I never thought that I would type, or think, the title of this blog.
But tonight, it's clearly true.
As a Pacers fan, I am proud of the team's effort tonight in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Down seven entering the final stanza, Dahntay Jones went off and scored 19 points, and the Blue and Gold outscored Minny 33-15 to win the game, 116-105.
The Pacers are now 6-1 under Frank Vogel. They are a completely different team.
But as a Penguins fan......
ALL PENGUINS FANS SHOULD BE DISAPPOINTED AND ASHAMED OF TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE.
This is the worst Penguins loss.
EVER.
First off, you're playing the New York Islanders. A team that is entering the game in DEAD LAST in the Atlantic Division, with a backup goaltender because Rick DiPietro couldn't stay out of a fight and went down in one shot. He's out 6 to 8 weeks with facial fractures and knee swelling. Well, no crap, Sherlock.
But then, you give up SIX GOALS in two periods with the WORST BACKUP in the NHL, Brent Johnson.
Wait a minute.
IT TOOK YOU SIX GOALS to finally pull Johnson and put Fleury in?
I would have yanked him at 3, 4 at the most!
WHY WAIT? IN FACT, WHY START JOHNSON AT ALL?
Fleury is CLEARLY the better goalie, and yet this Penguins team keeps taking risks by starting him.
I would rather start a website called bootbrentjohnson.com!
HE IS AWFUL!
But then, the Penguins simply start getting frustrated, and lose complete control.
Before I typed this, the Penguins were trailing 9-2, and had only TWO players on the bench because everyone else had game misconducts.
UNREAL.
This team has FALLEN APART in light of Evgeni Malkin's injury and Sidney Crosby missing time with his concussion.
To think, for a while, they were playing well without them.
But after this...all I can say is get well soon, Sid and Geno.
This team showed tonight that they are CLEARLY NOTHING without you.
And the Pacers are EONS better than you and a more complete team.
And Brent Johnson, you suck. Get off my Penguins and screw up some other NHL team.
WHAT. AN. EMBARRASSMENT.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
What's Better: Penguins Without Crosby & Malkin or Pacers with Vogel?
I know it sometimes can be unfair to cross-compare across sports, but I feel like I have to do it here.
I have to ask myself the question: who is truly better off - the Pittsburgh Penguins without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, or the Indiana Pacers with new head coach Frank Vogel?
In the case of the Penguins, Crosby and Malkin aren't the entire team. Yes, they do provide the vast majority of the team's offense, but there are other talented players who can provide offense.
Plus, Malkin is lost for the season. His loss mostly hurts because he's more dynamic and versatile, in my opinion. Whereas Crosby is strictly a goal scorer and point provider, Malkin also brings aggressiveness and quickness to the Penguins.
Crosby hasn't been ruled out for the year - yet - but now he's missed 14 straight with a concussion.
Oh, and Pittsburgh did lose to Columbus 4-1 last night.
Yeah...never mind, Crosby better get back as soon as possible.
Therefore, the Pacers are MUCH BETTER with Frank Vogel. The team is 4-1 under his leadership, and gave the Heat all they could handle last night. Yes, they lost 117-112 and gave up 41 points to LeBron, but they had a 16-point lead in the fourth and have now scored over 100 points in all five games.
Bottom line: The Pacers are a new team, and if they make the playoffs, they will be a dangerous team that none of the top teams will want to mess with.
QUICK SUPER BOWL XLV THOUGHTS
*I was rooting for the Steelers because I wanted them to form a dynasty, but I wasn't fully upset that Green Bay won. Neither was my team, and Aaron Rodgers is a deserving MVP and a great quarterback. He's earned his spot in the limelight, taking a No. 6 seed and turning them into champions. They are only the second No. 6 to ever win it all, joining the 2005 - Steelers. Interesting.
*Favorite commercial: The Budweiser "Tiny Dancer" guy. Wow. I also liked the Doritos ads and the Pepsi Max ones.
*Glad the NFL saved face and gave those 400 fans who lost their seats the OPTION to either attend the 2012 game (if there is one) or attend a future Super Bowl of their choice. That way, they wouldn't HAVE to go to Indianapolis if one of their teams wasn't there.
*How hard is it to realize that snow and ice damaged temporary seating sections? Sorry, NFL, but the "We didn't know" defense doesn't fly here.
