icon, the book from which this article was adapted, the New York Daily News investigative team of Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red reviewed thousands of pages of court documents, congressional depositions, police reports, medical files and transcripts of secretly recorded phone calls. They interviewed MLB players and executives, players' association officials, U.S. congressional leaders, law enforcement agents, attorneys, steroid suppliers, trainers, doctors and doping experts. Their repeated requests to speak to Roger Clemens were refused. The team's original reporting for the Daily News won the Associated Press Sports Editors award for Best Investigative Reporting in 2008.
Even to a former New York City cop, the question was jarring. "Can you help me?" Roger Clemens asked. "I can't inject in my booty."
This is how Brian McNamee, then the Toronto Blue Jays' new strength and conditioning coordinator, remembers it all starting. He glanced up at Clemens, whose broad frame blocked most of McNamee's view of the rest of the SkyDome clubhouse. A few other players milled about the room, preparing for the upcoming series against the Baltimore Orioles. Toronto designated hitter and occasional outfielder Jose Canseco was picking through his stall nearby, his back to Clemens and McNamee.
The trainer, who had come to baseball from the NYPD, was slumped in his own stall. Why, he wondered, was arguably the greatest pitcher of his era asking for help in sticking a hypodermic needle in his ass?
Clemens handed McNamee a small, white, opaque container resembling an aspirin bottle without a label. "What do you think of these?" Clemens asked. McNamee took the container and poured some white pills into his hand. They looked like oral testosterone, a substance he had only recently researched. "That looks like Anadrol-50," said Canseco, suddenly barging into the conversation. Before McNamee or Clemens could object, the burly Canseco took a couple of the pills and shoved them into his mouth.
McNamee wheeled around to face Clemens. "Don't take that," he told the pitcher. "That's really bad for you." Clemens then gave McNamee a bag filled with 50 to 100 glassine bottles and told him to get rid of them. McNamee later suspected that the bottles contained cypionate or enanthate: straight testosterone.
At 35, Clemens was Toronto's staff ace and highest-paid player, pulling in a cool $8.55 million. Two-and-a-half months into the 1998 season, however, his record was a pedestrian 6-6. He was less than a year removed from going 21-7 and winning his fourth Cy Young Award, but something was off, and his club was suffering as a result. Toronto was fading fast in the American League East standings.
During spring training McNamee had taken stock of Clemens's flabby physique. He didn't think the pitcher would continue to be successful without a change in his conditioning routine, even though Clemens maintained that his workout regimen was unequaled in professional sports. Now the Rocket wanted someone to help him with needle injections?
Clemens was aware of the recent strains in McNamee's personal life. At the end of spring training, a family emergency had called the trainer home to Queens. His one-year-old son, Brian Jr., was diabetic. McNamee and his wife, Eileen, spent the better part of a week being taught how to prick their infant's finger for a drop of blood, test it for hyperglycemia and then inject him with the appropriate doses of short-acting and long-acting insulin. McNamee learned to mix the insulin and draw it into needles for subcutaneous shots. It was a delicate process, getting the exact amount of the hormone into a pinch of fat so it could be released gradually into the bloodstream. The Toronto players and staff felt sympathy for McNamee. Clemens was among those who had expressed concern for Brian Jr., but now his motives seemed decidedly personal.
McNamee looked back at Clemens. "Yeah," the trainer said. "I think I can handle that."
"All right," Clemens said. "I'll let you know."
One of the perks of playing for Toronto was living in the luxury hotel attached to the stadium. Only five minutes after a hard game, an exhausted player could crash in one of the 70 rooms beyond the outfield. When the team was at home, Clemens lived in a SkyDome apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the diamond.
Shortly after their clubhouse conversation that day in June, Clemens summoned McNamee to the apartment, and by the time the trainer arrived, the pitcher had already laid out some clear glass vials containing a cloudy white liquid. The labels identified the substance as Winstrol, an anabolic steroid. There were some large needles, too, and sterilizing alcohol.
There was one problem. McNamee had experience only with the small-bore subcutaneous needles he used to inject his son. He was now looking at wide-bore needles meant to puncture dense muscle and inject a thick fluid deep into tissue. His mind began racing. He had no authority to give injections to players, let alone to the face of the franchise. But Clemens had asked, and McNamee had agreed. There was no turning back. Anyway, McNamee figured, Clemens was more prone to hurt himself if he stuck needles into his own ass.
The pitcher bent over. McNamee dabbed Clemens's skin with alcohol so as not to cause an infection. Then he stuck the needle into the pitcher's buttocks and depressed the plunger of the syringe. Now they were accomplices.
