LOS ANGELES, Calif. Darryl Sutter offered high praise for the team's newly assembled fourth line, the only line to see a shift in personnel in the best-of-seven series they lead the Vancouver Canucks three games to one. Brad Richardson, nine days removed from an appendectomy, slotted alongside Colin Fraser and Jordan Nolan and quickly established chemistry, setting an aggressive tone early with a handful of threatening shifts in the first period.
"I thought that line played really well," Sutter said. "It may have been our best line."
That's high praise, considering it came following a 44-shot performance referenced by the Kings' coach as probably the team's best game of the series, never mind the losing effort in a 3-1 decision.
That the fourth line was the team's best line is a trend that should not continue. If the Kings are going to finish off a significant upset they would become the 10th eight seed to upset a one seed since conference playoff realignment in 1994 they're going to need the Dustin Brown-Anze Kopitar-Justin Williams line and the Dwight King-Mike Richards-Jeff Carter to be their best lines on a nightly basis.
The Kopitar line has been a heavy factor in the team's success this series, but since combining for five points in a Game 1 win, King, Richards and Carter are all scoreless and a minus-three.
It's an unlikely trend, considering the impact Richards had on Game 1 of the series. His crafty sharp-angle power play goal tied the game late in the first period, while his clean, open-ice hit on Alexandre Burrows late in the third served as the punctuation on an awfully thorough road effort. Since then, his contributions have been felt most strongly on the team's penalty kill.
With nine points in 16 regular season games, Carter's value in Los Angeles wasn't measured as much by goals and assists as it was in drawing the attention of other teams' defensive markers, opening up space and possibilities for Brown, Williams and Kopitar. While that may also be true in this series, it doesn't obscure the view that Carter hasn't contributed with a significant moment since his assist off Dustin Penner's skate in Game 1.
There's the thought that the expansive NBA-like first round schedule that keeps the Kings out of action until Sunday will allow Carter to build up endurance on the injured ankle that kept him out of action for the final five games of the regular season.
"I'm getting better," Carter said. "I think with the two days before last game, and then the extra day here, it was probably not an ideal situation, but for myself, personally, and some other guys around here that are a little banged up, it's nice to get a little extra rest."
Though Carter's 23 points in 51 career playoff games are a touch off his career marks, they're still more productive than the rookie King, whose 14 unsung points in 33 regular season games have been followed by four scoreless playoff efforts. The hulking and strong 22 year old's fundamental boards play hasn't provided the team the same lift as it did throughout February and March, and he's looked a touch slow, especially when constantly seeing action against the faster wingers that comprise Vancouver's top six, such as David Booth and Mason Raymond.
While there will be challenges heading back to Vancouver to close out a series the first of which is finding out the starting time of Sunday's game, a delay Sutter referred to as "beyond frustrating" a prime focus will be to get off to a quick start once again and minimize the boost the Canucks receive from their home crowd. Vancouver's 58 points generated at home this year are the fourth most amongst Western Conference playoff teams.
"Obviously our start on Sunday is going to be our focus, and carry it through," Richards said. "You can only worry about things that you can control, and the start is one of them."
Another thing that the Kings can control is staying out of the penalty box. Stating that playing five-on-five hockey is the best way to minimize the impact on the game by the Sedins, Sutter for the third straight day recognized the importance of being aware of the possibilities created by the world class skill when the two are on the ice.
"I think it's pretty clear of how good of players they are, and they've got great, great instincts when they're together," he said. "It makes such a difference when they're together."
If Sutter has as equally high of praise for one of his top two forward lines following Game 5, there's a pretty good chance that the delay over a second round schedule will soon draw his attention.
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Saturday, April 21, 2012
Royals underestimate Joey Bats in loss
It had come to this in The Saga of Joey Bats: On a chilly April Friday in Kansas City, the visiting Toronto Blue Jays had somehow scratched their way back into a 2-2 tie with the Royals. In the top of the eighth, things got interesting.
There were runners on second and third. No out. Royals reliever Greg Holland, a flame-throwing righty, was starting to labor against the Jays' No. 2 hitter, left-handed Kelly Johnson.
Jose Bautista, Toronto's right-handed slugger, was on deck. Kansas City manager Ned Yost had a decision to make. Put the pressure on Johnson, a second baseman who'd come into the night with a .214 career average against the Royals? Or Bautista, an All-Star outfielder who was toting a .274 career mark against Kansas City? Johnson, who's hit 50 home runs since 2010? Or Bautista, who's mashed 99?
