Kudos to the league on the harsh suspension issued to Steve Downie for his hit on Dean McAmmond. I'm leery of giving them to much credit just yet however. As has been frequently pointed out, Downie is an easy target for them. The true test will be to see if they come down hard on a more significant player sometime later in the year when the games really count. What if Colby Armstrong or Chris Neil is to deliver a head shot in March as Pittsburgh or Ottawa are fighting for playoff positions. Will they see similar suspensions in the double digits for number of games? Until the NHL's tough stance remains somewhat suspect.
Hopefully this suspension will be good for Downie, forcing him to learn the importance of discipline. While it initially seemed that he was a perfect fit for the Flyers, it occurs to me reading some of the comments from his junior coaches that perhaps being drafted into Philadelphia was actually bad luck for the kid. It seems he would have probably benefited greatly from entering an organization that values discipline, a trait the Flyers have never been known for and certainly didn't demonstrate with him when Bobby Clarke invited him to travel with the team while he was suspended from the OHL for his involvement in the hazing incident in Windsor. Much has been made of the success he enjoyed at the World Juniors. That success probably demonstrates how much he can benefit from a strong presence guiding him as Brent Sutter is certainly never going to be noted for his leniency. It is also now incumbent on the Flyers to insure that he serves his NHL suspension by not sending him to the AHL and hiding him there. He should be kept on the roster for the first twenty games and then treated in whatever way the Flyers intended to treat him had the incident not happened.
On a non-sports note, I implore anyone who is a fan of witty and evocative lyrics and great twang-twinged, hooky rock to check out the new album from Winnipeg's The Weakerthans. Reunion Tour is everything that we dedicated followers have come to expect: emotionally-involving, character driven and unerringly listenable. If you aren't familiar with the band, they are one of Canada's hidden treasures, CBC darlings and beloved by a wide variety of music geeks from coast to coast. Plus they have a song remembering recently deceased goaltending great, Gump Worsley. It is not only an elegy for a great sports character, the kind who have been generally erased through media training and fitness requirements, but for a great time in sports, when the players were accessible and the league was intimate. The record is an incredibly worthwhile investment.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Head Shots
The first point that must be made after the Steve Downie hit on Dean McAmmond last night is a sincere wish that McAmmond will recover fully and even if he can't play again that he should at least be able to live a normal life. The second point that must be made is that Steve Downie, like many other athletes in his position, is a liar. After the game, he responded to the media by saying that he did not wish to hurt anyone. Regardless of how clean or dirty the hit was, if he charged or elbowed or whatever, there is absolutely no way that he did not intend to hurt someone. At the very best of intentions, he considered that McAmmond could be concussed and thought he'd take that chance. More likely, he thought I can catch this guy with his head down and really lay him out. Much as when Colby Armstrong hit Patrick Eaves in a similar manner in the playoffs last year, these players know the consequences of their actions and choose to make the hit anyway. Armstrong's hit was not nearly as late and not nearly as blatantly targeting the head but he had left Saku Koivu and another player with concussions after similar hits earlier in the season. In both circumstances, when the player chose to deliver the hit they knew that there was a good chance that they were going to injure the targeted player. While not as farcical as Todd Bertuzzi's statement that he didn't intend to injure Steve Moore when he sucker-punched him from behind, Downie is clearly lying about his intentions.
It is those intentions that the NHL should respond to in considering a suspension for Downie. In no other league, including the equally violent NFL, can a player go outside the rules of the game and deliberately target an opponent without the league offices issuing a substantial reprimand. Think about the response of the league to Albert Haynesworth stomping on another player's head last year. He was suspended five games out of a sixteen game schedule. A similar number in NHL games would be in the 25 to 30 range. Suspensions of that length are rarely handed out and when they are it is to multiple offenders like Chris Simon or Dale Hunter for infractions that are seriously beyond the pail. I'm not suggesting Downie deserves twenty games but the league needs to do something to deter players from deliberately targeting opposing skaters. Anything less than an eight to ten game suspension will do little to deter future incidents. Just look at last year's playoffs, Chris Pronger was suspended one game for deliberately targeting Tomas Holmstrom's head in the Conference Final and proceeded to target Dean McAmmond in the Stanley Cup Final because he could be confident that he would not face harsher consequences.
