Parise snips Habs in overtime

In front of an always electric Hockey Night in Canada crowd in Montreal,Zach Parise took a feed from Patrik Elias and shoved the puck past Carey Price to lift the New Jersey Devils to a huge 2-1 Overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens.
The power play tally was number 15 for Parise on the season.
Montreal had scored the first goal in the first period and the Devils were unable to tie the game until Jamie Langenbrunner's second period goal (4).


Hell Raisers

1) I love the "Patrick" division and the Devils rivalries as much as anyone,but there is just something special when the Devils visit the Canadian teams,especially Montreal and Toronto.
The atmosphere from the fans in Canada add so much to the game experience,even when you are watching on TV and that is something that often is lacking at the Rock....

2) I have the feeling that Scott Clemmensen is just on a hot streak,but I will take every win that he can provide.
Clemmensen all too often leaves fat rebounds out for the opposition and for now,they aren't banging it home.....
Sooner or later that will change and that is when Kevin Weekes will get his chances in net..

3) The officiating in this game was not top notch and before I get accused of homerism,they were bad for both teams.
The game winning power play was set up by a late Montreal penalty to Alexei Kovalev that looked a bit ticky tack and earlier in the third,each team was called for phantom tripping calls...
Not a good night for the arbiters.

4) The win gave the Devils 4 wins out of 5 on their road swing.
Granted,only the Philly and Montreal wins were over quality opposition,but the two points all count the same and the Devils only continue to get healthier.
Only Andy Greene remains out from the skating portion and that would leave just Martin Brodeur as a member of the IR.

5) I must give credit where it is due again-Patrik Elias has stepped his game up in the last few weeks to where he could be deserving of All-Star consideration.
The pass that he made in overtime to Parise was simply amazing and Carey Price had no chance to stop the puck.
The intensity that has suddenly returned to Elias is what has taken his game to its former level...

Bonus Round

Wouldn't have been nice to see Pierre (3L) LeBlond mix it up with le' Habs George Laraque?
It didn't happen last night,but I would wager that it will before seasons end........

Bullpen Notes

Manny Pacquiao beat up Oscar De La Hoya in winning every round and scored a TKO when De La Hoya was unable to answer the bell for round eight.
The inactivity that marked the career of De La Hoya finally caught up to him against the younger and speedier Pacquiao.
The fight most want to see is Pacquiao against Ricky Hatton in 2009,but we prefer a 3rd fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.
Marquez owns a draw and split decision loss to Pacquaio and many (Us included) thought Marquez won both fights.
Do not look for that to happen as the $ rules and why fight someone that may have your number for less money than a fight that you have an excellent chance of winning for a larger purse.

A few more readers/bloggers weigh in on the ridiculous new nickname in Winston-Salem.
Wooden offers his thoughts here and Battlin Bob chimes in as only the Battler can!

Looks like a good deal for the White Sox as they "deal high" by sending Jermaine Dye to the Reds for Homer Bailey.
Bailey struggled some last season,but is still one of the elite arms in the minors.
Dye had a great 2008,but has always been streaky,is 34 and the Reds aren't exactly close to contending........

Looking back at the Reds just a few years,remember when they had all this talent in the grass that they couldn't play them all?
Dunn,Griffey,Pena,Kearns etc?
Now they are back to trading to plug holes and have next to nothing to show for their deals for some of those flychasers......
Sad.

Back tomorrow with Browns and Seahawks losses and the BCS....

Photo Credits
AP Photo

Slow Day

Since this seems to be a slow day,I will cruise the net to find some things to write about....

The Devils continue their road swing in Montreal tonight against the Canadiens.
Coverage here tomorrow.

Bobby Holik is expected to return to the New Jersey lineup in the game and I had forgotten to mention that Pierre (3L) LeBlond returned to the team before the game in Philadelphia.

The Jack Wilson trade talks continue and I am not entirely excited about the names that I am hearing from the Tigers.
Outfielder Matt Joyce (23) looks interesting,but no different than Brandon Moss or Steve Pearce,while 26 year old first baseman Jeff Larish has shown power as he progressed through the Tiger system,but his strikeout numbers leave me wondering.
I realize that Wilson will not bring any huge prospects,but thus far both the Tiger and Dodger offers leave me kinda cold.

The Bucs also dropped righthander Jason Davis and catcher Raul Chavez from the 40 man roster to make space for possible additions at the Winter Meetings next week.
Chavez would have been nice to keep around,as Wilbur Miller said " there are about 50 guys like Chavez at AAA every year".
Not a difficult guy to replace at all.....