Yost didn't hesitate. He elected to intentionally walk Johnson, loading the bases.
He wanted Joey Bats.
Sometimes, baseball is a game of feel. Instinct. In Yost's defense, Bautista came into the top of the eighth hitting at a .205 clip. Through the first seven innings, the burly right fielder was just four for his last 21. Joey Bats had gone flat.
It's early, sure. But when last April you hit .366 with nine home runs and this one, you're hitting .214 with two dingers, it starts to feel a little less early all the time.
"I mean, it's nothing to laugh about," Bautista said early Friday afternoon, before the Jays opened a seven-game road trip at Kauffman Stadium.
"I just think, sometimes, people get anxious and they want to see results. Sometimes, they're not as patient. Bottom line, it's a long season. You've just got to take it one day at a time and realize there are long streaks, good streaks and bad streaks. And it can happen anytime during the season: At the beginning, the middle, or end. It's impossible to be the same every single year."
And yet, over the previous two years ever since he tweaked his swing and adapted to hitting coach Dwayne Murphy's "Grip It And Rip It" philosophy Bautista had been remarkably consistent. In April and May 2010: 16 home runs. In April and May 2011: 20. Pre All-Star break 2010: 24 homers. Pre All-Star break 2011: 34.
"We talked about, from a team standpoint, that 35-40-game mark you're going to get a read on what a hitter does once he gets close to that 100-at-bat plateau," Jays manager John Farrell explained. "But Jose, while he's gotten off to an uncharacteristically slow start, there have been signs there and stretches where the bat speed is there, the timing has clicked, and he's really squared some balls up.
"And while the numbers (aren't there) as far as batting average, and maybe the fact that he's got two home runs from 12 games, that's just a start."
Bautista insists that he hasn't changed his stance. Or his routine. Or his mantra. Joey Bats still does the little things, the stuff that won't rock your fantasy world. He's reached base in seven straight games and went into Friday's action tied for the first in the American League with 11 bases on balls.
But timely walks usually don't make a dent in the nightly highlight packages. Long balls do.
"I think it's a perception thing," Bautista said. "Sometimes it just seems that way, so people try to make a bigger deal than it really is."
Ask Joey Bats about the purgatory of slumps, he'll roll his eyes. This is a man who once got passed through five organizations in one season. He's been dumped more times than Dobie Gillis. And you expect him to panic over two weeks in April?
"The best example was last year with (Albert) Pujols," Toronto outfielder Eric Thames chuckled. "I mean, he was hitting like .200 for like the first two or three months and everyone was like, 'He's old, he's tired, he can't hit anymore.' And then he just went off and hit .290, .300 like he always does.
"And that's the funny thing about the fans and the writers: Everybody wants results now, every single game. They want you to get three or four hits, two home runs per game. It's baseball. It's a long season. There's ups and there's downs, but nobody doubts what he can do. He's fine. He's our leader. He's one of the best hitters in the game. Yeah, we all have cold streaks. I'm going through a cold streak right now. I mean, it's OK. There's always the next game. And you never know when you're going to bust out."
You never do. Which brings us back to Friday night, Joey Bats digging in, the evening in his hands.
Holland missed with a slider, then again with a four-seam fastball. On a 2-0 count, Bautista reared back and took a giant whack at a 95-mile-per-hour four-seamer. He fouled it back.
On the fourth pitch of the at bat, Holland went with a fastball again, this one at 96. Bautista whipped the offering into short right field for a single, a rocket that wound up plating the decisive run.
"Maybe they were just going off how he's been hitting the last few games or something like that," Thames said after the Jays escaped with a 4-3 victory.
"But we were all kind of like, 'Wow. They must have REALLY wanted that right-on-right matchup.'"
They wanted Joey Bats. They got him.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com
There were runners on second and third. No out. Royals reliever Greg Holland, a flame-throwing righty, was starting to labor against the Jays' No. 2 hitter, left-handed Kelly Johnson.
Jose Bautista, Toronto's right-handed slugger, was on deck. Kansas City manager Ned Yost had a decision to make. Put the pressure on Johnson, a second baseman who'd come into the night with a .214 career average against the Royals? Or Bautista, an All-Star outfielder who was toting a .274 career mark against Kansas City? Johnson, who's hit 50 home runs since 2010? Or Bautista, who's mashed 99?
Yost didn't hesitate. He elected to intentionally walk Johnson, loading the bases.
He wanted Joey Bats.
Sometimes, baseball is a game of feel. Instinct. In Yost's defense, Bautista came into the top of the eighth hitting at a .205 clip. Through the first seven innings, the burly right fielder was just four for his last 21. Joey Bats had gone flat.