From that moment McNamee and Clemens had the kind of relationship that can create the tightest bonds of loyalty -- and pave the way for a painful falling out. When they had first met, at that season's spring training in Dunedin, Fla., Clemens still felt remnants of the bitterness that had consumed him after his dismissal from the Boston Red Sox following the 1996 season. He'd poured his guts into that team for 13 years, only to be sent off with what he perceived as an insult: Boston general manager Dan Duquette said Clemens had reached "the twilight of his career." After signing a three-year, $24.75 million contract to play for the Blue Jays in 1997, Clemens shot back, "I could pitch till I'm 45 because of the conditioning I do, especially with my legs."
Police work was the McNamee family business, and Brian had had his share of big moments during his three years and four months on the force. Working undercover, he had patrolled Manhattan in a Yellow Cab; he locked up 77 people and won numerous commendations. One day in 1991, while on foot patrol, he got a call to head to a five-story walk-up near Lexington Avenue. What he found there would remain vivid in his memory: the body of four-year-old Conor Clapton embedded in the tar on the roof. The boy, the son of rock star Eric Clapton and Italian actress Lori del Santo, had fallen from a window in the high-rise apartment building next door.
Now McNamee's gig with the Blue Jays was his foothold in the glamorous world of professional sports. He was 31 and not getting paid much, but he was close to fame and glory. He'd played baseball for Archbishop Molloy High in Queens and had been a good enough catcher to play for St. John's University, helping his team upset defending national champion Stanford in the 1988 NCAA tournament. After college McNamee had played a little semipro ball in the New York area, and after leaving the police department in 1993 he had worked briefly as a bullpen catcher for the Yankees.
Despite their differences in accent and income, Clemens, the swaggering jock from Texas, and McNamee, the sardonic ex-cop from New York, shared a passion for baseball. Clemens was determined to prove he wasn't fading, and McNamee, having just arrived at the Show, was committed to staying there. So there would be other injections, but with the first one the two men crossed a stark line into territory they would never escape: Clemens became a cheater, and McNamee became his enabler.
DECEMBER 2007
Only days before the release of the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drug use in baseball, Clemens sat on the patio of a casita in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after receiving a phone call from his agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, that would change his life. McNamee had told federal law enforcement agents investigating a steroids distribution network run by former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski that he had helped Clemens use steroids and human growth hormone over a period of several years beginning in 1998. McNamee had also been cooperating with former senator George Mitchell's investigation.
In the weeks to come Clemens would attack McNamee on 60 Minutes and in a defamation suit, and his attorneys would smear McNamee's character. They would secretly record McNamee in conversations he thought were private. But Clemens would never mention the moment of truth in Cabo; he would say that he didn't know about McNamee's accusations until days later, in Houston, and that he'd been blindsided by his trainer's betrayal.
In Cabo, Clemens tried to absorb the news, but to friends who were with him there -- ballplayers and businessmen -- he didn't seem panicked. He'd spent a lifetime cultivating an ability to control his world. In Clemens's mind this situation was just like any other game in which he had gotten behind in the count. He could gut his way through it. He just needed to throw his opponents a little chin music.
FEBRUARY 2008
With the confident stride of a baseball legend, Roger Clemens arrived at Capitol Hill on the morning of Feb. 5 for his deposition before investigators for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He wore a gray pin-striped suit buttoned tightly across his wide chest. He carried a small vinyl briefcase in his left hand, and in his right hand -- the one with which he collected 354 big league wins -- he carried a large paper cup with a tea bag label hanging out.
Flanked by his lawyers, Rusty Hardin and Lanny Breuer, Clemens entered room 2157 of the Rayburn Building, took the oath and promptly declared, "I have not used steroids or growth hormone." He repeated this denial, in various formulations, six times in the first 30 minutes of the exceedingly awkward meeting.
These were probably the most important sentences Clemens had ever uttered. The sworn statements were direct and unequivocal, and they were recorded verbatim. From that moment forward, if it were ever proved that Clemens had used steroids or HGH, he could be prosecuted for lying to Congress. For much of the deposition he sat silently while his lawyers spoke to the investigators, clarifying the pitcher's answers and bashing the methodology of the Mitchell Report. Clemens had eagerly looked forward to testifying. It was his chance to demonstrate resolve and, it seemed, to blow off steam.
"Brian McNamee did not make me as an athlete, despite his ongoing claims," Clemens said. "I had a great workout ethic before I met him." Clemens's legacy was at stake. For nearly two months people had been wondering what drove him to deny McNamee's stories, even after his longtime friend and teammate Andy Pettitte had confirmed McNamee's allegations to Mitchell Report investigators about Pettitte's use of HGH. Clemens didn't want anyone to think he had cheated -- that he had taken the easy route to the unprecedented success he'd enjoyed late in his career.
"I have never smoked a cigarette, I have never smoked dope, I have never done cocaine," Clemens said about halfway into the five-hour deposition. "I would not put anything -- allow anybody to put anything -- in my body that's going to be harmful to me. That's who I am as a person."
