Okay loyal readers, here is your chance to get the discussion going. Let us know what is on your mind. Today is a great day for the Pine!
Pickin' Splinters
Rochester's Independent Sports Source
Pickin' Splinters
Rochester's Independent Sports Source
Question: Why do the Toronto Maple Leafs always suck????
For a hockey franchise, especially a Canadian one, they would seem to have a lot of things going for them: huge city with rabid hockey fans, a big corporate sponsor, original 6 status, historic winning tradition (not lately), nice arena, etc. Are they just awfully managed? Are they simply the LA Clippers of hockey? Anyway, I just wanted to know if anyone closer to the situation could shed some insight. And heck … Buffalo and Rochester are just across the lake, right?
While I can’t speak for the back end side of Toronto, management, all that, I can say on ice last nice they were bad. Being a Ranger fan, I was pretty excited about the game last night, seeing as how player keep going down to injuries (Brandon Dubinsky, out with a stress fracture for 3-4 weeks. ugh). But Toronto did look bad last night, defense was weak, offense non existent.
Henrik Lundqvist said something during the pregame a few nights ago when asked how he felt the team stood in relation to the other teams, and it was along the lines of, “I don’t think the other teams are that much better, just more consistent,” and I think that’s what it boils down to in part. Mistakes are more costly in hockey, both on the scoreboard and mentally. Injuries are a big setback.
But yeah, I’d probably start with management. I’ll see if I can find out anything from some guys around here.
I just assumed it was management. How can THE major Canadian city not field a competitive team for so long now? The comparison to the Clippers is only too accurate. I must admit I do not know any inside info however.
Ran across this “explanation” of baseball found in the 1980s Twins program and re-printed in Reader’s Digest. Thought you baseball fans might get a kick out of it if you have not seen it before.
You have two sides, one out in the field, and one in.
Each man that’s on the side that’s in goes out and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out.
When three men are out the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When both sides have been in and out nine times including the not outs, that’s the end of the game.
Holy crap … was that the prelude to Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” routine?
That’s pretty fun, Pete. Thanks for sharing.
It certainly sounds vaudevillian (Abbott and Costello). It was funny. Glad you thought so too Chas. I really owe its recent re-appearance in my household to my wife, who cut it out of RD years ago and found it just the other day.
I’m going to research that little ‘explanation” to see if I can trace its routes.
Apparently it is derived from a very old description of cricket:
Cricket – As explained to a foreigner
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that’s in the side that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out. When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.
For college basketball fans, be ready for the 4/1/11 release of a movie called Mighty Macs. It’s the story of tiny Immaculata College in Malvern, PA. In 1972 Title IX gave equal rights to women’s sports at the amateur level. In 1972 Immaculata and their coach Cathy Rush played for the first ever women’s collegiate BB national championship. I’d tell you more; it’s a story I’ve known for a long time, but in case you want to find out through the movie what happens I will leave it at this. Suffice it to say I am excited about this movie.
They don’t all get lost on an island, do they?
After reading the first line, I thought it was going to be the J-Mac story…
I wonder if the J-Mac story will ever get released; or did it with minimal fanfare?
Not sure about the J-Mac thing. I know it was a big buzz around here for a while, but then there were rumors that J was a little too big for his britches (and thats a polite euphemism), and I haven’t heard anything in a while.
I thought Casey, in particular, might be interested in this:
https://www.seamheads.com/2011/01/10/is-mark-belanger-a-hall-of-famer/
Haha – yes, I AM!
Chas – what is your reaction to that article?
I wrote a couple comments that are awaiting moderation, but here’s the gist:
He is one of the greatest defensive players (not just shortstops) of all-time, but his offense contributed so little, whereas the other players mentioned as in the Hall primarily for their defense (Brooks Robinson and Ozzie Smith, especially) weren’t great with the bat, but did make significant offensive contributions.
Belanger was a valuable player, but not a Hall of Famer.
Chas – I didn’t find any comments waiting in moderation.
Yeah, I meant to say they were awaiting moderation over on the Seamheads post that I provided the link to.