Leafs Get Burned by Flames

The Calgary Flames beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in front of a national audience on Hockey Night in Canada. The Flames didn't look real good. For a lot of the game they were playing flat footed and running around in their own end. Additionally, Calgary was out shot 40-22. So how did they win?

A couple of superstars came and played. Mikka Kiprusoff played very well making 38 saves and Jarome Iginla scored 2 goals on three shots tonight. That's really all you need to get the rest of the team through.

A bigger problem is the Leafs are not very good. They do not have very good goal tending. They do not have much for offence. Their defence does not prevent attackers from getting to good scoring chances. I don't want to keep ragging on the Leafs but they are just getting worse.

On the flip side, the Calgary Flames look like they have what it takes to go places. They have a coach who demands performance and is not afraid to let you know if you are not performing. They have a good defensive corps. They have scoring. They stand up for each other. They are physical. They are a team. Maybe we should see a lot more of Calgary on Hockey Night in Canada. It is becoming apparent to me they have a lot more going for them than the lowly Leafs.

When I really look at it I think there are two key problems with the Leafs.

They are the most valuable franchise in the NHL and put out one of the least valuable products.

They have an arrogant blowhard as a General Manager. Brian Burke sure likes to talk and be argumentative, but has not produced any results in Toronto.

I am going to continue to cheer for the Flames and rag on the Leafs as I see no other way.

CFL - How It Will Shake Out

I think part of having a sports blog is to look out to the future and prognosticate on some games, especially in the playoffs. On Sunday the CFL will start 3 weeks of excitement and here's how I see it shaking out.

East Semi-Final BC at Hamilton

BC has rotated enough guys through the quarterback position to ice a hockey team. Casey Printers thumb was smacked up last week but they say it is ok. The Ti-Cats have looked good the last two weeks and have found a way to win. I see Hamilton taking this one.

West Semi-Final Edmonton at Calgary

The battle of Alberta will heat up but ultimately the Eskimos have not looked so good since Labour Day and realistically don't have much of a chance against the the Stamps, who have been a bit streaky. I'll take streaky over tanking. Stampeders are going to win.

East Final Hamilton at Montreal.

Hamilton is much improved but the Als have shown it really doesn't matter who is in, when they want to win they win. Allouettes are headed back to the big game.

West Final Calgary at Saskatchewan

There is usually one upset in the playoffs every year in every sport. Sorry Rider Nation it will be your beloved Green Riders. I don't think that team has the fortitude to get though the West Final. The last time they finished first in the West I was still in my mother's womb. You are the only game in town and after two weeks of hype the team will be too set up to get it done.

Grey Cup Montreal at Calgary

Montreal is really good and Calgary will have the added pressure of playing at home. I see the Allouette machine taking this one.

There you go, this is my prediction of how things will go, on November 29, we will know if I was right.

Looking Back at the Season

Now that I am done licking my wounds from a Bomber failure I can look back at the season and see what really transpired.

One team won a lot of games.

One team lost a lot of games.

Six teams finished with seven to ten wins. There is a lot of parity if you have seventy-five percent of your league within that range. Seven wins will not get you into the playoffs. It probably shouldn't. This year an 8 and 10 record will get you into the playoffs. Maybe it should maybe it shouldn't, it is definitely on the line at the best of times.

Other good points to the season is the last game had playoff implications for both teams in the game and for teams not playing. That produces some good drama. Coming down to a win and you are in situation is all any team or league could ask for.

There were some great plays and some bad ones. There were old stars doing like they always do and some new stars emerging with promise to bring a lot more. Some teams are getting better, some are not. There will be a lot of off season searching, for souls and talent and will and pride.

Soon the snows will come and blanket our great nation, we will look to other sports for a while but when it warms up in the spring we will look to the grid-iron for another year of drama, excitement and debate. I hope next year will bring another great season and I hope the Bombers do a bit better.

Well, That's Over

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers dropped the ball yesterday at Canad Inns Stadium. They really couldn't have hoped for a better situation. All you you have to do is win and you are in. This is what you play for. The Bombers couldn't get it done. They let the Hamilton Tiger-Cats walk all over them. It wasn't even close at the end.

