THE GOLF NET

Posts Tagged ‘Punch’

After a nice long holiday break, I've come back to you with my thoughts on what's going on in the world of sports.

ONE: Another illustration of why Hockey players are the toughest athletes going.

In the New Years Eve Day game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Leaf defensemen Ric Jackman's ankle bent grotesquely under his body after Jackman leaped to avoid a Mats Lindgren hit.

Leaf coach Pat Quinn said the injury reminded him of "Joe Theisman." Quinn was referring to the famous hit on the NY Jet QB by Lawrence Taylor in a nationally televised game. Theisman's leg was very visibly broken on the play and the injury has achieved a mythic status in sports communities.

While Jackman's leg stayed inside its skin (unlike Theisman's) the prognosis for the Toronto defensemen was not good. Carried off the ice in a human chair formed by teammates Jackman was quickly treated by the Leaf training staff (who have been working overtime of late - at one point in the game the Leafs had less then ten players on their bench).

Then, in the third period Jackman made his return, literally leaping over the boards to play the final twenty minutes. As it turned out Jackman's leg had "just" gone numb. Fourty minutes later the feeling had returned and Jackman played on a badly swollen and twisted ankle.

How many basketball players can you see hobbling back in to a game in the 4th quarter -- getting ready to mix it up underneath the basket?

If you could put a injured player back into a game in baseball would a second baseman return to try to turn the double play and face a runner barreling down at him spikes raised?

Perhaps in Football, in a key game, you might see a lineman try to get back in there and do what he could, but in a "meaningless" regular season contest?

I've seen hockey players stitched up in the walkway after watching their face sliced open, play with broken bones in a game that features relentless pounding, skate on bad ankles, and legs, and do it all day in day out.

All sports require a healthy dose of being able to play with pain, but I can't think of another that has both the physical intensity, and the grinding schedule in which it's players so routinely find ways to get back on to the playing surface so quickly, regardless of the situation facing their team.

TWO: The Ottawa Senators have been a great success story so far in the NHL. With one of the league's lowest payrolls and after weathering a summer of withering criticism from their fans after another playoff exit the Sens have gone 23-9-5 and, by winning percentage, are the best team in the entire NHL.

Now though money issues threaten to ruin the whole thing. The Senators were not paid yesterday, their normal payday. Instead they received notes from team owner Rod Bryden indicating that they would be "taken care of in the next couple of days."

A complex banking deal went south when a US bank reportedly became uncomfortable with the deal and pulled out. Now the cash starved Sens and Bryden will have to regroup.

If the NHL has to step in there is a chance that the already bargain basement Senators ($31 million US payroll) would have to cut some salary. More likely though it means that Ottawa GM John Muckler will be unable to add any players for a stretch run.

Ottawa could badly use a big physical winger with some scoring touch for the playoffs where the more physical and gritty Toronto Maple Leafs has repeatedly ousted them.

It's the ugly world of sports -- it no longer matters how good your scouts are, or how smart your coaching staff is. The ultimate determinant between who will win and who will not is the almighty dollar.

ONE: Mark this name down, Brendan Bell. Bell is a defenseman playing for the Ottawa 67s in the Ontario Hockey League. Bell is also currently playing for team Canada at the World Junior Championships. Finally, to complete the hat trick Bell is a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I heard Bell speak on the Fan 590 a talk radio station in the Toronto area. The young man was one of the most well spoken 19 year olds I have ever heard. Not just 19 year old athletes mind you, but 19 year olds period. What a treat to hear a young man speak so articulately and interestingly about the World Juniors, it's effects on his game, and his future plans.

In addition, Bell made solid points about the style of game played in the International world of hockey vis-a-vis the NHL game. Bell was clear in his belief that a more wide open NHL game that allowed for "the smaller faster player" while removing the "big slow of foot guys" was for the best for the game and the fans.

The Leafs have had a lousy track record in the past at developing young defensemen, but with Bell's speed and size (6'1", 205 pounds) and obvious intelligence it seems Toronto has a good one in Bell.

TWO: A quick tip of the hat to German goaltender Dmitri Patzold. The German's are making their first trip back to the A pool of world junior hockey since 1998. The Germans push to get to the A pool was lead by two defensemen who have since grown too old to play in the tournament.

So, it has been no surprise that the Germans have struggled in the tournament. Germany finished the round robin 0-4-0 and outscored 18-3. Patzold however was as strong as could be. Except in the final game (a 7-2 loss to the Swedes) Patzold was outstanding. Patzold stopped 34 of 38 shots Team Finland took in the Germans 4-0 game 1 loss. Then Patzold stopped 27 of 30 Czech Republic drives, in a 3-0 German whitewashing.

Patzold's best day came in the third game when he almost single handedly threatened to upset Team Canada. The young Kazakhstan born netminder with German roots held team Canada off the score sheet for over half the game before the dam finally burst and Canada started scoring.