Clemens claimed it had been "shocking" to learn that Pettitte had used growth hormone. "I would think that we were close enough to know that if he was thinking of doing it, or did it, that I would have known," the Texan said. He could not explain why McNamee might have lied about him yet told the truth about Pettitte. "This man has me being a drug dealer," Clemens said. "Very upsetting...if you have seen my interviews. Very upsetting."
The committee's investigative staff had, in fact, seen Clemens's interviews. They had watched his denials on YouTube, 60 Minutes and at a press conference in Houston. Clemens had boxed himself in with the claim that McNamee had injected him with B12 and lidocaine, not steroids or HGH. Now he was forced to repeat and explain those claims under oath. He had to testify about his wife's use of HGH, which had come up in Pettitte's deposition to investigators. (Two days after Clemens's testimony, McNamee would tell the investigators that in the winter of 2002-03, at Clemens's house in Houston, Clemens had summoned him to the bedroom, pulled a vial of growth hormone from a shaving kit in the bathroom and instructed him to inject Debbie Clemens.) Clemens also had to discuss a decade-old medical report that described a "palpable mass" on his buttocks where an MRI revealed a "collection of fluid deep within the subcutaneous fat, likely related to the patient's prior attempted intramuscular injections."
A week after his deposition Clemens returned to Capitol Hill for the Feb. 13 hearing that laid waste to his legacy. Ten minutes before the hearing the ranking Republican on the House committee, Tom Davis of Virginia, offered Clemens a chance to back out, but the Texan waved him off as he would a catcher who'd called for the wrong pitch.
Two weeks after the hearing the committee referred Clemens's testimony to the Justice Department for a possible perjury investigation that has since led the FBI into the darkest corners of the pitcher's life. McNamee had seen it all coming; during the hearing he sketched a game of hangman on his notepad.
SPRING 2009
Roger Clemens has been keeping a low profile, like a soldier caught behind enemy lines. Charities once proud to feel his embrace have cut their ties. At the final game at Yankee Stadium last fall, Clemens's accomplishments were not recognized, while Pettitte had the honor of starting the game. Clemens's defamation suit against McNamee was all but gutted by the presiding federal judge on Feb. 12. In the course of their perjury investigation, FBI agents Heather Young and John Longmire interviewed Clemens's friends and business associates, as well as gym owners, doctors and former teammates, looking for connections between Clemens and the steroids underworld.
While Clemens has put himself on the verge of a federal indictment, McNamee is trying to pick up the pieces of a broken life. He contributes to a website started by some friends in Boston, SportsImproper.com, and is rebuilding his training business. He is preparing to sue Clemens for defamation. He has met with prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and been told to be prepared to testify before a grand jury. Members of Congress -- including ones who once defended Clemens and attacked McNamee -- now say they expect to see the Texan indicted.
Now McNamee's gig with the Blue Jays was his foothold in the glamorous world of professional sports. He was 31 and not getting paid much, but he was close to fame and glory. He'd played baseball for Archbishop Molloy High in Queens and had been a good enough catcher to play for St. John's University, helping his team upset defending national champion Stanford in the 1988 NCAA tournament. After college McNamee had played a little semipro ball in the New York area, and after leaving the police department in 1993 he had worked briefly as a bullpen catcher for the Yankees.
Despite their differences in accent and income, Clemens, the swaggering jock from Texas, and McNamee, the sardonic ex-cop from New York, shared a passion for baseball. Clemens was determined to prove he wasn't fading, and McNamee, having just arrived at the Show, was committed to staying there. So there would be other injections, but with the first one the two men crossed a stark line into territory they would never escape: Clemens became a cheater, and McNamee became his enabler.
DECEMBER 2007
Only days before the release of the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drug use in baseball, Clemens sat on the patio of a casita in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after receiving a phone call from his agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks, that would change his life. McNamee had told federal law enforcement agents investigating a steroids distribution network run by former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski that he had helped Clemens use steroids and human growth hormone over a period of several years beginning in 1998. McNamee had also been cooperating with former senator George Mitchell's investigation.
In the weeks to come Clemens would attack McNamee on 60 Minutes and in a defamation suit, and his attorneys would smear McNamee's character. They would secretly record McNamee in conversations he thought were private. But Clemens would never mention the moment of truth in Cabo; he would say that he didn't know about McNamee's accusations until days later, in Houston, and that he'd been blindsided by his trainer's betrayal.
In Cabo, Clemens tried to absorb the news, but to friends who were with him there -- ballplayers and businessmen -- he didn't seem panicked. He'd spent a lifetime cultivating an ability to control his world. In Clemens's mind this situation was just like any other game in which he had gotten behind in the count. He could gut his way through it. He just needed to throw his opponents a little chin music.
