Weekend Fun & Missed inbox!

Photo credit:Mike Oravec

We now will attempt to clean the inbox with the non-sports version of our show,but before that allow me to tell you a little about my weekend.

I'm not sure whether or not,I've ever mentioned my fondness for the old Sohio gas station chains.
I have a tough time passing up Sohio collectibles on trips,but Sohio (which was just the Ohio version of Boron service stations) isn't the focus of this note.
Ashland oil and their service stations don't appear very often anymore,but a recent road trip with Mike Oravec to Uniontown PA for a card show saw this old station right on the Maryland/PA line with an Ashland sign.
Not sure,if they actually serve Ashland gas or just retained an old sign,but it was still neat to see.
This was quite a stop as it literally advertised "being able to sleep on the Mason/Dixon line" at a motel room rate of 19.95.
I wonder how many times those rooms are rented??
Great time with Mike and I finished my Pittsburgh Lumber Company bobblehead set with the addition of Rennie Stennett.
The Pirates gave away seven bobbleheads at various games a few years back and never was able to get Stennett,who was the final one given away....

On Saturday,Rachel and I attended a weather presentation by Jennifer Pagliei,the meteorologist that I stumbled onto at work on the Herald Mail network that is only available on Antietam Cable systems.
Since we are thrilled with Directv,I've only ever seen her work while I'm at work,but as a somewhat weather geek (Not like I as I was before the Weather Channel cut back on weather),I was interested enough to check it out at Discovery Station.
I had never been to the facility,which is more for kids obviously,but it had a nice section on baseball in Hagerstown.
That covered the Suns,the various previous teams and players from the area that played in the majors,so that was nice.
I enjoyed meeting Jennifer,who is super nice and likely won't be in this market long,as talented television personalities move onto bigger markets quickly and liked taking Rachel for some time together.
Not a bad morning at all!

I missed one sports note for the sports version of the inbox,so we can do an all non-sports version later this week,so here goes as ESPN W (their page for all women's sports) writes about the LPGA's "Free Spirit" in Jessica Korda.
You may remember Jessica as our "hostess" for the 2014 Pigskin Picking Machine and as the favorite LPGA player of TRS....

Back later tonight with the Devils against the Edmonton Oilers....

Cleaning out the inbox!

The inbox is overflowing and it may take two or three cleanings this week to keep things scaled back.
So,if you enjoy the inbox-stay tuned because there is a lot coming up.

We start with the oldest and work our way up with a Grantland "Requiem for a Dump",which serves as a goodbye to the last of the standing 1970's arena in the Nassau Coliseum.
I always laugh seeing games from there on TV  because it really is a memory inducer of those 70's arenas,like my beloved Richfield Coliseum and the local Capital Centre.
I see the Nassau Coliseum and wonder how they would have aged.
The broadcasts are always at weird angles above the ice,the lighting is odd and it really has an older broadcast feel.
Rachel also have laughs at the various sponsors there,most notably the circulatory socks ad at CENTER ICE a few years back!
I guess King Edward Cigars wasn't available.

Grantland returns with a new series that looks at "Unheralded Rivalries" in college basketball.
I love stuff like this and the first installment was Indiana vs Purdue.
I rooted for Purdue often in the 80's and 90's as Ohio State was rarely anything to get excited about and I always respected Gene Keady a lot as a coach.
I was also a big Glenn Robinson fan,liked his game and his years as a Boilermaker were always fun to watch.
The Big Dog was quite a scorer and with better knees would have had an even better pro career than he had,which was pretty good as is...
I'm looking forward to seeing more from this series.....

The Pirates recently made a few minor trades,including adding former Hagerstown Suns infielder Steve Lombardozzi for cash considerations,but one got my attention and it might not affect either team at first.
The Pirates sent a strong arm in Bryton Trepagnier to the Braves for third baseman Edward Salcedo in a swap of 23 year olds that are still interesting to watch for 2015.
Trepagnier spent last season at High A Bradenton and composed interesting and much improved numbers than his previous season at Low A West Virginia.
Trepagnier throws hard (mid 90's) and keeps the ball down (allowed just one homer),so Atlanta may have gotten lucky on a future reliever if some kinks in his command can be worked out...

