Kinkaid brilliance not enough in Chicago loss

For the second night in a row,the New Jersey Devils received an extraordinary performance in goal,but this time the opposition was better as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Devils in the shootout for a 3-2 triumph at the Rock.
Keith Kinkaid finished with 37 saves in his first NHL start in a stellar effort.
Jordan Tootoo (2) and Stephen Gionta (2) scored for the battered Devils,who will be in Philadelphia on Thursday....

Hell Raisers

1) Keith Kinkaid was sensational in his first start and it was even more remarkable when you consider the competition of one of the better teams in the league.
Kinkaid may have been overwhelmed in the shootout by two of the best players in the game (Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane),but otherwise performed very well,

2) Kinkaid was called up earlier in the day from Albany with the Devils playing yet another back to back game set and didn't get there until a few hours before the game.
As far I am concerned,if the Devils want to actually play the backup once in a while,I'd rather see Kinkaid than Scott Clemmensen....

3) Cory Schneider asked for a night off and Rachel (who generally complains about Schneider whenever she can) said that "he wanted to play all the time,he should play".
Asking out of the lineup happens in baseball and Schneider has started every game but one entering last night.
In my opinion,playing Martin Brodeur far too much was an issue in his later years and it appears that it is rearing its head again.
I liked that Schneider asked out (this time) and think it would help him and the Devils to sprinkle Keith Kinkaid in more often....

4) The defense ranged to poor to good,but the penalty killers did kill off a 5 on 3 that looked to have doomed the game.
New Jersey is slowly starting to turn that problem around and must credit where it is do.

5) Dainius Zubrus was injured against Carolina and Reid Boucher was called from the A-Devils.
Boucher was less than remarkable in this one,but the short notice could have been a factor-at least I hope.

6) Travis Zajac and Adam Larsson have been diagnosed with the mumps.
It appears to be on its way out as Zajac has resumed skating,but it took this long to know this for sure?

7) The team needs to work on one final thing that I noticed-the team doesn't clear the puck well.
I lost count of how many times that the puck was just lying there after a interrupted pass and Chicago was able to keep in the Devils zone.
That is not just a problem of the defensemen,that is a forward issue as well and it needs to be addressed..

I'll be around from the road office later tonight with a boxing challenge update and perhaps a Q and A since I haven't had one of those in a while....

Henrique Goal gives Devils 2-1 win!

The New Jersey Devils were generally outplayed in Raleigh by the Carolina Hurricanes,but Jaromir Jagr (5) and Adam Henrique (8) ended a second period that saw all the goals in the game scored with a eventual 2-1
win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Cory Schneider was the games star with 40 saves for New Jersey,who returns home tonight for one day vs Chicago.

Hell Raisers

1) Cory Schneider deserves all the credit for the win,
Schneider almost singlehandedly kept New Jersey in the contest with dazzling save after save and somehow after 40 saves,didn't get voted as one of the three stars.
Ridiculous...

2) Jaromir Jagr wasn't expected to play and yet scored a goal with an assist on the Adam Henrique game winner.
That shows the leadership of Jagr,who should have received some consideration for the captainship,at least in the absence of Bryce Salvador.

3) Have I told you my conspiracy theory on Salvador?
Well,here goes-Considering his poor play,bloated salary,young defensemen that need to play and being the captain all being factors that make him almost untradable-I think that the team may have come up with an injury that would not embarrass Salvador (since he has to be paid anyway) and yet keep him off the ice.
Plausible?

4) Scott Gomez also assisted on both Devils goals.
Gomez might have found a niche for his top skill-passing and if spotted on a line with players capable of finishing,could be reasonably productive.

5) 16 shots on the goal,normally,will not get many victories and even more rarely against a good team.
Carolina is not a good team and the Devils put forth a lazy and uninspired effort (except for Cory Schneider) and were lucky to earn two points..