It's early, sure. But when last April you hit .366 with nine home runs and this one, you're hitting .214 with two dingers, it starts to feel a little less early all the time.
"I mean, it's nothing to laugh about," Bautista said early Friday afternoon, before the Jays opened a seven-game road trip at Kauffman Stadium.
"I just think, sometimes, people get anxious and they want to see results. Sometimes, they're not as patient. Bottom line, it's a long season. You've just got to take it one day at a time and realize there are long streaks, good streaks and bad streaks. And it can happen anytime during the season: At the beginning, the middle, or end. It's impossible to be the same every single year."
And yet, over the previous two years ever since he tweaked his swing and adapted to hitting coach Dwayne Murphy's "Grip It And Rip It" philosophy Bautista had been remarkably consistent. In April and May 2010: 16 home runs. In April and May 2011: 20. Pre All-Star break 2010: 24 homers. Pre All-Star break 2011: 34.
"We talked about, from a team standpoint, that 35-40-game mark you're going to get a read on what a hitter does once he gets close to that 100-at-bat plateau," Jays manager John Farrell explained. "But Jose, while he's gotten off to an uncharacteristically slow start, there have been signs there and stretches where the bat speed is there, the timing has clicked, and he's really squared some balls up.
"And while the numbers (aren't there) as far as batting average, and maybe the fact that he's got two home runs from 12 games, that's just a start."
Bautista insists that he hasn't changed his stance. Or his routine. Or his mantra. Joey Bats still does the little things, the stuff that won't rock your fantasy world. He's reached base in seven straight games and went into Friday's action tied for the first in the American League with 11 bases on balls.
But timely walks usually don't make a dent in the nightly highlight packages. Long balls do.
"I think it's a perception thing," Bautista said. "Sometimes it just seems that way, so people try to make a bigger deal than it really is."
Ask Joey Bats about the purgatory of slumps, he'll roll his eyes. This is a man who once got passed through five organizations in one season. He's been dumped more times than Dobie Gillis. And you expect him to panic over two weeks in April?
"The best example was last year with (Albert) Pujols," Toronto outfielder Eric Thames chuckled. "I mean, he was hitting like .200 for like the first two or three months and everyone was like, 'He's old, he's tired, he can't hit anymore.' And then he just went off and hit .290, .300 like he always does.
"And that's the funny thing about the fans and the writers: Everybody wants results now, every single game. They want you to get three or four hits, two home runs per game. It's baseball. It's a long season. There's ups and there's downs, but nobody doubts what he can do. He's fine. He's our leader. He's one of the best hitters in the game. Yeah, we all have cold streaks. I'm going through a cold streak right now. I mean, it's OK. There's always the next game. And you never know when you're going to bust out."
You never do. Which brings us back to Friday night, Joey Bats digging in, the evening in his hands.
Holland missed with a slider, then again with a four-seam fastball. On a 2-0 count, Bautista reared back and took a giant whack at a 95-mile-per-hour four-seamer. He fouled it back.
On the fourth pitch of the at bat, Holland went with a fastball again, this one at 96. Bautista whipped the offering into short right field for a single, a rocket that wound up plating the decisive run.
"Maybe they were just going off how he's been hitting the last few games or something like that," Thames said after the Jays escaped with a 4-3 victory.
"But we were all kind of like, 'Wow. They must have REALLY wanted that right-on-right matchup.'"
They wanted Joey Bats. They got him.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com
Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/royals_underestimate_joey_bats_in_loss/10607950
Police Nab Scuba Diving Golf Ball Thieves
Newtown Square is a small town about 15 miles outside of Philadelphia that is being ROCKED by a major crime. On Wednesday morning the local police arrested four people for the heinous crime of stealing golf balls. It seems that a Newtown Township police sergeant came upon a white van and trailer outside teh Aronimink Country Club and found it suspicious. Inside the vehicle were four people (Daniel P. Curry, 31, Charles D. Creed IV, 26, Robert D. Sauve III, 28 and Carisa N. Osmond, 23) and approximately 8,000 golf balls. The foursome, who are all from Saginaw, Michigan, allegedly were using scuba equipment to recover lost balls in the ponds of White Manor CC and Aronimink CC. According to Daniel Curry, when questioned by the judge he responded that he owns a ball-retrieval business and that he recovers the lost balls, reconditions them and sells them back to the clubs. Curry claimed that the arrest was a simple miscommunication, he has a contract with OTHER courses in the area and ha...