Pittsburgh received Edward Salcedo,a former shortstop that outgrew the position and is now at the hot corner.
Salcedo was thought of highly at one time,having received over a million dollar bonus,when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic.
However Salcedo has shown decent power (double digit homers each of the last 4 years up the ladder),combined with trouble getting on base (never a avg. higher than .248 or an OPS higher than .711) and decent speed for a big man (6'3) having notched steals in the 20's three times.
Salcedo played for AAA Gwinett last year,but if the Pirates are serious about rehabilitating him as a prospect-I'd think an assignment to AA Altoona might be a better idea.
It's a deal with potential for both teams that might also be forgotten in six months...

Fox Sports had a good article on the late Wayne Estes and their naming of the practice facility of Utah State's after the former Aggie star.
Estes passed away fifty years ago today after being electrocuted after a game that he complained about feeling numbness in his hands "like electric passing through them".
It's an interesting tale for the sports fan and the supernatural fans that like premonitions.
Estes was one of the top scorers in the country in 1965 with Rick Barry as they battled for the scoring title.
Look for a potential Forgotten Superstars appearance for Wayne Estes in the future...

When you follow Twitter and Facebook,you see a lot of friendly jabs at each other between teams and usually it's lighthearted and fun.
Not in the case of the Fresno Grizzlies and Sacramento RiverCats,who are taking shots at the other constantly and I haven't seen a subtle smile yet.
The Grizzlies lost their affiliation with the Giants to the RiverCats,which started a lot of this (Fresno is now with Houston) and through that along with some "stolen" ideas for promotions,these two swap less than kind banter all the time.
Usually in the minors,these types of things are as real as pro wrestling,but I've been assured by a employee of one of the teams that this is legitimate and very real.
I'm kinda caught in the middle (I follow both teams) as the Giants are now with Sacramento,but Fresno is the only team in the minors that follows me (Yeah,really the Suns and Keys don't, Ha Ha),so my heart is with the Grizzlies on this one!

And finally a goodbye to maybe the most underrated golfer ever as Billy Casper passed away at the age of 83.
Casper is seventh on the all time win list with 51 wins on tour with three of those being majors (2 U.S.Opens and a Masters) and had the bad luck to play at a time when the PGA tour had its strongest lineup of players as far as depth goes in its history.
Casper also was special to me for signing a picture and some cards and then adding a note that thanked ME for asking him.

There is still plenty in the inbox,so look for a mostly non-sports edition coming up soon!

Massacred in Montreal-Devils lose 6-2

The New Jersey Devils managed to hang tight for two periods and a little into the third as they kept the Montreal Canadiens close at just 3-2.
Montreal then turned the jets on and swiftly ended the game with three goals and a 6-2 win at the Forum in Montreal.
Mike Cammalleri (18) and Jacob Josefson (3) scored for New Jersey.
Recap below.I'm about to be sick.

Hell Raisers

1) Keith Kinkaid deserved better than a six goal inflation to his GAA.
Kinkaid faced another barrage of shots as Cory Schnieder has of late and Kinkaid made some dynamite saves.
Don't blame number one-without him this might have been an 11-2 game.

2) Credit to Tuomo Ruutu for hitting Jacob Josefson in stride for a backhand that beat Carey Price,
The play was made by Ruutu and it was nice to see Josefson finish the play.
That's about all the good news I have for tonight.

3) Dumbest penalty that I've seen in a while-Dainius Zubrus and his high stick off a faceoff that resulted in a double minor and two resulting Canadien goals.
I'm really weary of Zubrus,who only appears most of the time to make a colossal error.

4) The Devils did get over 20 shots in a rare change (22),but allowed 38 in what is becoming a shooting gallery against the Devils goaltenders.
That ratio is very indicative of a bad hockey team.
Not average,not mediocre.Bad.