6) I mixed things up a bit and watched on the Carolina network.
I like to do this once in a while as it keeps the Devils guys fresher to me.
Back in the days of Kathryn Tappen being on NESN in the studio for Bruins telecasts along with Andy Brickley,I would always watch New Jersey-Boston games on NESN.
Hurricane announcers John Forsland and Tripp Tracy were decent enough,certainly not awful,but the big winner was Chantel McCabe.
I've never been a fan of Deb Placey with the Devils,but McCabe showed not only an appealing personality,but some knowledge as well as she diagrammed a play on an erasable board that showed some things that Carolina is doing.
McCabe looks quite young so there is room for growth in her knowledge of the game as well,so there is some possibility for improvement too.
I walked away quite taken with McCabe and the Fox Sports Carolina team and might give them another try when these two teams play.
If I'm MSG Networks,I'm trying to bring Chantel McCabe to work for one of the three NYC area teams.

I'm watching the tape of the Cavaliers and Nets now and if I have time,I'll have some thoughts up later today...

Indians trade for Brandon Moss

The Cleveland Indians needed an infusion of power and with some luck,the Wahoos may have acquired it from the Oakland Athletics during day one of the winter meetings.

The Indians sent minor league second baseman Joe Wendle to Oakland in return for Brandon Moss,who hit 25 homers last season with the A's.
Moss,who was a disappointing prospect with Boston and as a big leaguer with the Pirates,found himself in Oakland as he hit 21,30 and 25 homers in his three years in Northern California and made the all-star team for the first time last season.

Moss can play either corner outfield spot or first base,so the Indians could use him similarly to the way that Oakland used him,which is a decent amount in all three positions.
Moss struggled in the second half last season,but much of that can be attributed to a hip issue that hopefully has been solved by off season surgery.

Moss had problems staying healthy in Boston and Pittsburgh,but played over 140 games in each of the last two seasons in Oakland,so hopefully those days have passed.
One would think that the Indians will shop Nick Swisher (bet on them having to eat a lot of money,so a deal is unlikely) and especially David Murphy,who I would think might be out the door as soon as this week at the winter meetings.

The cost was Joe Wendle,a minor league second baseman,who is a line drive bat that is blocked by Jason Kipnis in Cleveland.
I saw Wendle a lot in his time with High A Carolina (Now Lynchburg) and AA Akron and think he has a chance in the bigs although he missed half a season with the Rubber Ducks and will likely start 2015 with the A's low A affiliate in Midland,Texas.
Wendle wasn't going to threaten Kipnis anyway and with some thoughts beginning to sprout in the Indians organization about moving Jose Ramirez to second eventually to avoid a battle with prize prospect Francisco Lindor,dealing Wendle did the player a favor and helped Cleveland as well.

If Brandon Moss and his ailing hip is truly healed,the Indians has added a bat good for at least 20 homers and did it for a prospect that is not even their top prospect at his position in their system,so that's a good deal.
Even Moss isn't the player that he once was,I still like the deal for the above facts and Moss is not a free agent for two more years,so the gamble is not immense nor is his current contract.
I like it and I would suspect that the Indians aren't finished yet in San Diego either...

I have Devils and Cavaliers action and I still have things to say about Ohio State's entry into the final four,so I'll be around...

Exhausted Defense finally fails,Colts beat Browns 25-24

The Cleveland Browns defense did all that one could ask for against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts,but they spent almost the entire second half on the field and lost on a Luck to T.Y. Hilton pass with under a minute remaining to give the Colts their only lead of the day and the only one that they would need in a 25-24 heartbreaker.
The Browns scored two of their three touchdowns on defense as Craig Robertson recovered a Luck fumble in the end zone and Justin Gilbert grabbed a pass of Luck's and returned it for another.
The now 7-6 Browns will host the Cincinnati Bengals in their final home game next week in what is now a must win....

Brownie Bits

1) Right off,it's clear that Mike Pettine made the wrong decision in sticking with Brian Hoyer over Johnny Manziel,but not for the reasons that you might think.
Hoyer played scared that he was going to be lifted and you could see that with each throw.
Hoyer didn't thrive on the competition,he was afraid he was going to screw up and that became a self-fullfilling prophecy...

2) I loved our defense yesterday.
They hammered and hassled Andrew Luck into mistakes and they simply were worn out by the end of the game.
When you are on the field the entire second half and they were-against a good offensive team,you cannot play at a high level forever.

3) Here are the Browns offensive plays on each drive in the second half-3,3,3,5,4,5,2.
Produced just three points and that was due to field position from a Colts turnover.
Circle that one!

