By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
They never stood a chance.
Against a team that matched their skating ability and far surpassed their scoring prowess, the Hurricanes looked like the pretenders we all knew they were, even after they beat the Baby B's.
The difference -both on the ice and on paper - was absurd. We won't get into all the gritty details because the basic ones paint enough of a picture - the Penguins outshot the WhalerCanes 137-118 and outscored them 20-9 in the four-game laugher.
Sidney Crosby, Evegni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury did exactly what you would expect young superstars to do - dominate. Malkin, who often is overlooked because of Crosby had a sensational series, which included a hat trick in game two's dismantling of Cam Ward and a three-point effort in game three that pretty much put the boot on Carolina's throat.
The Canes' big star, Eric Staal, however, disappeared. When the guy who provided almost 20 percent of your team's goals over the course of the season records two points and a minus-seven plus-minus, hang up the skates and don't even take the ice because you don't have a chance. Hey, Miroslav Satan (whose player number on Yahoo is actually 666) only played 17 games all season had a better series than Staal. That's not to say the series flop was all Staal's doing. It's hard to carry a team that essentially has no elite talent besides yourself. However, some glimmer of leadership, some kind of spark would have been nice for his teammates to see.
So while Boston fans a cheering the end of Scott Walker's playoff run, the NHL is also breathing a sigh of relief that the far superior team didn't lay an egg in this series. And with Detroit poised to knock out the Blackhawks after trouncing them, the stage is all but set for a rematch of last year's Cup final.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Big Papi finally dropped in the Sox order!
By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Terry Francona and Theo Epstein finally decided to drop David Ortiz in the order. About time if you ask me. He's been an automatic out in the 3 hole so far this season. He's dead last in average, hits, homers, on base percentage and slugging for designated hitters. Ouch! They tried sitting him down, but that didn't help. Neither will dropping him in the order. Of course it's the natural progression to put him down in the order, but what will they do next. I am of the opinion that David Ortiz is done as a productive major league player. I don't think dropping him to the 6th or 7th spot in the order will do any good. He's swinging and missing by at least a foot right now.
So, what happened to the beloved Big Papi? Is this a result of stopping a regimen of steroids or other performance enhancing drugs? We don't know. Is it because of personal problems? We don't know. Does he have an eye sight condition similar to the one that ended Jim Rice's career? We don't know. What we do know is that his lack of production is hurting the Boston Red Sox. What we do know is that he looks so lost and mechanically wrong at the plate it's almost sad. He's being blown away by 88 mph fastballs and waving at off speed pitches in the dirt.
When he goes another 2-4 weeks without increasing his production, what can the Red Sox do? They could send him back to Florida to spend time alone with a hitting instructor. That "seemed" to work when the Yankees did that with Jason Giambi. I doubt this will happen, but it could come to the Red Sox granting him his outright release, or looking at potential trades. The Red Sox have such a surplus of good, young pitching. They could dangle a Clay Bucholtz, or Michael Bowden, to the struggling Cleveland Indians and trade for Victor Martinez. He'd solve the immediate problem of a DH, and be the one to replace Varitek behind the plate in a 2010 or 2011.
Whatever happens, Red Sox fans will be waiting and hoping for a triumphant return of the good ol' David Ortiz. Unfortunately for you Sox fans, you'll be waiting a very, very long time.
Are you a Fantasy Fanatic?
By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Hello everyone! This is one of those unique times that FFS would like to reach out to our readers for their feedback. Chad and I have been blogging each week about Fantasy Baseball. We would like to see if you are enjoying the fantasy baseball content? Would you like
more of it? Less? Do you even care to read about fantasy baseball?
Now that we've been up and running for about two months, we want to start looking at the content we provide. What do you like best? Could we cut fantasy sports until the NFL returns? I know I love to research and write about Fantasy baseball because it keeps me on top of my game and helps me with trends, pickups etc.. Once again, what do you think?
Let us know so we can continue to bring the best possible content!
Q&A with Ryan Durand
By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
(This is the first of several question and answers with Tennessee Titans 7th-round draft pick Ryan Durand. If you have a question for Durand, please email me at cgarner.fanfanaticsports@gmail.com and I'll try to get your question into the next edition).
FFS: What is a Tennessee Titan?
Durand: A hard working guy who loves football.
FFS: How much do you bench press?
Durand: 215 (pounds) for 28 reps.
FFS: What are some of your hobbie?
Durand: Video games and movies.
FFS: iPhone or Blackberry?
Durand: Neither, anything that texts and makes calls is fine with me.
FFS: If you weren't in the NFL, what would you you be doing?
Durand: Going to grad school for physical therapy.
FFS: Best advice for a young athlete that wants to play football in college and pros?
Durand: Work hard on the field, in the weight room and classroom equally. And never underestimate yourself.
FFS: Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Durand: An older brother, Matt.
FFS: Nicknames?
Durand: None.
FFS: Toughest position on the football field and why?
Durand: Quarterback. Knowledge of the game and pressure.
FFS: What's one question you'd like to ask Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher?
Durand: What is he looking for from me to make the team.
FFS: Favorite movie?
Durand: Snatch.
FFS: Biggest thing that's shocked you so far in the NFL?
Durand: How normal everyone is off the field.
FFS: Why don't offensive linemen get any love (respect)?
Durand: People take the good ones for granted and expose the bad ones. No glory.
FFS: You're with Fan Fanatic Sports, are you a fanatic about anything?
Durand: Not sure.
FFS: Is football fun now, or is it a job?
Durand: It is definitely a little of both. You have to treat it with a degree of seriousness for sure but there is no reason why you can't have fun doing it.
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