FEBRUARY 2008
With the confident stride of a baseball legend, Roger Clemens arrived at Capitol Hill on the morning of Feb. 5 for his deposition before investigators for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He wore a gray pin-striped suit buttoned tightly across his wide chest. He carried a small vinyl briefcase in his left hand, and in his right hand -- the one with which he collected 354 big league wins -- he carried a large paper cup with a tea bag label hanging out.
Flanked by his lawyers, Rusty Hardin and Lanny Breuer, Clemens entered room 2157 of the Rayburn Building, took the oath and promptly declared, "I have not used steroids or growth hormone." He repeated this denial, in various formulations, six times in the first 30 minutes of the exceedingly awkward meeting.
These were probably the most important sentences Clemens had ever uttered. The sworn statements were direct and unequivocal, and they were recorded verbatim. From that moment forward, if it were ever proved that Clemens had used steroids or HGH, he could be prosecuted for lying to Congress. For much of the deposition he sat silently while his lawyers spoke to the investigators, clarifying the pitcher's answers and bashing the methodology of the Mitchell Report. Clemens had eagerly looked forward to testifying. It was his chance to demonstrate resolve and, it seemed, to blow off steam.
"Brian McNamee did not make me as an athlete, despite his ongoing claims," Clemens said. "I had a great workout ethic before I met him." Clemens's legacy was at stake. For nearly two months people had been wondering what drove him to deny McNamee's stories, even after his longtime friend and teammate Andy Pettitte had confirmed McNamee's allegations to Mitchell Report investigators about Pettitte's use of HGH. Clemens didn't want anyone to think he had cheated -- that he had taken the easy route to the unprecedented success he'd enjoyed late in his career.
"I have never smoked a cigarette, I have never smoked dope, I have never done cocaine," Clemens said about halfway into the five-hour deposition. "I would not put anything -- allow anybody to put anything -- in my body that's going to be harmful to me. That's who I am as a person."
Clemens claimed it had been "shocking" to learn that Pettitte had used growth hormone. "I would think that we were close enough to know that if he was thinking of doing it, or did it, that I would have known," the Texan said. He could not explain why McNamee might have lied about him yet told the truth about Pettitte. "This man has me being a drug dealer," Clemens said. "Very upsetting...if you have seen my interviews. Very upsetting."
The committee's investigative staff had, in fact, seen Clemens's interviews. They had watched his denials on YouTube, 60 Minutes and at a press conference in Houston. Clemens had boxed himself in with the claim that McNamee had injected him with B12 and lidocaine, not steroids or HGH. Now he was forced to repeat and explain those claims under oath. He had to testify about his wife's use of HGH, which had come up in Pettitte's deposition to investigators. (Two days after Clemens's testimony, McNamee would tell the investigators that in the winter of 2002-03, at Clemens's house in Houston, Clemens had summoned him to the bedroom, pulled a vial of growth hormone from a shaving kit in the bathroom and instructed him to inject Debbie Clemens.) Clemens also had to discuss a decade-old medical report that described a "palpable mass" on his buttocks where an MRI revealed a "collection of fluid deep within the subcutaneous fat, likely related to the patient's prior attempted intramuscular injections."
A week after his deposition Clemens returned to Capitol Hill for the Feb. 13 hearing that laid waste to his legacy. Ten minutes before the hearing the ranking Republican on the House committee, Tom Davis of Virginia, offered Clemens a chance to back out, but the Texan waved him off as he would a catcher who'd called for the wrong pitch.
Two weeks after the hearing the committee referred Clemens's testimony to the Justice Department for a possible perjury investigation that has since led the FBI into the darkest corners of the pitcher's life. McNamee had seen it all coming; during the hearing he sketched a game of hangman on his notepad.
SPRING 2009
Roger Clemens has been keeping a low profile, like a soldier caught behind enemy lines. Charities once proud to feel his embrace have cut their ties. At the final game at Yankee Stadium last fall, Clemens's accomplishments were not recognized, while Pettitte had the honor of starting the game. Clemens's defamation suit against McNamee was all but gutted by the presiding federal judge on Feb. 12. In the course of their perjury investigation, FBI agents Heather Young and John Longmire interviewed Clemens's friends and business associates, as well as gym owners, doctors and former teammates, looking for connections between Clemens and the steroids underworld.
While Clemens has put himself on the verge of a federal indictment, McNamee is trying to pick up the pieces of a broken life. He contributes to a website started by some friends in Boston, SportsImproper.com, and is rebuilding his training business. He is preparing to sue Clemens for defamation. He has met with prosecutors in Washington, D.C., and been told to be prepared to testify before a grand jury. Members of Congress -- including ones who once defended Clemens and attacked McNamee -- now say they expect to see the Texan indicted.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Canucks/Flames
Can The Canucks Go All The Way?