It was definitely an interesting year in Bomberland. A new coach came to town with a promise to change the Bombers. Well he did change them. They didn't make the playoffs this year. Two years ago they were in the Grey Cup now they don't even have a chance to be there. There is definitely change. Attendance is down and there is just a feeling the boat is about to sink. The team needs a consistent quarterback. The team needs an offensive system that works. The team needs logical play calling. The team needs to win more games than it loses.

I'm sure there will be a lot of head scratching at the corner of St James and Maroons Road. There will be promises to fix what was wrong. The good part is they have an extra week or two over most of the league to get it done, hopefully they will put the extra time to good use.

Yankees Win .... Again

The New York Yankees won Game 6 of the World Series 7-3 over the Philadelphia Phillies to win the Fall Classic for the 27th time.

Is this good for baseball?

Maybe.

The Yankees are dedicated to winning and take the necessary steps to give themselves a realistic chance of winning every year. They must be admired for this dedication. Players go to the Yankees not only for the money but they know that the team will be strong and they will have a shot at a title.

However, there is no parity in baseball. Several teams do not have the financial wherewithal to even consider competing with the Yankees and have written off the season before the first pitch is thrown on opening day.

Your position on this comes down to if you believe there should be parity in professional sport. If you believe every team should have a realistic chance if they run their organization properly then you will think the Yankees winning again is not good for baseball. If you think we should have epic dynasties that tower over the teams that play in fly-overs then you think the Yankees winning is good for baseball. Both sides have their merits and drawbacks.

I know this The New York Yankees are very good at what they do and for that, they should be applauded. The rest is a debate that will go on for a long time to come.

Fire the Coach

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did not look very good as they were crushed in Montreal yesterday. They were sloppy, and appeared to have their minds elsewhere. Mike Kelly, coach of the Bombers took exception to being asked if the Bombers were lacking focus on the game they were currently in.

Here's the facts.

The game next week versus Hamilton is much more important to win. The winner of that game hosts the East Division Semi-Final. The loser may be out of the playoffs. After the Bombers performance on Sunday and the Eskimos winning the Bombers are out if they lose.

They were in Montreal, probably the best party city in the CFL maybe in all of Canada. Temptation is everywhere in that city. The women are beautiful and liberal. The adult entertainment is over the top. The language is entrancing. The party never stops. Now, I have no hard evidence to say there were some team members down on St Catherine's the night before the game but the Alouettes were undefeated at home. I'm sure the lure of the party probably got the better of a few players. I know it would be difficult to resist if I was there. I'm sure some of their focus may have been elsewhere.

The Bombers straight up did not play well. They couldn't move the ball or stop their very good opponents from moving the ball. That is usually due to a lack of focus.

I understand Mike Kelly's desire to defend the heart and determination of his team. I love how much passion he brings to his job. I've heard that and believe that he is a really good guy. Sitting having a couple of beers talking football with him would probably be an enjoyable experience.

I don't know if he is the right guy for the job. This blow up last night on the radio is just the latest in a long list of blunders the team, and most notably the coach seem to be making this year. I'm not in the dressing room, I don't know if they are a happy group, but when you barely show up and don't admit publicly that your head was not in the game I do hope that in the room they are honest with themselves and own up to each other that they were not focused or next week will be the last week that group of guys will call themselves a team.

The NHL Needs to Stop Rewarding Failure

Last night the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a shoot-out. This was the Leafs first shoot-out of the season. They lost three other games in the five minute four-on-four overtime period. They have one only one win so far this season in twelve games. Since the NHL awards one point to each team at the end of regulation the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs have 6 points this year. Four point have come from games they have lost and two points have come from games they have won.

The Leafs have more points from games they lost than games they won.

Does this seem strange to anyone else?

In the world of professional sport I don't think anyone should be rewarded for losing. We are not here to make the players and coaches feel good, we are here to see who is the best is. We are here to separate the men from the boys. We are here to pit the best against the best and the rest.

Now I realize the Leafs bad play has left them last in the league, and they have a long road to climb if they want to make any kind of impact this season. I just don't feel that a loss deserves any points.

I understand what the league wants. They want to see the teams play hard for the extra point, but I do not understand how the best hockey league in the world can justify handing out a reward for losing.