4) Speaking of field goals,Billy Cundiff can go now.
Cundiff has missed field goals in each of the last FIVE games and his first half miss from 40 yards was very makeable.
In a one point loss,that's inexcusable...

5) Craig Robertson continues to play well in the absence of Karlos Dansby.
Robertson had the TD,but just missed an interception and finished with 10 solo tackles.
Well played.

6) Josh Gordon seemed a bit,well less than interested.
Gordon wasn't targeted as much as before and he was wide open for what would have been a long score had Brian Hoyer not overthrown him by five yards (I'm not kidding),but he was never a factor in this game and he should have been considering the Colts were missing their top corner in Vontae Davis....

7) Hoyer also had Taylor Gabriel open for a sure TD and overthrew him by a good five yards.
I really wanted to like Brian Hoyer,but the Browns just cannot live with a guy that completes less than half of his passes,if he can't complete the deep ball either..

8) Jim Leonhard! A sack,a pick in the end zone for a turnover and another pick that will not hit the stat sheet because it came on a two point conversion.
Love having guys like Jim Leonhard on the team...

9) Joe Haden covered T.Y. Hilton great all day until he just wore down in the fourth quarter.
Looking at the Hilton numbers (10 for 150 and 2 scores) and you would think Hilton dominated.
Watch the tape-he didn't-he just wore Haden down...

10) I thought the referees did a good job in letting the players play and only the last drive pass interference call against Buster Skrine tainted that .
The refs let them play and then call a light call like that one...

11) Want a non-Luck MVP?
How about former Buckeye Boom Herron on a 4th and 1 from the Browns 2 on the last drive.
Herron looked to be stopped cold for a game saver for the Browns,but Herron's legs never stopped moving forward and drove/spun his way for a yard that he never should have had...

12) Finally,The Browns need to win out to make the playoffs and that's possible,if unlikely,but what if they lose out?
Could Jimmy Haslem can Mike Pettine for the collapse,the sticking stubbornly to Brian Hoyer etc?
Haslem always has wanted a big name,so something to think about,if the Browns finish 7-9.....

Beyond Words-Buckeyes win Big 10 59-0 over Wisconsin!

 It is isn't often that I am speechless on sports,but last night I was as the Ohio State Buckeyes working with a third string quarterback starting his first game against a strong opponent with a Heisman candidate simply rolled over the Wisconsin Badgers 59-0.
So many offensive stars in this one that I'll try to address below,but suffice it to say that it'll be a long time before this game is forgotten by Ohio State fans.
The now 12-1 and Big Ten Champion Buckeyes will wait until tonight to see if this was enough to get them into the final four or will they settle for one of the New Years Day spots in the highest second tier of bowls??

Olentangy Offerings

1) I picked Wisconsin in this game close,but I told everyone that I would pick the Buckeyes with J.T,Barrett close.
I also added though that if I had to pick one coach to get a quarterback up to speed in this situation it would be Urban Meyer.
Start with Meyer and his offensive coaching staff when you pass out bouquets for this win..

2) Cardale Jones threw three touchdowns and 257 yards and it was apparent from the first drive that Jones was prepped and ready for this game.
Jones showed a bigger arm than either Braxton Miller or J.T.Barrett and his style is more Terrelle Pryor than the two others.
Jones has a set of skills that might prove to make (to my surprise) Ohio State even tougher in the coming weeks-no matter who they play....

3) There was a runner that went over 200 yards in this title game,but it was not the heralded Melvin Gordon,it was Ezekiel Elliott that was unstoppable. Elliott ripped off 220 yards on two touchdowns and the Badgers simply could not stop Elliott,who may have scored again had he not thrown a shoe on a long run....

4) Devin Smith finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns,one of them coming down between two defenders.
"Big Play Devin" continues to be the guy that the Buckeyes looks for in the deep passing game and Ohio State might look back with wishes that they had gotten him more involved over the year.

5) This game could have been over 60 points on the point.
In the second quarter,Ezekiel Elliott dropped a pass that he would have strolled into the end zone with and OSU settled for their only Sean Nurnberger field goal of the day.