On CKDU Sports today, Chris Trembley said that the Vancouver Canucks will not be a factor as the NHL playoffs continue.
“Vancouver is not playoff ready, they’re not built for the playoffs. When push comes to shove, is Vancouver tough enough?”
Chris’ question may have been valid in the several years following the Bertuzzi/ Naslund/ Morrison era, but I’m not sure the ‘Nucks are really that soft.
Roberto Luongo certainly isn’t. St. Louis has only put 3 pucks past him in 3 games. The Sedins appear to be much stronger than years past, and guys like Alex Burrows (51 pts) and Ryan Kessler (59) have emerged as top 6 forwards, The roster has allot of size throughout the roster (only 2 players are below 6’0”). On the point they still have venerable plus/minus guys like Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo alongside rugged youngsters Alex Edler and Shane O’Brien.
Chris knows allot more about hockey than I do, but I would not be surprised to see the Canucks make a run.
Flames/Hawks
Watching game 3 of this series, the Flames down 2 games to none, but leading 4-1. I think if you’re a Calgary fan, you have to be really disappointed if the Flames do not win this series. The Flames have a really balanced team, even without Robyn Regehr. They have the better goalie, more size, comparable speed, and more experience. The Blackhawks should still be a couple years away, the Flames window of opportunity is now.
For a guy who never played in the playoffs before this season, Olli Jokinen sure knows how to play playoff hockey!
Canucks vs Flames?
Just in case you are wondering, the Flames playing the Canucks in the next round is very possible...if the Flames can get past the Hawks.
Assuming the first round match ups play out the way they are looking now, the Red Wings would play the Ducks, and the Canucks would get the Flames. That would be alot of fun!
On CKDU Sports today, Chris Trembley said that the Vancouver Canucks will not be a factor as the NHL playoffs continue.
“Vancouver is not playoff ready, they’re not built for the playoffs. When push comes to shove, is Vancouver tough enough?”
Chris’ question may have been valid in the several years following the Bertuzzi/ Naslund/ Morrison era, but I’m not sure the ‘Nucks are really that soft.
Roberto Luongo certainly isn’t. St. Louis has only put 3 pucks past him in 3 games. The Sedins appear to be much stronger than years past, and guys like Alex Burrows (51 pts) and Ryan Kessler (59) have emerged as top 6 forwards, The roster has allot of size throughout the roster (only 2 players are below 6’0”). On the point they still have venerable plus/minus guys like Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo alongside rugged youngsters Alex Edler and Shane O’Brien.
Chris knows allot more about hockey than I do, but I would not be surprised to see the Canucks make a run.
Flames/Hawks
Watching game 3 of this series, the Flames down 2 games to none, but leading 4-1. I think if you’re a Calgary fan, you have to be really disappointed if the Flames do not win this series. The Flames have a really balanced team, even without Robyn Regehr. They have the better goalie, more size, comparable speed, and more experience. The Blackhawks should still be a couple years away, the Flames window of opportunity is now.
For a guy who never played in the playoffs before this season, Olli Jokinen sure knows how to play playoff hockey!
Canucks vs Flames?
Just in case you are wondering, the Flames playing the Canucks in the next round is very possible...if the Flames can get past the Hawks.
Assuming the first round match ups play out the way they are looking now, the Red Wings would play the Ducks, and the Canucks would get the Flames. That would be alot of fun!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Remembering Dyrick Mcdermott....MSVU moves "Forward".
Dyrick Mcdermott (1968-2009)Mark Forward Named Head Coach of MSVU Women's Basketball
Mount Saint Vincent University took the first step towards moving forward after the unexpected death of basketball coach Dyrick Mcdermott 2 months ago, appointing Mark Forward as their new head coach of women's basketball this past week.
Forward is a gradute of the Mount and was the school's first CCAA all star in 1991 as a member of the Men's basketball team.
As a coach, Forward had several successful years in the late nineties coaching the men's program at Dal Tech, before joining Rick Plato with the men's team at the Mount where he has coached the last nine years.
Forward was a close friend and former teammate of Dyrick Mcdermott's. He takes over the reigns of the program with a heavy heart. Speaking on CKDU Sports this past monday, Forward commented on his personal struggle with the loss of Mcdermott. " It's hard to talk about..it' surreal. There were not too many days over the past 20 years where I did'nt see or talk to Dyrick. That void that's there is very difficult. He was my best friend, our little boys were best friends. I'm sad for his family, it was just so unexpected."
After asking Coach Forward about following up on Mcdermott's legacy of unbelievable success on the basketball court, Forward suggested his old friend was sticking it to him one more time. "A mutual friend of mine and Dyrick's have joked that Dyrick is still managing to give us a hard time!"
Forward admitted to feeling pressure taking over the traditionally strong program, having been involved for nearly a decade with the dominant Mystics men's team. "I feel the pressure, but that's what drives you to succeed. I'm going to give it my best effort, and I have Dyrick as motivation to keep the winning going," said Forward over the phone.