Pittsburgh also signed five players to minor league deals.
The only player of interest is Daniel Haigwood,a 25 year old righty that comes from the Red Sox organization.
Haigwood has pitched for three organizations and has never pitched above AA,so far from a sure thing,but worth a look....

An interesting look at the rebirth of Independent Baseball is here by a friend of ours at Suite 101.
The "wild west" origins and development of Indy ball comes through in the series as you realize just how many things change at that level every season.
Take a close look,Hagerstown-you are one step away from that world!

Two members of the 2008 Hagerstown Suns were released by the parent Washington Nationals.
Pitcher Ryan Harrison and outfielder Bryan Miller were each let go.
Miller was seldom used in his short time here,while Harrison spent his time pitching as a member of the Hagerstown relief corps.

Flipping around the tube and saw the Ottawa Senators third jerseys-Dreadful!

Quick pick on tonight's Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquaio fight.
Pacquaio has the skills to defeat De La Hoya,but I wonder about the size difference.
De La Hoya is the bigger man and likely harder puncher,but he fights about once a year and I wonder about the ring rust against a smaller, faster fighter.

All in all,remember this long time boxing rule-A good big man beats a good little man.
But does a good big man beat a great little man?
In this one-he does-De La Hoya by decision.

Until tomorrow with Browns and Seahawks predictions and the Devils trip to Montreal.........

Elias takes the game over and the dumbest baseball name that I have heard!

The Philadelphia Flyers had the New Jersey Devils right where they wanted them after their second power play goal of the night with four minutes to go gave the home team a 2-1 lead.
However,Patrik Elias grabbed the game by the horns and took it over with the tying goal that dribbled through Martin Biron's legs with 90 seconds to go in regulation and then finishing Biron off in overtime with a backhander to lift the Devils to a 3-2 win and add two more points to their total.
Elias adds goals 9 and 10 to his season total,while the first Devil lamplighter went to Zach Parise (14).......

Hell Raisers

1) Patrik Elias has always been the type of player that left you wanting more.
By that,I mean that some players just seem to be capable of more than they give you-no matter their performance level.
But one thing that cannot be denied is that Elias plays best in pressure situations.
He always seems to be the guy that comes through when the Devils need it the most.
Elias seems to shine in overtime play and again,some players just have that knack....
15 career OT goals back up this notion.

2) The Flyer goal in the third that gave them their lead deflected off the stick of Bryce Salvador and was not the fault of Scott Clemmensen.
Clemmensen was solid,if unspectacular,but gave the Devils a chance to hang close and pull it out at the end....

3) Clemmensen's start was the first by a Devil other than Marty Brodeur against the Flyers since
Feb of 2002.
The last before Clemmensen?
John Vanbiesbrouck in his cameo appearance in Red and Black....

4) The Devils continue to get healthier as Brian Rolston and John Madden returned to the lineup.
Only Bobby Holik remains from the forwards along with Andy Greene of the backliners....

5) The Flyers wore their 74-75 jerseys in the game.
They look better than their current ones,which is the trend of many of the team jerseys today....

Bonus Round
Sorry that I have no pic of Elias scoring either goal.
None on the web of them

Bullpen Notes

Well,Winston-Salem announced their team name and logo for the upcoming season and the nicest thing that I can say is this,Yuck!
The Winston-Salem Dash?
My lord,how bad is that and the logo is no better.
The logo looks like something on a fast pitch softball team that is selling t-shirts to raise money for a trip!
What I cannot believe is that fans voted for this and the team paid consultants to come up with this.
Here is a link to name their mascot,I vote for Hyphen.
That cannot be any dumber than the name!
Watch for a new contest and name/logo change in a few years.

Since Winston-Salem is on the mind,best wishes and thoughts to former Wake Forest hoops star Rodney Rogers,who reportedly is paralyzed from the shoulders down after an accident in the all terrain vehicle he was driving.
The former ACC player of the Year was taken to a facility that specializes in paralysis injuries in North Carolina and we wish him all the best in his long struggle.



Battlin Bob sends us word of the death of Paul Benedict at the age of 70.
Benedict was most known for his role as Bentley the neighbor in the TV series The Jeffersons.
Benedict also had a cameo in a favorite film of mine-Waiting for Guffman

Until tomorrow!