5) I'd ramble more on defensive mistakes,but I'm just tired of it.
The losing streak was one built on a mirage.
That's what happens when you get a homestand filled with other crappy teams and get some wins.
Home ice can make that much of a difference with other crappy teams.
Watch what happens against good teams and then wonder-bet on lots of nights like tonight

It's Coming!!

Just wanted to announce the coming of the TRS podcast in the next few weeks!

I've ordered the equipment and hopefully I'll be up and running soon.

I'm very excited and I'm hoping to bring two new interviews to TRS,once the bugs get worked out.

I'm looking forward to not just talking sports,but the other things about me that I find interesting in the world-from politics to weather to reading and more.

I hope some of you will give us a listen when we are ready to hit air...

Meanwhile,the inbox is overflowing and tonight's post will likely feature the cleaning with many different notes from around the world along with the Devils in Montreal.

See you then!

Elias scores 400th in 3-1 Devils win

Patrik Elias scored his 400th goal (7) in his Devils career as the New Jersey Devils completed their homestand with their 4th win in five game in a 4-1 win over the wobbling Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Devils remaining goals were scored by Jaromir Jagr (11 empty net),Steve Bernier (9) and Tuomo Ruutu (6) with Cory Schneider supporting in net with 33 saves.
New Jersey travels to Montreal tomorrow night,


Hell Raisers

1) Patrik Elias has not been a true top notch scorer,he has always been more of an all around player that scores some goals.
Combine that with a long career and goals will pile up,but I've always thought Patrik Elias was a class act and I'm proud to have a player like him hold our record for goals scored.
I can only hope the next guy to hold it has his type of class....

2) The Devils caught a lucky break on the first goal when a Mark Fraser dump-in hit the boards so hard that it rebounded right to Tuomo Ruutu at the side of the net to be slammed home before James Reimer had a chance to stop the puck.
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

3) Still tired of the playoff updates.
The Devils are 10 points out of the playoffs-Get to five and I'll start listening...

4) Steve Bernier deflected an Adam Larsson shot for another goal and his ninth of the year.
You may not remember,but when Bernier was a rising young player with the Sharks and Canucks,he was considered to be a potential 30 goal scorer.
That might be asking much,but I've been telling Rachel for a while that it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Steve Bernier break out with a 20 goal season out of nowhere like David Clarkson did and make a lot of money off a resulting contract...

5) Cory Schneider's one allowed goal wasn't great,but he was otherwise excellent and other than one smack off the pipe,Schneider wasn't bailed out by anyone other than himself.
Keith Kinkaid will start against Montreal.

Cleveland Browns Season in Review-The Defense

The 2014 Cleveland Browns were a mixed bag on the defensive side of the football.
Surprising in some areas,deficient in others,but a group that has established a foundation to build on for the overall future...

The defensive line struggled with injuries all season and that's too bad as they should have been pretty good at top throttle.
Desmond Bryant was the healthiest and most consistent and finished with five sacks.
Armonty Bryant was playing very well when he went down with a knee injury and Phil Taylor was effective stuffing the run until his season ending injury,
Billy Winn shows promise and John Hughes missed a lot of time with injury,but showed me lots of toughness in returning to play in the final meaningless game when he didn't have to.
Ahtyba Rubin was disappointing and might be ready to go elsewhere and Ishmaaa'ly Kitchen is just another depth lineman.
The Browns finished last in the league against the run and while the loss of Phil Taylor helped that number stay so low,Cleveland still could use a big and physical lineman
The line also needs to generate more of a pass rush and I think the Browns might be interested in adding another end and a tackle in the draft and free agency.