I'm sure Coach Mcdermott would be very pleased that his best friend is taking over his program, and I'm pretty sure the entire basketball community will be cheering for Coach Forward and the players at the Mount, who called Coach Mcdermott their friend and mentor.
I was not a friend of Dyrick Mcdermott, but I wish I had been. I have a feeling my life would have been that much more richer. Although, if I had been, that late April weekend would have been even more heart breaking than I already found it.
I met Coach Mcdermott in January when he agreed to let me do a story on his women's basketball team at MSVU. Not only was he courteous and helpful, he was a great interview.
Over the winter he bacame a regular on my CKDU sports show and always gave me great insight and thoughtful opinions.
I found out about Coach's death just before I went to work that night. Concentrating on my job was very difficult, and as I went from emotion to emotion, thought to thought, I realized how hard his death must be for people who actually called him a coach, friend, father or husband.
This guy was a great man. A far better man than me, and probably a better man then most of us. His death is tragic and sad, and a lesson for all of us to enjoy every day we have on this planet, and make the most of it. Because at any moment, it could all come to an end.
This guy was a great man. A far better man than me, and probably a better man then most of us. His death is tragic and sad, and a lesson for all of us to enjoy every day we have on this planet, and make the most of it. Because at any moment, it could all come to an end.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Review of CKDU Sports March 23
Review of the big show on March 23.
Trevor Steinberg- Head Coach of Saint Mary’s Huskies Ice Hockey. His team is off to nationals in Thuder Bay as AUS champs and the #2 seed in the tourney.
Guy Carboneau is a good coach and should not have been fired, the problem in Montreal is with the personnel, not the coaching.
Regarding the media opinion that the AUS Championship doesn’t mean anything because both teams qualify for nationals, “there is a banner and a championship at stake so anyone saying it doesn’t matter wouldn’t understand what it is these guys fright for every year.”
Due to their victory over UNB, they get to avoid the pool with Alberta. Alberta and UNB are the best two teams in the country so they get to watch those teams beat up on each other in the other pool. (SMU, the 2 seed, is in a pool with Western and Mcgill)
Players embrace the favourite role, think they can beat anybody, will give the team a huge confidence boos
t.
Team is healthy going into nationals, although the coach is not happy about having to get up at 3am on Tuesday morning to make the flight to Thunder Bay. (nationals are being held at Lakehead U)
With regards to fighting in the NHL, “..fighting helps govern the game and takes away from the stickwork...but if one of my players throws a great hit on a player from the other team, there’s no reason for the other team to send a guy out to fight, we have to get rid of that type of fighting. “
Coach feels there are immature kids who feel they have to get that last punch, they are showing a dis-respect to the game. When a fight is over it’s over. Refers to George Larouque as a guy who fights, but knows when the fight is over and it’s time to let the linesman break it up.
(sidenote..I was desperate to play Tom Cochrane’s “Big Leagues” after this interview but I couldn’t get the turntable to play..damn it!!!”
Guy Carboneau is a good coach and should not have been fired, the problem in Montreal is with the personnel, not the coaching.
Regarding the media opinion that the AUS Championship doesn’t mean anything because both teams qualify for nationals, “there is a banner and a championship at stake so anyone saying it doesn’t matter wouldn’t understand what it is these guys fright for every year.”
Due to their victory over UNB, they get to avoid the pool with Alberta. Alberta and UNB are the best two teams in the country so they get to watch those teams beat up on each other in the other pool. (SMU, the 2 seed, is in a pool with Western and Mcgill)
Players embrace the favourite role, think they can beat anybody, will give the team a huge confidence boos
t.Team is healthy going into nationals, although the coach is not happy about having to get up at 3am on Tuesday morning to make the flight to Thunder Bay. (nationals are being held at Lakehead U)
With regards to fighting in the NHL, “..fighting helps govern the game and takes away from the stickwork...but if one of my players throws a great hit on a player from the other team, there’s no reason for the other team to send a guy out to fight, we have to get rid of that type of fighting. “
Coach feels there are immature kids who feel they have to get that last punch, they are showing a dis-respect to the game. When a fight is over it’s over. Refers to George Larouque as a guy who fights, but knows when the fight is over and it’s time to let the linesman break it up.
(sidenote..I was desperate to play Tom Cochrane’s “Big Leagues” after this interview but I couldn’t get the turntable to play..damn it!!!”
Rachel Wise- Coordinator of Water Polo Association at Dalhousie, they just held the biggest water polo tourney in the maritimes in the past 30 years.
Rachel said there were 16 teams in the tourney, including teams from Newfoundland.
Newfoundland took the gold medal. Old timers team from Halifax won silver. Dalhousie Black team won the bronze.