*Dallas is still being considered for future years even though they had snow and ice falling from the roof, seats not ready on gameday, tons of people outside the stadium, and a not-so-great halftime show. WHY?
*NFL, NFLPA. Sit at the table and actually TALK. Stop telling the media what you plan to do, it doesn't solve anything.
I have to ask myself the question: who is truly better off - the Pittsburgh Penguins without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, or the Indiana Pacers with new head coach Frank Vogel?
In the case of the Penguins, Crosby and Malkin aren't the entire team. Yes, they do provide the vast majority of the team's offense, but there are other talented players who can provide offense.
Plus, Malkin is lost for the season. His loss mostly hurts because he's more dynamic and versatile, in my opinion. Whereas Crosby is strictly a goal scorer and point provider, Malkin also brings aggressiveness and quickness to the Penguins.
Crosby hasn't been ruled out for the year - yet - but now he's missed 14 straight with a concussion.
Oh, and Pittsburgh did lose to Columbus 4-1 last night.
Yeah...never mind, Crosby better get back as soon as possible.
Therefore, the Pacers are MUCH BETTER with Frank Vogel. The team is 4-1 under his leadership, and gave the Heat all they could handle last night. Yes, they lost 117-112 and gave up 41 points to LeBron, but they had a 16-point lead in the fourth and have now scored over 100 points in all five games.
Bottom line: The Pacers are a new team, and if they make the playoffs, they will be a dangerous team that none of the top teams will want to mess with.
QUICK SUPER BOWL XLV THOUGHTS
*I was rooting for the Steelers because I wanted them to form a dynasty, but I wasn't fully upset that Green Bay won. Neither was my team, and Aaron Rodgers is a deserving MVP and a great quarterback. He's earned his spot in the limelight, taking a No. 6 seed and turning them into champions. They are only the second No. 6 to ever win it all, joining the 2005 - Steelers. Interesting.
*Favorite commercial: The Budweiser "Tiny Dancer" guy. Wow. I also liked the Doritos ads and the Pepsi Max ones.
*Glad the NFL saved face and gave those 400 fans who lost their seats the OPTION to either attend the 2012 game (if there is one) or attend a future Super Bowl of their choice. That way, they wouldn't HAVE to go to Indianapolis if one of their teams wasn't there.
*How hard is it to realize that snow and ice damaged temporary seating sections? Sorry, NFL, but the "We didn't know" defense doesn't fly here.
*Dallas is still being considered for future years even though they had snow and ice falling from the roof, seats not ready on gameday, tons of people outside the stadium, and a not-so-great halftime show. WHY?
*NFL, NFLPA. Sit at the table and actually TALK. Stop telling the media what you plan to do, it doesn't solve anything.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Gamblers Pound Lumberjacks 5-1
The Gamblers just polished off a huge victory at the Resch tonight, besting the Muskegon Lumberjacks 5-1.
This keeps Green Bay not only on top of the Eastern Conference in the USHL, but keeps them on pace to clinch their 3rd consecutive Anderson Cup title. The Gamblers are now 3 points ahead of second place Cedar Rapids.
Green Bay jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third period and never looked back. Travis Lynch was the first star of the night, scoring a shorthanded goal and providing an assist.
Goalie Adam Wilcox was named the second star after making 19 saves on 20 Lumberjack shots.
J.P. LaFontaine was named the third star, scoring the Gamblers' first goal at 4:27 of the first period.
Marcus Lauridsen had two goals, including an empty netter late to ice it.
The game got highly scrappy in the third period after a fairly quiet first two periods, even though the Gamblers were doing the vast majority of the scoring. The teams combined for 62 penalty minutes in the third period alone.
The Gamblers improved to 26-9-2 on the season and will host the Sioux City Musketeers on Saturday night at the Resch.
This keeps Green Bay not only on top of the Eastern Conference in the USHL, but keeps them on pace to clinch their 3rd consecutive Anderson Cup title. The Gamblers are now 3 points ahead of second place Cedar Rapids.
Green Bay jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third period and never looked back. Travis Lynch was the first star of the night, scoring a shorthanded goal and providing an assist.
Goalie Adam Wilcox was named the second star after making 19 saves on 20 Lumberjack shots.