It is those intentions that the NHL should respond to in considering a suspension for Downie. In no other league, including the equally violent NFL, can a player go outside the rules of the game and deliberately target an opponent without the league offices issuing a substantial reprimand. Think about the response of the league to Albert Haynesworth stomping on another player's head last year. He was suspended five games out of a sixteen game schedule. A similar number in NHL games would be in the 25 to 30 range. Suspensions of that length are rarely handed out and when they are it is to multiple offenders like Chris Simon or Dale Hunter for infractions that are seriously beyond the pail. I'm not suggesting Downie deserves twenty games but the league needs to do something to deter players from deliberately targeting opposing skaters. Anything less than an eight to ten game suspension will do little to deter future incidents. Just look at last year's playoffs, Chris Pronger was suspended one game for deliberately targeting Tomas Holmstrom's head in the Conference Final and proceeded to target Dean McAmmond in the Stanley Cup Final because he could be confident that he would not face harsher consequences.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sometimes Sport Isn't Filled With Surprises
It is often said that the joy of sport is that on any given day any team can beat any other. Where this falls down is over the course of time. Last weekend was a generally predictable one in sport and it occurs to me as the New York Yankees move closer to clinching a playoff spot despite this afternoon's loss to the Blue Jays that over time, teams that should win very often do. Even if they go another year without winning the World Series, the Yankees have shown that despite looking dead to rights in May, their talent produced after in August and September and they will almost certainly be in the playoffs again. In the NFL, both the Colts and Patriots won again and moved to 3-0 for the new season. By far that league's two most consistent teams for the past few years, they continue to make it same as if the other thirty teams are all chasing third place. Beyond that Senators training camp continues to be a rather dull march towards the regular season. The only tension seems to be around Christoph Schubert and whether he will play as a forward or a defenceman. Hardly the drama that one wants from a weekend in sports.
Despite this I find that I still care. I have been religiously checking the boxscore for both preseason hockey and Blue Jays baseball despite the fact that neither really counts for anything. Part of the allure is simply being in the know, who scored and who pitched and the like. In thinking about it, however, I think that a lot of it has to do with a connection similar to what is shared with friends and family. When you talk to the people in your life, you will take an interest in things that you would not care about if they were the comings and goings of a stranger, say someone you happen to meet at a party. I think we follow sports teams in a similar manner. They are a reliable and recurring presence in our lives. Three or four times a week for the hockey season, I know that regardless of what else is going on I'll be able to watch or check on the Senators. During baseball season, I know that almost every morning there will at least be a boxscore to read in my newspaper. Ultimately life goes on, win or lose and so the games can be both taken lightly and invested with as much meaning as you feel like giving them. That is the prerogative of the fan, to care as much or as little as you choose at various times.
On a lighter note, it is also worth mentioning that the 67s had a great weekend. After winning the opener on Thursday in Barrie they went on to beat both Brampton and Kingston on the road and so are 3-0 as they prepare for this Thursday's home opener. Their killer Cs were in full force again, as Logan Couture and Tyler Cuma both contributed large to the wins. Cuma seems to be determined to make himself a first round draft choice this summer after being ranked 30th in ISS's initial player rankings for the 2008 draft.
Despite this I find that I still care. I have been religiously checking the boxscore for both preseason hockey and Blue Jays baseball despite the fact that neither really counts for anything. Part of the allure is simply being in the know, who scored and who pitched and the like. In thinking about it, however, I think that a lot of it has to do with a connection similar to what is shared with friends and family. When you talk to the people in your life, you will take an interest in things that you would not care about if they were the comings and goings of a stranger, say someone you happen to meet at a party. I think we follow sports teams in a similar manner. They are a reliable and recurring presence in our lives. Three or four times a week for the hockey season, I know that regardless of what else is going on I'll be able to watch or check on the Senators. During baseball season, I know that almost every morning there will at least be a boxscore to read in my newspaper. Ultimately life goes on, win or lose and so the games can be both taken lightly and invested with as much meaning as you feel like giving them. That is the prerogative of the fan, to care as much or as little as you choose at various times.
