Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup

Congratulation to the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the Stanley Cup.

It really was a long time coming for the franchise who had the longest drought in the NHL having last lifted Lord Stanley's Cup in 1961. The franchise has had a great turnaround the past few years thanks in part to great draft picks and a new ownership. Hats off to Rocky Wirtz who really has turned this franchise around completely since taking over the franchise after his father's death. Bill Wirtz had a rough relationship with the fans in Chicago. He was notably frugal and went as far as blacking out home games from TV in order to sell tickets. He managed to alienate not only fans but many Blackhawks legends.

It was fitting that former Blackhawk(also played for the Flyers) great Jeremy Roenick was in the NBC postgame booth. Jeremy Roenick of course led the team to a Stanley Cup Final but did not win the big one. His tears were genuine. They say the Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy to earn in sports and it is hard to argue that. The season is long and the playoffs just as brutal. There are few things in sports that top NHL playoffs in terms on intensity and drama.



The Blackhawks winning leaves my Toronto Maple Leafs with the longest Stanley Cup drought. The franchise last won in 1967. Hopefully the manage to win one in my lifetime because I definitely plan on being there for the clinching game and the parade.

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Stephen Strasburg makes MLB debut

The Stephen Strasburg era has begun.

The kid lived up to the hype. He was flat out dominant despite giving up a 2 run homerun in the 4th he still managed to strike out 14 in 7 innings. He threw only 94 pitches for the night. Yes, I know this was against one of the worst teams in the National League but this was a kid making a debut with the eyes of the entire country on him. The atmosphere was electric all night. His stuff was just electric. Whether it was his fastball which reached triple digits on the gun or his filthy breaking ball he kept the Pittsburgh Pirates and homeplate umpire Tom Hallion on their toes the entire night.

This kid really does have a chance to be something special. It's a shame that Mark Prior got hurt at a very young age because he had all the potential for a great career. Hopefully Strasburg can stay healthy and fulfill the hype. I can't remember the last time I was this fired up for the debut of someoen who didn't play for my one my teams. I'm going to have to time my July D.C trip with one of his starts. He's going to sell tickets everywhere. Hey Cleveland, buy tickets NOW for Sunday.

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Are people seriously comparing BP Oil Spill to Haiti Earthquake?

I was on Facebook today an saw this as someone's status:

So where are all the"Save the Gulf" concerts?? Where are the TV benefits with celebrities and musicians giving heart felt speeches on the poor fishermen, wildlife, beaches, loss of income and sabotaged gulf economy?? I find it very sad how these people (including our own government) are so quick to help Haiti and other countries...but sit on their butt's for this one. Just the facts. Re-Post this if you agree

Are you serious? Are people actually trying to compare this to the earthquake in Haiti? Need I remind these people that the earthquake killed over 200,000 people, injured over 300,000 and left well over a million people homeless? Yes, the Gulf Oil Spill is bad but trying to compare it to the earthquake, Katrina or any other disaster where people have died is an absolute joke.

The state government and the people who's businesses are hurt because of the spill should definitely sue BP for everything they can but lets not try and compare this to events where thousands of people died.
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Bring on Instant Replay

Will baseball finally embrace 21st century technology?

Was tonight the straw that will break the camel's back? People like me have been calling for instant replay in baseball for years. I mean this is 2010, why not make use of the technology? I have never understood the argument against it. People complain that baseball is already too long. Ok, but it's not like we save time when umpires enter lengthy arguments with players and managers. I'd much rather sit an extra 5 minutes in front of my TV and make sure the call was right.

The whole "human element" excuse is just ridiculous. That worked in the 60s. It just can't work in 2010 when there are so many cameras covering every play from every angle imaginable. Get the call right. There is no excuse for it. I'm a big cricket fan. People used to argue against replay in cricket too for those same reasons. But guess what, cricket started phasing replay into the game in 1993 and it has worked brilliantly ever since. Replay has done wonders for the NHL, NBA, NFL and Tennis as well. Get the call right.

It is an absolute shame that a bad call robs us of a great baseball night. It is a shame that this will overshadow the retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. tonight. It is a shame that it will rob Austin Jackson's catch a place in the all-time highlight reel. It is a shame that Armando Galarraga got robbed of his place in baseball history. Once again as a fan all I ask is that you get the call right.

Tomorrow happens to be the 15th anniversary of the night Pedro Martinez went perfect for 9 innings.

By the way hats off to Armando Galarraga and Jim Leyland for being class acts tonight and to a lesser degree Jim Joyce.

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Ken Griffey Jr. is retiring

Ken Griffey Jr. is retiring. Hats off to one of the greatest players ever.

Ken Griffey Jr. was as big a part of baseball as anyone in the 90s. It really is a shame that injuries have dominated the 2nd half of his career. He ends up with 630 career homeruns despite missing an average of 56 games a season after turning 30. That is as remarkable as it gets.

I have long had a rule that you can't be a fan of a division rival and therefore can't buy their jersey or any other merchandise. Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the few guys I would make an exception for. If you grew up in the 90s and liked baseball, you wanted to be Ken Griffey Jr. Whether it was the backwards hat in the Homerun Derby or his smooth play in Centerfield it was hard not to like the guy or root for him. He genuinely looked like he loved the game. He proved it again in 2000 when he probably could have landed a much bigger contract on the open market but requested a trade to the Reds so he could play closer to his home.

He will no doubt be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I would like the MLB to incorporate Darren Rovell's idea and put a backwards hat on his plaque! I would love to make the drive to Cooperstown for Griffey's induction.

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Clueless "fans"

One of the biggest problems in sports right now is the fact that there are too many people who manage to go to games but are far from real fans. There really isn't much that can be done to combat this but as ticket prices go higher and higher this problem continues to get worse.

I've written about similar stuff in the past but experienced it again this past Sunday. I was at the Mets/Yankees game on Sunday and sitting behind us was this woman in a Derek Jeter T-Shirt. When she saw the starting lineup she seriously asked out loud "why is C.C Sabathia batting?" Ugh!

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Super Bowl XLVIII is coming to the Meadowlands!

Great news from the NFL earlier today as the new Meadowlands Stadium won the right to host Super Bowl XLVIII.

Chances are that the limited tickets that do open up to the general public will probably cost closer to $1,500 by the time this game is held in February 2014  but I am going to have to figure out one way or the other to actually go to this game. This might be my best chance ever to go to the game living so close to the venue and thus saving on travel expenses.

New York/New Jersey beat out Tampa Bay on the 4th ballot. Miami had been eliminated on the 2nd ballot. The 4th ballot was a surprise to me as most of the reports the last few days were hinting at a landslide for the new stadium.

I don't understand the people who live in the NYC/NJ area and oppose this idea. There are people complaining about traffic. How is that different from any other day in this region? There is some event or another always happening in NYC and it blends right in. There is always some convention or another going on and unless you are directly involved with the event do you even notice a difference most of the time? Nope. Weather? Who cares. If it snows it's even better. Who doesn't love cold weather football? Heck, it probably means that more real fans will actually get into the stadium. Plus, as this NFL weather report shows, the weather in NYC during Super Bowl weekend has actually been pretty good the last 5 years. This will be a great show and I truly believe that the Super Bowl will return here further down the line as well because I am expecting this to be a huge success. Broadway will put on a show. There will be events at the Madison Square Garden. Jacob Javits Center will host Radio Row and other events. The region is more than capable of putting on a great show.

Don't forget the finances of this as well. The 2014 Super Bowl will be part of the next TV contract negotiations. You don't think some network will pay a premium for a NY/NJ Super Bowl?

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