J.P. LaFontaine was named the third star, scoring the Gamblers' first goal at 4:27 of the first period.
Marcus Lauridsen had two goals, including an empty netter late to ice it.
The game got highly scrappy in the third period after a fairly quiet first two periods, even though the Gamblers were doing the vast majority of the scoring. The teams combined for 62 penalty minutes in the third period alone.
The Gamblers improved to 26-9-2 on the season and will host the Sioux City Musketeers on Saturday night at the Resch.
It's a New Blog...and I'm Feeling Good
After trying to create separate blogs for some of my favorite teams, I've simply decided to combine all of them into one.
This is my Sports Smorgasbord, where you will find coverage of several teams, plus my thoughts on big stories in the sports world.
The teams that the blog will be covering are:
*Chicago White Sox
*New York Yankees
*Gary SouthShore RailCats
*Indiana Pacers
*Fort Wayne Komets
*Florida Everblades
*Indianapolis Colts
*Colorado Avalanche
*Anaheim Ducks
*Pittsburgh Penguins
*San Jose Sharks
*Green Bay Gamblers
*Indiana Ice
So, here are my early thoughts about some of those teams:
*YANKEES - Andy Pettitte Retiring Tomorrow: I think Pettitte will be a definite Hall of Famer. He has had an amazing career and if he honestly thinks it's time, then I wish him the best in his retirement. He has truly been an integral part of the Yankees' past couple championships.
*RAILCATS - Team Moving to American Association: I have only been a fan of the 'Cats for one season, but I found out they were a staple in the Northern League. This team had reached the Northern League title FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS, winning it twice, before the streak was snapped this past season. However, the Cats aren't the only team from the Northern making the move. Who knows, we'll see if a change is good for the 'Cats come next season.
*PACERS - Team 2-0 Under New Coach Frank Vogel: Granted, the wins have come against terrible Toronto and even-more-terrible Cleveland, but if the Pacers can beat Portland at home on Friday night, THEN I'll be impressed with the direction this team is going in. I agreed with the firing of O'Brien - he hadn't really done anything in his three and a half years except lose - but I want Bird to stay going forward.
As the stories continue and the games are played, you'll see opinions and game recaps posted on here as well. I think this is the best way to show my passion for these teams and show my always ongoing passion for sports.
By the way: I'm rooting for the Steelers in the Super Bowl on Sunday. BLACK AND YELLOW - GAMBLERS COLORS!!!
This is my Sports Smorgasbord, where you will find coverage of several teams, plus my thoughts on big stories in the sports world.
The teams that the blog will be covering are:
*Chicago White Sox
*New York Yankees
*Gary SouthShore RailCats
*Indiana Pacers
*Fort Wayne Komets
*Florida Everblades
*Indianapolis Colts
*Colorado Avalanche
*Anaheim Ducks
*Pittsburgh Penguins
*San Jose Sharks
*Green Bay Gamblers
*Indiana Ice
So, here are my early thoughts about some of those teams:
*YANKEES - Andy Pettitte Retiring Tomorrow: I think Pettitte will be a definite Hall of Famer. He has had an amazing career and if he honestly thinks it's time, then I wish him the best in his retirement. He has truly been an integral part of the Yankees' past couple championships.
*RAILCATS - Team Moving to American Association: I have only been a fan of the 'Cats for one season, but I found out they were a staple in the Northern League. This team had reached the Northern League title FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS, winning it twice, before the streak was snapped this past season. However, the Cats aren't the only team from the Northern making the move. Who knows, we'll see if a change is good for the 'Cats come next season.
*PACERS - Team 2-0 Under New Coach Frank Vogel: Granted, the wins have come against terrible Toronto and even-more-terrible Cleveland, but if the Pacers can beat Portland at home on Friday night, THEN I'll be impressed with the direction this team is going in. I agreed with the firing of O'Brien - he hadn't really done anything in his three and a half years except lose - but I want Bird to stay going forward.
As the stories continue and the games are played, you'll see opinions and game recaps posted on here as well. I think this is the best way to show my passion for these teams and show my always ongoing passion for sports.
By the way: I'm rooting for the Steelers in the Super Bowl on Sunday. BLACK AND YELLOW - GAMBLERS COLORS!!!
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