On a lighter note, it is also worth mentioning that the 67s had a great weekend. After winning the opener on Thursday in Barrie they went on to beat both Brampton and Kingston on the road and so are 3-0 as they prepare for this Thursday's home opener. Their killer Cs were in full force again, as Logan Couture and Tyler Cuma both contributed large to the wins. Cuma seems to be determined to make himself a first round draft choice this summer after being ranked 30th in ISS's initial player rankings for the 2008 draft.
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Kids are Alright
So preseason game number two for the Sens brought some interesting information forward and provided a little bit of reassurance for the naturally fretful Ottawa fan. The big three seemed to have picked up where they left off, each scoring a goal. Spezza was the most impressive, driving the net for his goal and dominating the faceoff circle. His continued development as a strong faceoff man is a huge plus for a team that has traditionally struggled in that role. Alfredsson laid a hit on the opening shift, starting the preseason with a nice mirror of his start to last year's playoffs. Wade Redden produced two assists as did Cristoph Schubert, making a strong case against the push to use him as a forward again this year. Nick Foligno had another strong game, producing a pretty goal and a nice pass for his goal and assist while delivering the sort of straight ahead effort that will be more important in his making the team. Other top prospect, Brian Lee, again looked strong and confident though he is clearly going to be better served by playing in the one spot in Binghamton instead of the six or seven spot in Ottawa. As a team, there were some sloppy breakouts and disorganized penalty killing but these are things that they have a couple of weeks to work out.
Last night's opponent, the Washington Capitals, demonstrated that at least one of last years non-playoff teams will be more difficult to contend with. Especially notable was the performance of their two new Swedes, veteran Michael Nylander and rookie Nicklas Backstrom. Though held off the score sheet, they demonstrated great puck skills and offensive flare in often cycling the puck and controlling their shifts. Ovechkin continues to show his tenacious nose for goal-scoring areas and Tom Poti gives them a legitimate threat from the point on the powerplay. They skated well last night and there are enough prospects pushing for a chance that internal competition should keep most of their players sharp on most nights. They could be a surprise team in the East this year, especially if they can provide a little defensive protection for Olaf Kolzig.
The other Ottawa team, the one whose name starts with a 6 and ends with an S, started their regular season with a come from behind win. They got a game-winning goal from top pick Michael Latta and strong performances from holdover stars Tyler Cuma and Logan Couture. They showed some scoring balance which was a big problem last year.
The other big story of the past couple of days and the one which raises some interesting topics for discussion beyond the field of play was the comments from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb with regards to the continued obstacles faced by black quarterbacks. Racism remains an issue despite all the progress that has been made by minorities in North America and McNabb is probably right that there is still more scrutiny of the NFL's black pivots than of mistake-prone white quarterbacks. The bigger issue, however, is probably the reaction of some that he is looking for excuses and trying to resurrect a dead issue. If young black quarterbacks, like Tennessee's Vince Young haven't faced the same problems that is cause for celebration but it is also not an excuse to ignore the fight that previous generations had to put into getting to the position where they could carve a path for the younger men to follow. The abandonment of any sense of history and the seeming believe that progress gained cannot be lost seem to be a plague that afflicts many these days. The backlash against people who continue to push a civil rights agenda, be they women or homosexuals or visible minorities, shows a surprising intolerance and unwillingness to engage in discussions that remain important regardless of how the situation has changed. The importance of freedom of speech is often trumpeted as a great accomplishment of Western democracy but self-censorship is beginning to undermine that freedom. Important topics are ignored because of potential offense or because of a fear of defending a position. I'm not sure if the fear is a result of an inability to articulately express the reasons for a certain belief or because of a fear that asserting a position undermines the tolerance that our society also celebrates as an achievement. The fact that too few people are willing to respond to McNabb with a recognition of his point and a question about the importance of the progress that has been made with an eye to what could potentially improve the situation further for the generations that will follow him. Will the increasing presence of black coaches further improve the treatment of black quarterbacks? Will fans rally behind these quarterbacks if called to? Is there a problem of representation in the media that might be distorting the situation that these individuals actually face? Why aren't these questions being asked?
