NHL Season Mere Hours Away

Well the NHL kicks off tonight, and even though the season doesn't start for my Penguins until Friday (my desktop countdown reads 56 hours, 12 minutes, 08 seconds), it's hard not to be pretty jazzed (jazzed? really, Justin?) about tonight. I mean, even SportsCenter acknowledged the NHL's existence. It was for about 15 seconds in the last few minutes of the show. But still.

Anyways, at this point you've probably heard a thousand different predictions. If it's one thing people in sports media love to do, while neglecting their duty as reporters, it's make predictions. So I'm gonna try and tread that territory lightly (even though a certain someone did happen to pick the Ducks last October). Why? Well it's certainly not to avoid looking like a fool in 9 months, as nothing in my past seems to hint at me avoiding that. But more or less because this season, for the first time in a handful of years, the Penguins are seriously in the mix.

As a devoted fan who takes his role with the team entirely too seriously, I can't pick against them. And Lord knows I'm not gonna jinx anything by picking them either. So I'll keep my mouth shut about the entire Eastern Conference.

As for the West, well a week ago I was big on the prospects of the San Jose Sharks making it to the Cup final. Then I heard someone else pencil them in, which admittedly has kind of turned me off them. The Sharks were my thing, not the consensus pick. Not the half educated pick (Detroit Red Wings? Yeah, because they've played great in the playoffs the past few years). It was like hearing my sister listening to the Pouges. How do they know about the Sharks? The Sharks were my dark horse long before they were their pick. Oh well, I guess I'll stick with them, but if they don't get there, don't blame me. It's those bandwagon jumpers who jinxed it.

However, I will make one prediction, and for it I offer my most sincere apologies to Sidney Crosby, but I think he's got a legitimate shot at approaching 150 points if he stays healthy. Maybe not quite reaching it, but coming close.

And with that I'll shut my mouth, I've got 55 hours, 54 minutes, and 25 seconds to kill.

Another Losing Season for the Pirates

I don’t complain about the Pittsburgh Pirates. I mean, not a lot at least. Usually when asked about them, I’ll mention how blessed Pittsburgh sports has been. Just in my time, I’ve celebrated a Steelers Super Bowl on the streets of Pittsburgh. As a kid I enjoyed Mario Lemieux and back-to-back Stanley Cups. I joyously danced around my living room after we won the Sidney Crosby draft lottery. We’ve seen our share of All-Star players and post season appearances.

But on the rare occasion that I’m being honest, I’ll tell you, I absolutely hate it. I hate not winning. The Pirates are wrapping up their 15th consecutive losing season. I don’t even remember what the Major League Baseball post-season feels like. Sure, I’ll tune in and follow the interesting series. I do my best to enjoy playoff baseball, but I’m sure I’d enjoy it more if the Pirates would make an appearance.

The other stuff, about Pittsburgh sports being blessed and all that, that’s just good karma. I shut my mouth, I take the losses, the unearned runs allowed, the José Bautista errors, the poor bats, the weak starting rotation, and the nonexistent bullpen. I take them, because I’m somewhat certain that at some point in the future we are going to turn this ship around. Someday we may make the playoffs, or even, dare I say, win the World Series. Though I’m not entirely sure how.

Ultimately, the blame has to fall on the owners bottom line thinking. The ownership group bought the team ten years ago for a measly $92 million, and the public paid $216 for the best stadium in baseball, PNC Park. Forbes now estimates the franchise is worth approximately $276 million. In return the Pirates organization has put what most closely resembles a minor league roster on the field. This season they will finish 3rd in the league in revenue, while 27th in team payroll and last in the National League.

It has become undeniably clear that only one thing guides decision making, and that’s the financial report. So as a fan, I just cross my fingers and hope that they’ll cash out and sell the franchise to someone who cares about fielding a competitive roster. Because they can hire a new head of baseball operations, and they could replace Jim Tracy, and it’s not going to have any effect on the Pirates playoffs chances. You can’t make a stone bleed, and you can’t take a $50 million dollar team to the playoffs. It’s just not possible.