Good attendance, stands were full at Dalplex on Saturday.
High scorer of the tourney was Greg Corex and he scored 24 goals
Rachel said there were 16 teams in the tourney, including teams from Newfoundland.
Newfoundland took the gold medal. Old timers team from Halifax won silver. Dalhousie Black team won the bronze.
Good attendance, stands were full at Dalplex on Saturday.
High scorer of the tourney was Greg Corex and he scored 24 goals
for the Old Timers team. Travis Campbell of Dal was the MVP goalie.
Age range was 18-mid sixties. “Those old guys used allot of skill and strategy..they’re crafty.”
Lost all their games to a team from Laval a few months back. “They were tough.”
Mcgill has a similar program to Dal and she is hoping that next season they will be able to set up a tourney with the Martlets.
Anyone interested in joining the association can look at the facebook group or e-mail Rachel at waterpolo@dal.ca
Age range was 18-mid sixties. “Those old guys used allot of skill and strategy..they’re crafty.”
Lost all their games to a team from Laval a few months back. “They were tough.”
Mcgill has a similar program to Dal and she is hoping that next season they will be able to set up a tourney with the Martlets.
Anyone interested in joining the association can look at the facebook group or e-mail Rachel at waterpolo@dal.ca
Steve Sarty- Steve is the new Athletics Director at Saint Mary’s.
“Honour to follow in the footsteps of Larry Uteck and David Murphy”
Regards to his philosophy, “ I certainly want to win, but winning is not the ultimate goal. A culture is important..it’s important to develop young people during their formative years and teach ethics and morals....we have a responsibility to develop young people that will make the university proud.”
With regards to AUS football expansion, “It would be a great dynamic to add a fifth team...UNB would be ideal, they have a great field to watch a game. “
On the possibility of ensuring Laval plays SMU once every year. “It would be nice to see if we could do that every year.” Mr. Sarty has not looked at that issue yet.
Starting his job on April 1, his first item will be addressing the athletes at the Athletics Banquet and having a staff meeting with coaches.
Will be looking at sponsorship and trying to develop new partnerships.
Not aware of any outstanding issues or problems that need to be addressed right away. Steve thinks that with the bad economy it could be difficult to secure sponsorship dollars.
“Honour to follow in the footsteps of Larry Uteck and David Murphy”
Regards to his philosophy, “ I certainly want to win, but winning is not the ultimate goal. A culture is important..it’s important to develop young people during their formative years and teach ethics and morals....we have a responsibility to develop young people that will make the university proud.”
With regards to AUS football expansion, “It would be a great dynamic to add a fifth team...UNB would be ideal, they have a great field to watch a game. “
On the possibility of ensuring Laval plays SMU once every year. “It would be nice to see if we could do that every year.” Mr. Sarty has not looked at that issue yet.
Starting his job on April 1, his first item will be addressing the athletes at the Athletics Banquet and having a staff meeting with coaches.
Will be looking at sponsorship and trying to develop new partnerships.
Not aware of any outstanding issues or problems that need to be addressed right away. Steve thinks that with the bad economy it could be difficult to secure sponsorship dollars.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Review of Monday's CKDU Sports
Highlights from the big show today. Thanks again to Steve Betts who provided insight and analysis on the World Baseball Classic last week in TO.Thanks to Halifax Mooseheads insider Chris Trembley, Dalhouse Tigers Bball Coach John Campbell, and thanks again to Dan Reed, the voice of Tigers bball, for his excellent q and a regarding the Raptors. Below are the highlights from each conversation with today's guests, enjoy!
Steve Betts• Canada didn’t show up to the field vs Italy. Italy not as bad as everyone thought would be, some solid players at the top of the lineup.• Pitching definitely hurt Canada. One of their starting pitchers threw a fastball in the low eighties! • Justin Morneau and Matt Stairs had a very disappointing tournament.• Canada’s heart was in it but just no hitting from the 5 spot on, and the pitching made up of guys who play Single A and Double AA, just wasn’t enough to compete.• By far Venezuela had the most energetic fans.• Steve picks the Tampa Bay Rays will win the AL East, followed by the Yankees and Boston in that order. Does not think Toronto will be a factor. The division could come down to the effectiveness of the closers on each team, Mariano Rivera is starting to show his age.• Tampa Bay has a winning formula, Yanks made great additions with Burnett, Sabathia, and Texeira. . Sox did not do enough over the off season to add to their roster. • Arod’s acceptance from Yankee fans will basically come down to how productive he is throughout the season.• Steve thinks the Phillies are still the team to beat in the NL. Believes the Cubs will be the hard luck kids again this year. • Steve picks Japan to win the WBC, citing too much pitching and speed.