Last night's opponent, the Washington Capitals, demonstrated that at least one of last years non-playoff teams will be more difficult to contend with. Especially notable was the performance of their two new Swedes, veteran Michael Nylander and rookie Nicklas Backstrom. Though held off the score sheet, they demonstrated great puck skills and offensive flare in often cycling the puck and controlling their shifts. Ovechkin continues to show his tenacious nose for goal-scoring areas and Tom Poti gives them a legitimate threat from the point on the powerplay. They skated well last night and there are enough prospects pushing for a chance that internal competition should keep most of their players sharp on most nights. They could be a surprise team in the East this year, especially if they can provide a little defensive protection for Olaf Kolzig.
The other Ottawa team, the one whose name starts with a 6 and ends with an S, started their regular season with a come from behind win. They got a game-winning goal from top pick Michael Latta and strong performances from holdover stars Tyler Cuma and Logan Couture. They showed some scoring balance which was a big problem last year.
The other big story of the past couple of days and the one which raises some interesting topics for discussion beyond the field of play was the comments from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb with regards to the continued obstacles faced by black quarterbacks. Racism remains an issue despite all the progress that has been made by minorities in North America and McNabb is probably right that there is still more scrutiny of the NFL's black pivots than of mistake-prone white quarterbacks. The bigger issue, however, is probably the reaction of some that he is looking for excuses and trying to resurrect a dead issue. If young black quarterbacks, like Tennessee's Vince Young haven't faced the same problems that is cause for celebration but it is also not an excuse to ignore the fight that previous generations had to put into getting to the position where they could carve a path for the younger men to follow. The abandonment of any sense of history and the seeming believe that progress gained cannot be lost seem to be a plague that afflicts many these days. The backlash against people who continue to push a civil rights agenda, be they women or homosexuals or visible minorities, shows a surprising intolerance and unwillingness to engage in discussions that remain important regardless of how the situation has changed. The importance of freedom of speech is often trumpeted as a great accomplishment of Western democracy but self-censorship is beginning to undermine that freedom. Important topics are ignored because of potential offense or because of a fear of defending a position. I'm not sure if the fear is a result of an inability to articulately express the reasons for a certain belief or because of a fear that asserting a position undermines the tolerance that our society also celebrates as an achievement. The fact that too few people are willing to respond to McNabb with a recognition of his point and a question about the importance of the progress that has been made with an eye to what could potentially improve the situation further for the generations that will follow him. Will the increasing presence of black coaches further improve the treatment of black quarterbacks? Will fans rally behind these quarterbacks if called to? Is there a problem of representation in the media that might be distorting the situation that these individuals actually face? Why aren't these questions being asked?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Preseason Musings
The day after the Senators first preseason game and some interesting topics have emerged from an otherwise dull training camp. The first is the signing of Mike Fisher to a five-year contract extension. The fact that Fisher will be around for some time is great. After initially balking at the 4 million dollar a year price tag, I started to consider both Fisher's position with the team and the other players in the league making that kind of money. Fisher is certainly as valuable a player as Michael Handzus, Bill Guerin or Jason Blake, each of whom will receive a similar salary in the coming years. He brings a wide variety of attributes to the table beyond his offensive production. He is, like Rod Brind'amour or Brendan Morrow, a truly complete player. He brings speed, physicality, leadership and maximum effort to everything that he does. He is an elite penalty killer, strong defensive player, character guy and offensive producer. Fisher had 48 points (in 68 games played) compared to 55 from Shane Doan and 60 from Jamie Langenbrunner, two other guys who play similar roles and given the opportunity to play most of a season with Daniel Alfredsson on his right wing, Fisher should be able to better those numbers. He is also averaged 20 goals per season for the past three full seasons that he has played. Brind-amour is an excellent example of his scoring potential as he has had back to back career years playing with young, offensively-skilled players like Justin Williams and Eric Staal. In some ways, what Fisher brings to the table is harder to replace than what Heatley does. Every team in the league has a scoring star or too (though they are obviously not all at Heatley's level), whereas every team in the league is looking for the kind of complete player who can do it all and lead the team. Projecting to be that kind of player got Brandon Sutter drafted 11th overall by Carolina this past summer.