But I’ll watch playoff baseball. And someone will be crowned the World Series champion. And I’ll try to forget the 2007 season. The temperature will fall. The ground will freeze. Thanksgiving will come and go. Then Christmas and New Years. Perhaps, I’ll be fortunate enough to be able to build a snowman. But eventually springs bound to return, and with it, baseball. And even with no evidence to support the hope, I’ll dream about it being the season we turn it all around. Because eventually we’ve got to put together a winning season, and this season could be it. I know I’m doing my part, I’m not complaining.

Colin Campbell Hands Down 20 game Suspension

It's the new thing. Like celebrities adopting third world orphans. Like movie studios putting out exorbitant summer three-quels. Like politicians desperately attempting to appear hip with guerrilla Internet campaigns. League officials levying out heavy-handed judgments has been in vogue every since Roger Goodell sat "Pacman" Jones for the entire season And NHL's Senior Executive VP of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, is the newest member of the "it" crowd.

Philadelphia Flyer's prospect Steve Downie has become an example to the rest of the players that the league is serious about it's efforts to crack down on hits to the head. And he's got one of the longest suspensions in the history of the game as evidence.

Last season it became apparent that hits to the head were becoming an increasingly larger problem across the NHL. Players were being seriously injured by hits, that according to the rulebook, were completely legal.

Before the preseason began, the league sent a video to each club outlining rule changes, including how hits to the head would be called. A player could expect to be suspended if when hitting they:

- hit an unsuspecting player in the head
- target the players head
- injure a player
- hit a player late
- launch

It's the first three that are most interesting, as the latter two, late hits and launching, were already illegal. With this criteria the league is left to do the judgement call on whether they feel a player was unsuspecting, and whether the hitter was specifically targeting the head. This approach is essentially how Major League Baseball approaches a check-swing or a balk, there isn't any black and white definition, but you'll know it when you see it. Which can lead to confusion if the league isn't absolutely consistent.

Which leads to the third criteria, "Injuring a player". I have never agreed with the idea that a player should face a higher punishment if an illegal hit injuries a player. When the league does this, and they do often, they are sending the signal that it isn't the action, but the result that brought the punishment. Instead, the league needs to buckle down and dish out fines and suspensions anytime a player unleashes an illegal hit, regardless of injury.

As far as Downie goes, he was probably just a kid feeling the pressure of being on the bubble towards the end of preseason, and looking to make a name for himself. But with his reckless play he managed to break every aspect of the rule, and put the livelihood of another player in serious danger. And for that he deserves every minute of the 20 game suspension. But let's just hope that the league sticks to their guns when this happens again, perhaps with a more veteran player and down the playoff stretch. Because that's the only way this kind of play will be eradicated from the NHL.

Are the New RBK Jerseys the NHL's Synthetic Basketball

The 2007-08 NHL season has not even officially kicked off (but it will on Saturday in London, in case you heard otherwise) and already criticisms of the new RBK Edge jerseys have begun to circulate. The new jerseys were designed using technologically advance material (I'll be honest, I have no clue what that really means) with the goal of creating a lighter jersey that doesn't absorb water and provides a greater range of motion. But from the beginning, its unveiling at last years All-Star Game, fans and players alike have been skeptical of the new design.

In sports even the slightest alteration of anything from the rulebook to the equipment is bound to bring on endless criticism and second guessing. It's about tradition, and it's one of the things that makes sports great (also Dollar Dog Days). It's why you may have heard me mumbling all spring about Major League Baseball killing the classic wool baseball cap in favor of new technologically advanced (there it is again) New Era Hats. And when I heard some complaints from the wings I initially chalked it up to this, and categorized it with the Brett Hull/Don Cherry bunch who are often heard complaining about the lack of fighting, those wimps who wear shields, and how the game was infinitely better thirty years ago. But as the season approaches, and the uniforms are put to the test during training camps and exhibition matches, it seems like some very legitimate complaints have begun to surface.

The first complaint is one that sprung immediately after the RBK Edge Jerseys were unveiled, the new formfitting cut is just too small. Over the past couple decades the size of players and the size of equipment have grown greatly, and players combated this by wearing increasingly larger jerseys. But with the new design, Reebok attempted to make a jersey that would be cut to the shape of players today. The problem? Players can't get them on. Last winter when the Edge Jersey's were first worn in practices, players joked about have to enlist the help of their teammates just to put the jersey on. But equipment managers aren't laughing, allegedly some have taken to ordering players jersey a couple sizes larger, to work around the tighter fit.