Chris Trembley• Mooseheads were snake bitten in their late season charge to make the playoffs. In their pivotal game at PEI on Wed. they outplayed the Rocket but just could not put enough pucks in the net. • Mooseheads were worried early in the season that it could be a non playoff season, team realized they were without any great players outside of Logan Macmillan.• Mooseheads were never really overmatched they just lost allot of close games.• The Mooseheads did not get much out of their goaltenders this year. Mark Gettman did not perform as well as he should have between the pipes and there were not enough goals scored to make up the difference.• General Managers announcing they want to bring an end to “staged”” f
ighting in the NHL is just an attempt to silence the media. Fighting is an integral part of the game and you can’t just change the fabric of a game overnight.• The linesmen don’t get in and break up fights like they used to because the dynamics of hockey fighting has changed over the years.
ighting in the NHL is just an attempt to silence the media. Fighting is an integral part of the game and you can’t just change the fabric of a game overnight.• The linesmen don’t get in and break up fights like they used to because the dynamics of hockey fighting has changed over the years.
John Campbell• Referring to the Tiger’s first round loss to UBC, Coach Campbell said UBC came out very focused on defence, locked down Simon Farine, other players did not step up, and some early defensive lapses by the Tigers killed them, “They really outplayed us from a technical standpoint and an effort standpoint”.• Recruiting will focus on finding physical inside players, felt the team did not have enough of a physical presence in the post at times throughout the season.• Wants to get the Tigers to the point where they are the top team heading into AUS playoffs, and wants to compete for a national championship, not just participate.• Teams at the national tournament had allot of inside strength, whereas teams in the AUS this past year were very guard oriented.• Regarding their consolation round game vs Concordia, the Stingers felt very slighted by the seeding they received (7th) as the Quebec champs and a team that had been ranked highly all season. Came out with something to prove vs Tigers. Tigers had too many turnovers in first half and could not get any scoring outside of Simon Farine.• Coach feels he needs to get a guy in recruiting who is 6’5’/6’6”, can play inside/outside, is a physical presence and can bring some grit.• Dave Nutbrown, the former Head Coach at Acadia, brought allot of technical defensive instruction to the Tigers and was the primary reason the Tigers were the best defensive team in the conference. Nutbrown has also been a big help with the post players.• Josh Beattie has a tremendous work ethic and is a natural shooter. • Carleton has players on the bench who could start for many Canadian teams and Carleton will be back next year and competing for a national championship even with the loss of valuable senior players.
Dan Reed• UBC had too much depth for the Tigers to deal with. AUS teams are not quite good enough at this point to compete nationally.• Regards to the question whether or not the Raps should have kept TJ Ford, Dan said the Raptors should have never given up Charles Villeneuve for TJ Ford. Villenueva could have been a very valuable player for the Raptors.• Raptors have put together a bad team, made so many bad choices including Andrea Bargnani over Brandon Roy in the draft, and selecting Joey Graham over Danny Granger.• Calderon kills the Raptors defensively. Calderon is a good point guard, but the 2 and 3 positions have to be stronger to make up for his weaknesses. However, he’d rather have Calderon than TJ Ford.• Andreas Barganani will never be an impact player like Dirk Nowitski, but could settle in eventually as a Mehmet Okur type.• Raptors have always been a soft team. Chris Bosh crumples with contact. Loves Chris Bosh, but you have to trade him and get value, and rebuild the team.• The Brian Colangelo method of building a team has failed. They need some hustle players and guys who can rebound. Teams like the Bobcats and Grizzlies have brighter futures than the Raptors. • Sam Mitchell was a bad coach. The only thing that saved his job was the Coach of the Year award. Wishes they would have fired Sam prior to the season and gone after Mike Dantoni.• Colangelo will be back because he is a proven front office guy and a history of success. He’s made some mistakes, but he’ll fix them and start over. Jay Triano will not be back next ye
ar• “The Raptors have proven to be inept in any kind of strategy.”• Marc Ivaroni, the fired coach of Memphis, is available and would be an excellent head coach for the Raptors, as he has a history with Brian Colangelo and is a disciple of Mike Dantoni.• Anthony Parker has lost athleticism and explosiveness, cannot get separation from his defender and is no longer a legitimate NBA player.• Shawn Marion is no longer the matrix, he’s an enigma. Likes him more than Jermaine O’neal. If you can resign him for a low contract then do it but you cannot give him too much money.
ar• “The Raptors have proven to be inept in any kind of strategy.”• Marc Ivaroni, the fired coach of Memphis, is available and would be an excellent head coach for the Raptors, as he has a history with Brian Colangelo and is a disciple of Mike Dantoni.• Anthony Parker has lost athleticism and explosiveness, cannot get separation from his defender and is no longer a legitimate NBA player.• Shawn Marion is no longer the matrix, he’s an enigma. Likes him more than Jermaine O’neal. If you can resign him for a low contract then do it but you cannot give him too much money.
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