As to the happenings on the ice, a few players showed really well in last night's game against the Flyers. Martin Gerber stopped a lot of pucks, 52 shots, and looked like the strong positional goaltender the Sens thought they were signing. He's still a long way from being attractive to another team or usurping Ray Emery's spot but it is a good start and last season showed what can happen to a player in the event of a bad start. Nick Foligno responded to the gauntlet thrown down by coach John Paddock and played like the Mike Fisher-like player the Sens thought they were getting. He matched the great effort put forth by his linemates Chris Kelly and Patrick Eaves, who is himself auditioning for the plum task of riding on the right side with Heatley and Spezza come game one. Almost overlooked because of those two performances was the strong outing from Ilya Zubov in his Senators debut. He scored a goal by driving the net and being physically involved and held his own with regulars Dean McAmmond and Chris Neil. It seems determined that he will play in Binghampton to start the year but he is certainly giving fans reason to believe that the Senators scoring future remains pretty bright. All that said, it was only the first game of the preseason and a lot can change in the two weeks before the games start to count.
As to the happenings on the ice, a few players showed really well in last night's game against the Flyers. Martin Gerber stopped a lot of pucks, 52 shots, and looked like the strong positional goaltender the Sens thought they were signing. He's still a long way from being attractive to another team or usurping Ray Emery's spot but it is a good start and last season showed what can happen to a player in the event of a bad start. Nick Foligno responded to the gauntlet thrown down by coach John Paddock and played like the Mike Fisher-like player the Sens thought they were getting. He matched the great effort put forth by his linemates Chris Kelly and Patrick Eaves, who is himself auditioning for the plum task of riding on the right side with Heatley and Spezza come game one. Almost overlooked because of those two performances was the strong outing from Ilya Zubov in his Senators debut. He scored a goal by driving the net and being physically involved and held his own with regulars Dean McAmmond and Chris Neil. It seems determined that he will play in Binghampton to start the year but he is certainly giving fans reason to believe that the Senators scoring future remains pretty bright. All that said, it was only the first game of the preseason and a lot can change in the two weeks before the games start to count.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
First Blood
Attended my first hockey game of the season last night, insofar as pre-season hockey qualifies as of the season. The 67s played the Kingston Frontenacs at the Civic Centre in a surprisingly intense match considering the circumstances. There was a fight within the first minute that left the 67s without Jason Bailey for the rest of the game, not a great start considering that the top line from last year remains out of the lineup with Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture still attending San Jose Sharks training camp and Matt Lahey recovering from knee surgery. Despite the conspicuous absences, the 67s poured on the offense and registered 20 shots in the first period alone. They eventually won 4-2. A strong performance from young defenceman Tyler Cuma, who scored the first Ottawa goal in addition to being sound in his own end and moving the puck crisply and efficiently, was the highlight. Two newcomers scored, draft pick Michael Latta on a beautiful rush down the left wing and McGinn's little brother Tye on a deft deflection of a point shot. More contributers on offense should allow Couture and McGinn the extra space needed to be dominant this year and offset some of the losses the team suffered on the back end.
The other topic from last night comes from baseball. The New York Yankees are making sure that the rivalry between them and the Boston Red Sox remains front and center in any discussion of September and October baseball. Just when it looked like the Sox might be able to get comfortable with the idea of winning the division and hosting the wild card Yankees, the boys from New York posted a six-run eighth inning, crushing Boston's two best relievers, and closed the division gap to three and a half games with two more left in the current series. Alex Rodriguez, already established as the AL MVP regardless of how he closes out the season, came up with the clutch single that capped the rally and looks like he might actually be a force come post-season baseball this year. How the rest of this series plays out will be very interesting and could set a tone the Red Sox won't be happy with going into the playoffs. Suddenly a series two weeks before the end of the season means an awful lot to both teams. The Yankees bats made another strong statement yesterday but what they really need in the next two days is for the rotation to stand on the mound and show that there is reason to fear them as well. I know I'll be keeping an eye on it. The statistic to watch over the next couple of weeks as the season comes to a close is A-Rod's run and RBI totals. He is closing in on the incredibly rare feet of both scoring and driving in 150 runs. It will be tight, especially to score the runs, though he does lead the league in both categories, a pretty impressive feet in and of itself.