6) Melvin Gordon came into the game with tons of hype and it was deserved.
Gordon against the Ohio State run defense was my main worry and another reason that I picked Wisconsin.
Instead,Gordon was corralled and kept under control with 76 yards,but he needed 26 carries to do so which is an average of less than three yards a carry...

7) I've been very critical of Luke Fickel as a defensive coordinator through the years and I'm not sure who created this game plan,but the thought was brilliant as they often had eight and nine men in the box to stop Melvin Gordon.
I was (stupidly perhaps) reminded of the 6-2 Stack Monster defense employed by the brilliant defensive coordinator Craig T.Nelson in "All the Right Moves".
Credit where it is due and unless the Buckeyes get scorched in the coming games,Fickel may have saved his job for another year...

8) I've read some tweets/articles that suggested that the Badgers were "Intimidated" by Ohio State.
I have doubts on that.
When these two teams play,it has been a close and hard hitting game for years and that not only casts a shadow on a good Wisconsin program along with the Ohio State victory.

9) Four forced turnovers including a Joey Bosa fumble recovery for a score.
I hate to be melodramatic here,but could this effort have been a tribute to the tragic loss of Kosta Karageorge?
Michael Bennett forced two of the Badgers fumbles and he wore 53 as a tribute to Karageorge.

10) Finally the big question-Are the Buckeyes in?
Answer-I don't know,but they could not have stated their case any strongly.
I have no problems with Alabama or Oregon and Florida State has won all games and despite the recent shots at the Seminoles,they have won all their games,so to me they are in.
That leaves the Buckeyes with TCU and Baylor.
Nothing against those schools,but no one in the Big 12 plays defense at all,
The loss to Virginia Tech looks bad and if OSU doesn't get in,they can blame the Hokies for turning so mediocre after a great night for them (6-6),but that is a different team.
I have a bias,but if it is me,It is Florida State (Undefeated),Alabama (toughest conference sked),Oregon (tough conference,played a good non-conference team in Michigan State) and the Buckeyes ( impressive finish and playing well on both sides of the ball).
What this really does is point out that the real need is for an eight team playoff and if that means the conference championship games go away in order to do so-fine......

Boxing Challenge

The Boxing Challenge rolls on into December with R.L.Malpica and I all tied up in points.

This weekend ,we go to a three fight HBO card from Brooklyn and a former champion fighting in Montreal.

Middleweights.12 rds
David Lemieux vs Gabriel Rosado

R.L.:Lemieux KO 6
TRS: Rosado KO 10

Junior Welterweights.10 rds
Thomas Dulorme vs Hank Lundy

R.L: Dulorme unanimous decision
TRS;Lundy unanimous decision

Middleweights.10 rds
James De La Rosa vs Hugo Centeno
R.L: De La Rosa KO 8
TRS:Centeno Unanimous decision

Lt Heavyweights.12 rds
Jean Pascal vs Roberto Bolonti
Both:Pascal unanimous decision

With three of the four fights being picked differently-one of us could give themselves a sizable lead with just a few weeks to go...

Rapping the Raptors 105-91

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their sixth game in a row 105-91 by avenging a loss to the Toronto Raptors in Toronto.
LeBron James scored 24 points and dished off for 13 assists while Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love each notched a double double in points and rebounds,
The now 11-7 Cavaliers visit Brooklyn on Monday.

Swashbucklings

1) The Cavaliers have not lost since that debacle against the Raptors and even though these six wins have had their erratic moments,I can see the signs of how strong this team could be.
They still need a few parts,but things are starting to mesh and even if it isn't always for 48 minutes...

2) Tristan Thompson showed off what he is capable of with his 21 points and 14 boards.
Thompson is never going to be an all-star,but he is very capable of being the best off the bench big man in the league..

3) James Jones rarely plays,but he got a few minutes off the bench late in the first half and delivered
two long three pointers.
Jones fits "Boobie Gibson" role that might disappear for long stretches of the regular season,but could be huge in playoff time..

4) LeBron James is usually pretty great,but last night,he was dazzling with the passing of the basketball.
Some of the James passes were astounding and showed why I've always thought of him as more Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan,..

5)  Mike Miller missed the game with a concussion and will have to go through the leagues concussion protocol.
Miller was just beginning to get more playing time,so this was a bad time for Miller to have a problem....