Photo Credits
Parise:New Jersey Devils
Dash:Winston Salem Dash.com
Rogers:Classic Cards

Forgotten Superstars-Kenny Easley

Today's entry in the forgotten superstars' universe is a player who, in my opinion, is deserving of Hall of Fame induction despite a career shortened by injury.

Kenny Easley was the 4th overall pick in the 1981 draft by the Seahawks.
Easley was the first secondary player to be taken in the 1981 draft.
Think about that, Seattle took Easley over Ronnie Lott.
Easley and Lott had faced off for four years up to that point as Easley patrolled the safety areas for the UCLA Bruins, while Lott did the same for the crosstown USC Trojans.
Most would say Easley was at least as good as the Hall of Famer, and some have said his skills may have exceeded those of Lott.
That says more than I can write about Kenny Easley!

Read this on Easley from former Raider Todd Christensen comparing the two in 2002.
"It goes without saying what Ronnie did in his career," Christensen said. "But in all candor - and this is no knock on Ronnie - Kenny Easley was a better football player."

Easley was a combination of skills that saw his 6'3 frame hit like a truck while also allowing him to roam the field and return punts...
Few hard-hitting types at the NFL level can do the things that Kenny Easley did on the field.

Easley would play just seven years in the NFL, but his dominance cannot be questioned.
Defensive Rookie of the Year, AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1983, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1984 were just a few of the accolades sent the way of Kenny Easley.
Easley led the league in interceptions in 1984 with 10 and took two of them for Seattle scores.
Easley was also named as a safety on the all-decade team for the 1980s while making the Pro Bowl five times.

All this, and Easley missed some of the 1986 season with a severe ankle injury.
The ankle healed, but it still ended the career of the hard-hitting safety.
How?
Easley began to take pain relievers, and after making the Pro Bowl again in 1987, he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals were looking for a high-impact star to help gain new fans in the team's arrival in Phoenix, and Easley was just the player to do so with his vicious hits and big-play ability.

However, Kenny Easley's career was over as he failed the physical due to massive kidney damage from the pain relievers and would need a new kidney, which he would receive two years later.
Easley and the Seahawks would settle out of court for a suit that blamed the team physicians for causing the damage and the end of his career.
Easley was estranged from the franchise for years before reconciling in 2002 to be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor and make his home in Virginia.

Kenny Easley, intimidator, playmaker, deserving Hall of Fame inductee, should be remembered as one of the best ever, and not just a forgotten superstar.


Bullpen Notes

The Pirates are talking to Derrick "Tighten Bolts" Turnbow about adding him to the pen for 2009.
I am skeptical about Turnbow due to his wildness over the last two seasons, but let's see the price first before speaking.
Turnbow could be a valuable reclamation project for new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, but I wouldn't bank a large contract on it.........

The Post-Gazette also reports that Jack Wilson has drawn interest from the Dodgers, and light-hitting shortstop Chin-Lung Hu and 4A outfielder Delwyn Young are the apples of the Bucs' eye.
Must be some wormy apples out there.
I think I would pass on that offer...

Welcome, a new member of the links page in Buccos Forum.

Don Banks at SI has the Romeo Crennel pink slip potential at 90 percent (too low), Bill Cowher as the guy that everyone wants, and says that Marty Schottenheimer badly wants to return to coaching, and the Browns are his first choice.
I would be fine with Marty.

The New Jersey Devils travel to Philadelphia tonight for a game against the Flyers.
The Devils demoted Anssi Salmela to Lowell, recalled Jay Leach, and sent Petr Vrana to Lowell on a two-week conditioning assignment.
Vrana could use the work and must return to the parent club at the end of the two weeks.
This is surprising to me as I thought Salmela had been playing quite well, but the Devils thought the more physical Leach would match up better against the Flyers.
Brian Rolston and John Madden are expected to return to the Devils in the contest.....

Until next time!

Photo Credits
Easley:CNN SI

Random Ramblings

Just a final cleanup task and things are back to normal..

The Cleveland Browns signed former Tampa passer Bruce Gradkowski as their stopgap backup for the final month of the year.
Gradkowski played his college ball at Toledo and spent two seasons in Tampa before being released after last season.
In the photo,Gradkowski runs for his life in a game against Pittsburgh,if he has to play in the season finale' against the Steelers,it is very likely he will be running for his life once again and very often as well..

Brady Quinn will undergo surgery on his damaged finger.
Smart move.
Do the surgery,be at 100 % for camp and take no chances.