The second complaint is something I've got to admit, I never really thought of, but makes perfect sense. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, neither Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, nor Mark Eaton are huge fans of the water resistant fabric. Apparently without the jersey to absorb sweat and water, players gloves and skates are become trenched. Well, the good news is that super technologically advanced fabric is working. The bad news is players may have to change gloves and skates between periods.

And the complaint that seems to be arising from a fight filled preseason, is that the new jersey's aren't standing up to a good old NHL throw-down. Several jerseys have ripped during fights so far, including that of New Jersey Devils Cam Jansen, who after having his jersey pulled over his head, was sent to the ice, injuring his shoulder.

It was only a year ago that the NBA went through a similar situation shelfed the leather basketball in favor of a new synthetic design. Players were unhappy with the new ball, claiming it was slippery and caused cuts on their hands. After only 2 months, at the insistence of the players, the NBA brought back the leather ball.

I would find it difficult to believe that the NHL and Reebok would ever get to the level in which they'd return to the old jerseys, considering how much they have already invested into the RBK Edge. But it does look as if the design is in serious need of some tweaking. What good is a jersey is it doesn't fit, or if it tears to pieces in a fight?

Ticket-less and Bitter

Go ahead and count me as one of the many who showed up on Ticketmaster Tuesday for the highly coveted Winter Classic tickets, only to be turned away empty handed. Depending on who you believe, the event sold out in somewhere between 10 minutes and half an hour. 42,000 tickets sold, and not a single one of them to me.

My immediate bitter reaction was to blame the Buffalo Sabres fans. After all, it was those cold-hearted bastards who bought all the tickets that we all know rightfully belonged in my hand. But after a browse around the pipes of the inter-webs, it looks like I’m not the only one who got shafted here, including many a Sabres fan. On the opening day of ticket sales, only 42,000 of the 74,000 tickets were sold. Over 30,000 tickets have been put aside for the Buffalo Sabres season ticket holders. Which I reluctantly understand. The team is hosting a spectacle, and they’d like to give those who support them, the season ticket holders, the opportunity to get tickets to the event. The Sabres have a massive following, and this will probably only allow for about 2 tickets per season ticket holder.

But that leaves somewhere around 2,000 tickets for NHL employees, and sponsors. Yes, sponsors. Presumably for those from Amp energy drink, who are sponsoring the event. Which means they’ll most likely be raffled away with some sort of contest, which will inevitably be won by some schmuck who thinks skateboarding is a sport and spends his days listening to Gym Class Heroes and watching whichever recreation of Jackass MTV is currently broadcasting. (Sorry, my immediate bitter reaction may have deflected off Sabres fans, but that’s only slightly diminished it.)

Still, I’m left questioning how 42,000 tickets could sell so quickly. I was certainly expecting a sell out, which is why I thought I was bringing my “A game” by showing up on Day 1, but I’m completely taken back by ten-minute sell-out. The only answer is the ridiculously high limit the Sabres put on ticket sales. The lucky few that were able to buy tickets were not limited to 8 tickets, which is what the rate I usually see when prowling ticket master, but instead 50. Yes, they limited ticket buyers to a mere 50 tickets. Why not just hang a sign “SCALPERS WANTED”. Was the league so desperate to sell out this event on the first day, that they opened the door to scalpers and screwed over the casual fan? I don't know, but it's hard not to be cynical when you find yourself in a position like this.

But if your like me, and you missed out on Winter Classic tickets, you can pick a couple up on eBay, provided you’re alright paying a four times the ticket value.

Right now it looks like all I can do is sit back and watch everything unfold. I’m hoping with all the tickets being posted on StubHub and eBay, the market will force the prices lower, and perhaps in a few weeks when the hoopla has died down, I’ll be able to snipe a few of them for a moderately reasonable price. But until then, if you’re looking for tickets for yourself, and you see the current highest bidder is “retoocs”, for all that is upright and holy in this world, don’t outbid the poor guy. He just wants those tickets that were rightfully his.