Patzold ended up facing 53 shots, stopping a remarkable 49 of them as Germany lost 4-1. Finally, against Sweden a tired Patzold was lifted, down 6-0, in what would end up a 7-2 loss to the Swedes.

Add it up and you'll see that in the first three games Patzold made 110 saves -- easily the most any goalie in the tournament made over the same period of time. The young German ended up a crowd favourite as the Halifax faithful applauded the German netminder when he made his exit against Sweden.

ONE: When the season began I took the Tennessee Titans and the Green Bay Packers as my standard bearers for the AFC and NFC respectively. Now, as we prepare to enter the playoffs do I still support these two squads?

Well, not exactly...

I do still like Tennessee, after a horrible start the Titans turned it on. They went 10-1 to finish the season. The one loss being a 13-12 setback to Baltimore. The Titans have their problems, yes. They aren't great against an air attack, and their reliance on the possession game is undermined by their poor average yards gained per rushing attempt.

However, the Titans are lead by a QB in Steve McNair who is defining winner. Eddie George is still a handful, and Jevon Kearse is getting stronger by the day. The Titans don't do anything fancy, but they have a solid defense, and a good game plan. If the Titans were getting out-coached, as their owner accused, to start the season, Jeff Fisher and co have fixed that problem since.

I like the Titans to come out of the AFC. They are going to be faced with a problem if they have to play Oakland in Oakland for the title game, but I believe they will find a way to win that one. Pittsburgh and Cleveland can't throw the ball well enough to beat Tennessee while I don't think Indianapolis or the NY Jets have the defense needed to keep the Titans from dominating the time of possession battle.

In the NFC, and it pains me to say this, I think Green Bay cost themselves a Super Bowl spot when they were drubbed by the Jets at Giants stadium.

Green Bay, who with the possible exception of the Mexican National Soccer team, has the greatest home field advantage in all of sports, could have sewn up home field in the NFC with a win. Instead they finished as the third seed. Not only, does this mean the banged up Packers need to play an extra game it means that they will have to travel for their second round game. Favre has not been great on the road and the Packers are not likely to be healthy enough to beat the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.

I think Philadelphia will be the team to represent the NFC. While they struggled all around against the Giants, they were able to keep New York from running away with the game, and if not for a missed David Akers field goal, may very well have won outright. The Eagles have a great defense, and in Memorial Stadium with that cold wind, and those borderline psychotic fans the eagles will be very tough to beat.

Oh, yeah, and that guy, Donovan McNabb, apparently he's going to be healthy or some junk.

So, I see Philadelphia and the Titans coming together in San Diego.

TWO: The New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers get the blah! of the week award.

New Orleans earns it for losing 10-6 at home to Carolina when a win would have sent them to the playoffs. Congrats boys, you finally held an opponent to under 20 points, but somehow you failed to score a touchdown at home against the Panthers.

The worst thing about this is that the Saints would have known before the end of their game about the Falcons loss to Cleveland. Knowing that they needed to win to get in the Saints rallied together and managed to do sweet bugger all.

Nice work guys -- good way to lose that 'Aint's moniker you're so fond of.

Miami. Now I'm not surprised here, because Miami Dolphins are home to the biggest collection, of chuckers, losers, no-hearts and folding chairs this side of an Ikea.

When the chips are down, Miami chokes on them, and they did it again. As I said to a friend before the game "Miami are just going to lose their first round game one week early this year," and so they did.

It's not like the New England Patriots were all that good, but the Dolphins just let New England hang around when early on one last big play would have buried the Pats for good. The weather was even pretty nice so the Dolphins don't have that excuse either.

Too bad, because Ricky Williams proved a lot of good things to a lot of people. Unfortunately, one of the things he proved was that he has the worst luck in the "teammates in the clutch" category.

Green Bay. I'm inclined to be kinder to the Packers. The Jets have played very well and... Chicago... Chicago... The Jets lost to Chicago!!!

Sorry about that. I just need a moment to compose myself. The Pack was in a tough position against a team that needed the win badly and... Chicago!!! New York loses to the frikkin Bears! How do you lose to a team that wastes a key game in Chicago!!!

Ok, to hell with it. I'm steamed at the Packers. The Packers needed a win against the Jets to secure home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

If Green Bay wins in Giants Stadium they are in San Diego for the Super Bowl, it's that simple. The week off gives them a more or less a healthy team, and Brett Favre and Co, do not lose in Lambeau in the playoffs. It doesn't matter who they are playing, the Pack does not lose at home in the playoffs.

So, with 60 minutes of football standing between them and the Super Bowl the Packers serve up one of their worst efforts in recent memory.

Ladies and gentlemen that is the sign of a team destined to fade off into the night.

Best wishes to all of you this New Year!

Note: I had a preamble all prepared for this article. It was about how a little bit of pond skating ended up with me body checking an eight year old, ruining three pairs of socks, and almost impaling my fellow pleasure skaters.

However, it took on a life of it's own and grew too long, so I've decided to put it out as it's own stand alone little article, which you can find by clicking on the following link. Dem skating blues. Enjoy!