The Devils eventually finished with a five game win streak before a loss in Pittsburgh on Saturday night ended the streak.
New Jersey will return to the ice in Philadelphia on Thursday against the Flyers.

Former Devil defender David Hale finally scored his first goal of his career last week as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes.Hale scored the goal in his 231st game in the NHL and set a record for taking the longest to score his first goal....

The Seahawks continue to stink the joint up,but as bad as they have been,they would only have the fifth overall pick in the draft,if the draft were held today.
Despite a pitiful 2-10 record,Seattle ranks behind the winless Lions,the 1-9-1 Bengals and lose tie breakers to fellow 2-10 teams from the state of Missouri in the Chiefs and Rams.

The Winston Salem Warthogs are no more effective Thursday.
The franchise will announce both their new name and logo then.
I liked the Warthog logo,so maybe they can use something similar in their new nickname.
Rhinos,maybe????

Look for an upcoming look at next weeks Rule 5 draft for the Pirates soon.
Last year's draft produced Evan Meek,who didn't pitch well in Pittsburgh,but threw very well in stints in Altoona and Indianapolis after arrangements were made with Tampa to enable Meek to return to the minors and stay with the organization.
Some interesting players are available including local autograph favorite Chuck Lofgren from the Indians......

The Pirates are talking to Mark Loretta of the Astros about a contract.
This could be a precursor to a trade of Jack Wilson.
Loretta has played all the infield positions,but I have severe doubts that at his age (37) that he can play shortstop full time in Wilson's absence.
But keep in mind that the Pirates signed Chris Gomez under similar circumstances last season and discovered that Gomez was incapable of doing so.

Monday,the Veterans committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame announces the results of their voting.
Three past Forgotten Superstars are in considerations in Dick Allen,Tony Oliva and Al Oliver,but the leader to get an induction could be former Cub hot corner man Ron Santo.....
Allie Reynolds leads my vote on the pre-1941 ballot....
The regular HOF election results will be announced in January as Jim Rice gets his final swing at a deserved induction.

Sean Avery is crude and classless.
No kidding,like that is news,but his comments while uncalled for aren't worth suspending him for.
Very PC in my opinion by the NHL.
But hey,it keeps the ass off the ice,why not?!!

Tennessee sure swung and missed on Lane Kiffin.
What could make the Vols think that Kiffin is a qualified SEC head coach?
Because the senile Al Davis hired him on the cheap for the Raiders????
Brian Kelly of Cincinnati would have made far more sense and a much better hire...

I think that catches us up.
Back tomorrow with anything that catches my eye and that might be a Forgotten Superstar....

Photo Credits
Gradkowski:Daylife.com
Hale:Topps

Hagerstown Suns announce GM-Seamhead edition

Here is our edition for the seamheads out there as we look back on things that I missed....

The Hagerstown Suns hired Robert Flannery as their new GM to replace Will Smith as the head of their management.
Flannery has GM experience having been in SAL ball with the now defunct Columbus RedStixx,AA baseball with the New Haven Ravens (Now the Connecticut Defenders) and some time in marketing departments for both baseball and hockey teams in Midland Texas as well.
Flannery has spent the last few years working in athletic administration for the University of Nebraska at Omaha before deciding to return to minor league baseball in the Hub City.

Many of our readers know that I have been critical of the Suns in the past,but complementary as well.
I will be open minded about this hire as I have never heard of Flannery before the hire,so I really have a clean slate considering him.
Here is hoping for more promotions (I.E. better ones) and less of the goofy stuff that has marked the Suns on occasion in the past.
We hope to see less of the Sunsations and continue to improve the food at the Muni.
For all the things that we have written about Will Smith and his staff,I do believe that some improvement was shown last season on things and maybe the momentum can keep rolling with someone outside the Kurt Landis clique now as the head man.

Please don't get me wrong,I have nothing against Landis,but fresh blood means fresh ideas.
Welcome to Hagerstown,Mr Flannery and you are welcome here anytime you want to give us an interview.

I am not holding my breath on that one! Ha Ha!

To answer Mr.Wooden's (no,not John) questions on Trent Jewitt and Brad Eldred from the comment page,let me say this-Trent Jewitt will do a fine job in Potomac.
Honestly,he is overqualified to be a Carolina League boss and I liked what he did in Indianapolis as their manager over the years.
Jewitt interviewed for the Pirates job twice but was passed over on both occasions.