Friday, April 20, 2012
Cech: Chelsea not scared of Nou Camp
Petr Cech insisted the Nou Camp does not scare Chelsea after helping the Londoners take a crucial lead into Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona.
The Blues are still basking in their statistics-busting 1-0 win in Wednesday night's first leg at Stamford Bridge, which saw goalkeeper Cech produce one of his best performances of the season to keep Barca at bay.
Now Chelsea head to the Nou Camp, where Barcelona boast a terrifying record of 27 wins and no defeats in 30 games this season, with 104 goals scored and 16 conceded.
Cech said: "We've done well in the past there and need to reproduce the same kind of performance that we did and like we have before.
"It will be really important to score an away goal as well but we seem always to score there and, hopefully, we can replicate that."
Chelsea will need even more defensive discipline on Tuesday on a pitch bigger than their own, and the kind of wasteful finishing Barca conspired to produce at the Bridge.
Cech added: "This performance was all about the focus and concentration, to stay disciplined all the time and not give them space, even though you could run for three minutes and not see the ball.
"We had to fight from the first to the last minute. We've done the maximum we could do against such a great side.
"We've had some good results against them in the past and used that experience again.
"We made it really tight, but will have to play the same way in the second leg."
Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo will almost certainly want to start with the same XI in Spain as he did on Wednesday night.
The so-called old guard once again demonstrated they had more to give, with matchwinner Didier Drogba proving he may just be impossible to replace if Chelsea do not cave in to his contract demands before his deal expires this summer.
The 34-year-old was both at his bullying best and theatrical worst, showing he could still play twice in four days after Sunday's FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham.
Drogba said: "I just love the game. I love playing.
"Every time I have a chance to perform, I know that I am lucky to be on this kind of pitch like Wembley, Stamford Bridge because so many players wanted to become professional.
"So many didn't have a professional career, so I try to enjoy them mostly. I'm really happy when I'm on the pitch."
Drogba added: "We didn't have anything to prove against Barcelona, we just played to qualify.
"We won the first leg, there is another one coming and we will be up for it."
Before that, both sides face games on Saturday that may define their league seasons, with Barca taking on arch-rivals Real Madrid in what could be a La Liga title decider, and Chelsea travelling to Arsenal for a match that will have a huge bearing on their hopes of finishing in the Barclays Premier League top four.
Di Matteo has confirmed he will make changes, one of which will almost certainly see Fernando Torres recalled.
Cech said: "We have almost everybody fit so we can rotate the team.
"It is a massive game for us against Arsenal because we need to reach the Champions League spot.
"It is always hard to manage everything around, but Barca have the 'Clasico' as well, so maybe there is the advantage in that we have a massive game, they have a massive game and we both have to manage that.
"Who's going to do it better? Let's see."
The Blues are still basking in their statistics-busting 1-0 win in Wednesday night's first leg at Stamford Bridge, which saw goalkeeper Cech produce one of his best performances of the season to keep Barca at bay.
Now Chelsea head to the Nou Camp, where Barcelona boast a terrifying record of 27 wins and no defeats in 30 games this season, with 104 goals scored and 16 conceded.
Cech said: "We've done well in the past there and need to reproduce the same kind of performance that we did and like we have before.
"It will be really important to score an away goal as well but we seem always to score there and, hopefully, we can replicate that."
Chelsea will need even more defensive discipline on Tuesday on a pitch bigger than their own, and the kind of wasteful finishing Barca conspired to produce at the Bridge.
Cech added: "This performance was all about the focus and concentration, to stay disciplined all the time and not give them space, even though you could run for three minutes and not see the ball.
"We had to fight from the first to the last minute. We've done the maximum we could do against such a great side.
"We've had some good results against them in the past and used that experience again.
"We made it really tight, but will have to play the same way in the second leg."
Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo will almost certainly want to start with the same XI in Spain as he did on Wednesday night.
The so-called old guard once again demonstrated they had more to give, with matchwinner Didier Drogba proving he may just be impossible to replace if Chelsea do not cave in to his contract demands before his deal expires this summer.
The 34-year-old was both at his bullying best and theatrical worst, showing he could still play twice in four days after Sunday's FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham.
Drogba said: "I just love the game. I love playing.
"Every time I have a chance to perform, I know that I am lucky to be on this kind of pitch like Wembley, Stamford Bridge because so many players wanted to become professional.
"So many didn't have a professional career, so I try to enjoy them mostly. I'm really happy when I'm on the pitch."