The linebackers were a much improved unit over last year and could have been the most improved period.
Paul Kruger rebounded from a disappointing first season and was a strong pass rusher as Kruger finished with 11 sacks.
The other outside backers weren't as productive as Jabaal Sheard continued to struggle in his move from end.
Sheard is a free agent and will likely to find a team that will use him at defensive end.
Former first rounder Barkevious Mingo still was not a breakout player,but in his defense,Mingo played the entire season with a torn bicep,so I am willing to give him a pass.
Outside linebacker is a definite need,even if just for depth after the loss of Sheard.
The inside backers were better as Karlos Dansby did exactly what he was signed to do with veteran leadership and strong tackling.
Craig Robertson was greatly improved ,especially against the pass,where Robertson struggled against in the past and rookie Christian Kirksey played well and looks to be a contributor for quite a while...

The secondary was improved as was expected before the season,but not for the reasons that I thought that they would be,
Joe Haden continues to build a All-Pro resume' with what I thought was his best season yet on the corner and Buster Skrine had his best season as well.
Skrine struggles with bigger receivers and I still think he would be better served covering someone in the slot,but Skrine gets better every year.
Skrine is a free agent,so it'll be interesting to see how highly the Browns consider retaining him
The Browns expected to be able to move Skrine to the slot after installing a rookie corner.
The surprise was that the rookie to make his presence felt was free agent signee K'Waun Williams,who played very well until a late season injury.
Williams might be able make Skrine move to the slot next season,should he return as Williams was that impressive.
First round draft pick Justin Gilbert had his occasional victories (a pick six),but more often was uninspired,beaten and had off the field issues all contributed to making his rookie year an extremely disappointing one.
I wouldn't be ready to write Gilbert off yet,but he might need a boot camp style intervention in order to turn his career around.
Donte Whitner was very similar to Karlos Dansby as the Browns got exactly what they hoped for with his signing.
Whitner's partner Tayshaun Gipson had six interceptions when his season ended due to injury and looked to have a chance at making some all-pro teams when the injury occurred.
Jordan Poyer will be the only returning backup safety as steady veteran Jim Leonhard announced his retirement after the season...

The Browns defense had its ups and downs,but I am encouraged entering 2015.
They need some reinforcements,especially on the defensive line,but the defense shows promise for the future..

Grades

Defensive Line:C-
Linebackers B-
Secondary B

Back later with the special teams and a grade for the coaches/front office

Devils pass Senators 2-1

The New Jersey Devils used a little late offense and a little late luck on the defensive as the Devils took a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators at the Rock in Newark.
Mike Cammalleri's goal (17) lifted the Devils to the lead with the only score of the third period with New Jersey holding off the Ottawa attack late in the game with the goalie being pulled.
Adam Henrique tied the game at one with his 13th goal of the season in the second period.
New Jersey will host Toronto Friday in the final game of a five game homestand....

Hell Raisers

1) My lord,another boring game to watch.
I'm not going to rap the Devils for playing this way in an extremely defensive style as it gives them their best (if not only) chance to win,but these games against other less than strong teams are becoming less than artistic interpretations on the ice...

2) New Jersey also received a bit of luck with seconds remaining when Ottawa's Bobby Ryan missed being able to slam home a puck into a open net.
Andy Greene and Adam Larsson both had a small part in the miss,but the biggest factor?
What the dearly missed Doc Emrick used to call "The Unseen Hand".

3) The goal by Ottawa was downright terrible as Curtis Lazar was fed a pass off an awful turnover by Marek Zidlicky.
Lazar lumbers in,tries to go to the backhand,whiffs and then as Cory Schneider attempts to put the squeeze on Lazar by taking his space away,the puck then rolled by Schneider.
These things happen,but too many bad things on one play....

4) Third straight game with under 20 shots and they come away with five points?
Lot of luck there,but they are keeping the opponents shots down too (except vs Pittsburgh),so the commitment (like it or not) is to this type of slow,defensive hockey and hope for the best.
More shots are going to be a must,if the Devils expect to defeat better teams...

5) I wrote a few days about the Devils needing a ten point sweep of this homestand to have a prayer.
So far they have gotten 7 of a possible 8.
I still think they are finished from playoff talk and I'll still take a better draft position than meaningless and boring wins over other bad teams.
12 points behind Boston for the last wild card spot-not good enough in my opinion .....