As for Brad Eldred,IF Washington gives him 500 at bats (I doubt it),he could give the Nats 30 homers and 175 whiffs.
Eldred really is an all or nothing guy and on a team that is as bad as Washington is,he could be a cheap and entertaining option for Nationals fans.
He will be entertaining with the glove as well,but for the wrong reasons.
Eldred will bring memories of Dick Stuart to mind if given the playing time.

I don't really want to say too much about the two Indian (not Cleveland) pitchers that the Pirates recently signed.
The odds are long that they will reach Lynchburg,let alone Pittsburgh,but I will say this-even if they never get anywhere near the Steel City-this was brilliant.
The Pirates have become the team to follow in India now and with the size of the country,the Pirates brand will make them the front runner for future prospects.
Look at how Seattle was able to do a similar thing with Japanese prospects for years until the bigger teams were able to become entrenched there.
Smart move.

Wilbur Miller has put his grade of the Pirate drafts since 1999 up on his site.
As always with Wilbur's work,well worth a look.
All the grades seem pretty fair,I might have the 2004 draft a nick higher on the grading scale,but otherwise no difference.

Until later today,when we finish up with some hockey talk and a little pigskin as well.

Browns Browns Browns

A quick Browns post before yet another wonderful night at work,but two off nights will hopefully catch things up.

The Browns 10-6 loss to Indianapolis was a snoozer of a game.
Defensive games can be fun to watch,but this was bad offense,not poor defense and only the Derek Anderson fumble and recovery romp by the Colts Robert Mathis reached the end zone for either team.....

Brownie Bits

1) The booing of Derek Anderson as he lie on the ground with a season ending injury was classless by the normally loyal Cleveland fans.
I understand the frustration of Browns fans and I share them,but Anderson's troubles this season were not effort related (like others have been) and he didn't deserve such treatment.....

2) Anderson was hamstrung by an offensive gameplan that looked like it was created by Fred Flintstone.
Short passes are the weakest part of Anderson's game and the Browns used them almost exclusively.
That is not taking advantage of your players strengths.

3) Between that and the use of an ineffective Jamal Lewis and rarely (AGAIN) using Jerome Harrison gave the Browns the appearance of playing not to lose instead of win.
But that is not all bad,as a long time coach,I have (behind the scenes) looked at games that you are overmatched in and have two ways to approach things.
One is to go crazy and throw everything against the wall and attempt to overwhelm the opponent with brash and daring calls or the other is to play 100 % under the vest and hope you play perfect and they play poorly.
The Browns went with the latter and it almost worked....

4) Ken Dorsey takes over for the rest of the year.
Dorsey isn't very good and is from Miami,but I like him.
Why?
He put 100 bucks into my pocket!
Right,Brandon?
And thanks!
Story coming soon,it beats talking about Dorsey's play.

5) The Browns have one chance to win this season-at home against the Bengals.
What?Ken Dorsey vs Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't get the blood flowing????

6) Rookie tight end Martin Rucker played in his first game and caught a pass.
With Kellen Winslow missing the next game in Tennessee,I want to see a lot of Rucker over the next month-If Winslow moves on,Rucker will need the experience...

7) Same goes at linebacker,where rookies Beau Bell and Alex Hall rarely appear in favor of the slowest backers in the league in Andra Davis and Willie McGinest.
Romeo Crennel should do the right thing and play these two and more of Leon Williams too.
I liked what I saw of Williams last season and rarely see him this year...

8) A note for the Bill Cowher fans.
Many of you bitch about Crennel playing the 3-4 defense and that the Browns do not have the personnel to run it.
I agree,but the same defense is going to be played if Cowher is the coach.
Will the personnel change that much over night????

9) Give credit to Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald yesterday too.
Both have had their bad games,but shut Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison down yesterday.
Wright is more of a 2 corner and McDonald is a better fit in the nickel or dime,but both did their job yesterday....

10) Josh Cribbs continues to be the MVP and is the 2nd string QB for now,no word on what cannon fodder will be the 3rd stringer from off the street....

Bonus Round:

What a dimension that Cribbs throwing the ball from the "single wing" would be when Cleveland uses the formation.
Just one use would keep the defense guessing forever,but that would be creative and we just cannot have that!!!

Back tomorrow when we clean up further on the Seahawks,Devils and some baseball for the seamheads.

Photo Credits
Grim Reaper:Gregory Shamus-Getty Images