The other topic from last night comes from baseball. The New York Yankees are making sure that the rivalry between them and the Boston Red Sox remains front and center in any discussion of September and October baseball. Just when it looked like the Sox might be able to get comfortable with the idea of winning the division and hosting the wild card Yankees, the boys from New York posted a six-run eighth inning, crushing Boston's two best relievers, and closed the division gap to three and a half games with two more left in the current series. Alex Rodriguez, already established as the AL MVP regardless of how he closes out the season, came up with the clutch single that capped the rally and looks like he might actually be a force come post-season baseball this year. How the rest of this series plays out will be very interesting and could set a tone the Red Sox won't be happy with going into the playoffs. Suddenly a series two weeks before the end of the season means an awful lot to both teams. The Yankees bats made another strong statement yesterday but what they really need in the next two days is for the rotation to stand on the mound and show that there is reason to fear them as well. I know I'll be keeping an eye on it. The statistic to watch over the next couple of weeks as the season comes to a close is A-Rod's run and RBI totals. He is closing in on the incredibly rare feet of both scoring and driving in 150 runs. It will be tight, especially to score the runs, though he does lead the league in both categories, a pretty impressive feet in and of itself.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
First Past the Post
This is the first post to the Patriot League. I will be primarily posting about sports though I expect other interests will find their way in at some point. I felt that the week that NHL training camps begin was a good time to start such a blog. September offers not only the recently completed week one of NFL football and baseball pennant races but other sports world highlights including Roger Federer's most recent salvo against the tennis record books. This is just a quick introduction so I will save a lot of opinions for later. I will issue the initial disclaimer that I will write a great deal about hockey and while I will attempt to view things objectively, I am an unrepentant Ottawa Senators fan and that may colour some of my opinions.
The one thought that I did want to share that should give some insight into how I look at sports is the division between words and numbers. As both science and religion offer a description of the world but use different means, so sports stories can almost always be told either with numbers or words. Statistics are the lifeblood of many a sports discussions but are only sometimes illustrative of the story of a game or a series or a season. I will try to spout both stats and stories in support of any argument I make or position I take. It is worth noting, though, that certain sports lend themselves more easily to numerical descriptions and that I will try to stay with the spirit of the sport.
As an example, it is often said that hockey is a sport of intangibles: toughness, experience, puck luck and grit are frequent factors mentioned in discussing hockey teams. None of these things can be measured like goals and assists but they are universally acknowledged as being important ingredients in a winning team. In contrast, one of the most beautiful things about baseball is the way that a nine inning game can be distilled into a tiny boxscore. Baseball is the statistician's dream and in many ways the sport of geeks and intellectuals. While the little numbers beside each players abbreviated name drain some of the oddities and beauty out of the story of a baseball game, they provide all the essentials in minimal space like an excellent plot synopsis. This is the beauty of sport for the spectator. Like life, sometimes you can't explain why things went one way and sometimes the most pleasing aspects are the barely recorded ones. A good pinch at the blue line or the way a runner slides under a tag can be just as influential on the outcome as a homerun or a breakaway goal.
The one thought that I did want to share that should give some insight into how I look at sports is the division between words and numbers. As both science and religion offer a description of the world but use different means, so sports stories can almost always be told either with numbers or words. Statistics are the lifeblood of many a sports discussions but are only sometimes illustrative of the story of a game or a series or a season. I will try to spout both stats and stories in support of any argument I make or position I take. It is worth noting, though, that certain sports lend themselves more easily to numerical descriptions and that I will try to stay with the spirit of the sport.
As an example, it is often said that hockey is a sport of intangibles: toughness, experience, puck luck and grit are frequent factors mentioned in discussing hockey teams. None of these things can be measured like goals and assists but they are universally acknowledged as being important ingredients in a winning team. In contrast, one of the most beautiful things about baseball is the way that a nine inning game can be distilled into a tiny boxscore. Baseball is the statistician's dream and in many ways the sport of geeks and intellectuals. While the little numbers beside each players abbreviated name drain some of the oddities and beauty out of the story of a baseball game, they provide all the essentials in minimal space like an excellent plot synopsis. This is the beauty of sport for the spectator. Like life, sometimes you can't explain why things went one way and sometimes the most pleasing aspects are the barely recorded ones. A good pinch at the blue line or the way a runner slides under a tag can be just as influential on the outcome as a homerun or a breakaway goal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)