Drogba added: "We didn't have anything to prove against Barcelona, we just played to qualify.
"We won the first leg, there is another one coming and we will be up for it."
Before that, both sides face games on Saturday that may define their league seasons, with Barca taking on arch-rivals Real Madrid in what could be a La Liga title decider, and Chelsea travelling to Arsenal for a match that will have a huge bearing on their hopes of finishing in the Barclays Premier League top four.
Di Matteo has confirmed he will make changes, one of which will almost certainly see Fernando Torres recalled.
Cech said: "We have almost everybody fit so we can rotate the team.
"It is a massive game for us against Arsenal because we need to reach the Champions League spot.
"It is always hard to manage everything around, but Barca have the 'Clasico' as well, so maybe there is the advantage in that we have a massive game, they have a massive game and we both have to manage that.
"Who's going to do it better? Let's see."
Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/soccer/article_external/cech_chelsea_not_scared_of_nou_camp/10594201
Ohio State Football: Why Braxton Miller will be a Heisman Finalist in 2012
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller led a broken Buckeyes squad to a 6-7 record last year. This year, he will be surrounded by much more stability, and will be a Heisman Trophy finalist as a result.
The Buckeyes endured a turbulent 2011, starting with the resignation of longtime head coach Jim Tressel, and ending with the school's first loss to Michigan since 2003. Luke Fickell filled in as interim head coach and had to deal with the suspension of several key players, including running back Dan Herron and wide receiver DeVier Posey.
On top of that, he was left with a freshman quarterback to lead his team through the current crisis. Fortunately, that quarterback was Braxton Miller.
Miller led the Buckeyes in passing and rushing last year, and made quite an impact in his first year at the Horseshoe. He threw 13 touchdowns against only four interceptions and rushed for another seven touchdowns. He was also named to the Big Ten Network's Freshman All-Big Ten Team.
With Urban Meyer coming to town, Miller will only improve. He fits into Meyer's spread offense perfectly, and will primed to put up huge stats while being guided by one of the best coaching staffs in the nation. Then, he will do what Terrelle Pryor could never do—become a Heisman Finalist.
Meyer's track record with quarterbacks has been pretty good, to say the least. Tim Tebow went to New York three times and became the first sophomore to win the Heisman when he did it in 2007. Alex Smith was a finalist in 2004, when Meyer was with Utah.
Even Chris Leake, who helped Meyer win his first National Championship in 2006, was considered a Heisman candidate at one point. Leake would eventually have to settle for a Draddy Trophy nomination (the Draddy Trophy is essentially the Academic Heisman).
The marriage of Miller and Meyer is great for all parties. Meyer gets a quarterback that will fit his system and help him win early, while Miller gets a coach that can give him the best possible opportunity to succeed.
Ohio State may not be allowed to participate in a bowl game next year, but it may still have something to look forward to in the postseason. Miller will use his athleticism and dual-threat ability to leave his 2011 numbers in the dust and excel in Meyer's system.
That will land him in New York with guys like Landry Jones, Matt Barkley and Aaron Murray with a chance to win Ohio State's first Heisman since 2006.
Jets Considering Bringing Back Braylon Edwards
The Jets just like saying things to get them in the news.
The last person they need to add to their crazy mix is Braylon and his beard, but they aren’t ruling it out.
Bob Glauber of Newsday reports that Tannenbaum cited Edwards’ intense practice habits as one of the qualities the team likes about him and added, “I would not rule him out.”
“I don’t expect us to sign anybody before the draft,” Tannenbaum said. “We’ll see where that goes heading into May and June.”
Be sure to check out other great articles at BlackSportsOnline.
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The last person they need to add to their crazy mix is Braylon and his beard, but they aren’t ruling it out.
Bob Glauber of Newsday reports that Tannenbaum cited Edwards’ intense practice habits as one of the qualities the team likes about him and added, “I would not rule him out.”
“I don’t expect us to sign anybody before the draft,” Tannenbaum said. “We’ll see where that goes heading into May and June.”
Be sure to check out other great articles at BlackSportsOnline.
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David Beckham Has Still Got It
David Beckham, of the Los Angeles Galaxy seems to not age at all, in look or in skill. On Saturday night Becks found enough room to send in a curving strike which found its way into the onion basket. The wonder strike sealed a 3-1 victory at home against the Portland Timbers. The strike reminds us of a younger Beckham in 1999 when he lead United to the treble.
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Article found on: Cosby Sweaters
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Article found on: Cosby Sweaters
Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/soccer/article_external/david_beckham_has_still_got_it/10560652
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