Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Livingston

2009 World Series: Five Key Storylines

Ben Livingston — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:43:06 -0400

Mr. Lidge & His Unstable Bridge

If one was creating a children’s book with this title, perhaps the best cover picture would be the following:

Hilarious images created in MS Paint aside, Brad Lidge has been quite shaky over this year, and the course of his career as a whole. When Lidge came to Philadelphia, many questioned how he would handle adversity due to his fall from grace following his rough 2005 playoff experience.

Proving he could handle rough stretches was undoubtedly the most important thing that Lidge had to do in the 2008 season. Oddly enough, Lidge managed to put together an MVP-caliber championship season without answering this vital question.

This year, however, we have certainly seen Lidge face his fair share of adversity. He has become inconsistent and somewhat unreliable, and the rest of the Phillies’ bullpen has certainly followed suit. This year, what was known last year as the “Bridge to Lidge” now inspired nail-biting, hyperventilating, and head-shaking more than it did catchy nicknames.

The Phillies bullpen has been somewhat stronger in the playoffs than it was during the regular season, but they haven’t been performing at a level that inspires the sort of confidence that they earned last year.

As the Phillies enter the World Series, their hopes of winning are going to rely on one of two things—either the presence of an overpowering offense, or a reliable bullpen. The kinds of games that tend to hurt the Phillies the most are those that see their starters pitch a gem only to have the bullpen erase a strong effort.

This often isn’t an issue if the offense is producing a lot of runs, but the Phillies can’t really rely on blowing out a Yankees team featuring C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. There’s a very good chance that the Phillies’ bullpen will find themselves in high-pressure situation at multiple points in this series, and they’re going to have to play like they did in the playoffs last year if they are going to win.

The bullpen made major slip-ups in Game Four of the NLDS and Game Two of the NLCS— both at critical junctures that could easily have shifted the series out of the Phillies’ favor. Given the fact that the Yankees are a powerhouse team that hits well in clutch situations, the Phillies can’t hope to win this series if their closer and setup men play at a level any lower than the level they performed at last year.

The Long Layoff vs. The Short Layoff

Last year, many experts cited the Phillies' six-day layoff between the NLCS and World Series as a big problem for the Phillies, who would be facing a Rays team coming off a two-day layoff between the ALCS and the World Series. Some even went as far as to use that as a reason for picking the Rays.

The Phillies' offense ended up hitting pretty badly in the early parts of the series, but the Phillies still won because their pitching was so strong. The Phillies’ success last year would suggest that they can play well after a long layoff, although it goes without saying their five-game victory over the Rays was remarkable given how badly the offense performed.

Like the Rays, the Yankees will be coming off a two-day layoff when they play in Game One. But the circumstances will be somewhat different for them. While both teams are starting their aces (Scott Kazmir for the 2008 Rays and C.C. Sabathia for the Yankees) on plenty of rest, the Yankees will have a lot more energy going into their World Series than the Rays did last year.

The Rays won the AL East and ALDS with surprisingly little effort, but they had a lot more trouble in the ALCS. After taking a 3-1 series lead, the Rays had loads of trouble eliminating the Red Sox and ended up barely winning the series. The Yankees, on the other hand, didn’t have to put the same amount of effort into winning a pennant, and because of that they will go into the World Series in a morefocused, energetic mode, and less of a celebratory, deflated mode.

The Rays suffered from what I like to call the “just happy to be there” syndrome, which causes Cinderella teams to fold after a massive upset. Nobody expected them to win the pennant, while the Phillies had their eye on a World Series title from the very start.

In this year’s World Series, expect the length of each team’s layoff to have a couple effects on this series. First of all, the Phillies' layoff is too long for them to expect their recent hot streak to carry into the World Series. Ryan Howard is no longer on a streak, and all of the Phillies players will be long-removed from the NLCS.

The Yankees, on the other hand, didn’t win the ALCS all that long ago, so their recent performance will carry over a bit more. The likely result of this will be the Phillies come out of the gate a bit sluggish and, because of this, the Yankees will probably have the edge in Game One.

In that case, the question will be if the Phillies can get their act together quickly enough to earn a series split in New York, which would give them home-field advantage in the series and undoubtedly place them in the driver’s seat.

Is Yankee Stadium Really the Yankees’ Stadium?

The Yankees have played fantastically at home this season, and historically the team has tended to build teams that take advantage of Yankee Stadium’s shallow right-field dimensions. The new Yankee Stadium’s mysterious wind-tunnel effect has also made the park very friendly towards power-hitters in general, as fly balls tend to carry much more than they would elsewhere. That being said, the kind of team that does best at the new Yankee Stadium is a team that is lefty-heavy and swings for the fences.

Wait a minute...isn't that the Phillies?

Bizarrely enough, the Phillies have fielded a team this year much more well-built to play in Yankee Stadium than the Yankees’ current team. Due to the power-friendly nature of their home field, Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies have a team that loves to hit for power, which actually makes Yankee Stadium even more ideal for them.

While the Yankees also hit a lot of long-balls, the Phillies do happen to be more lefty-heavy than the Yankees. It's certainly an advantage when you consider the walls at Yankee Stadium are a bit deeper in right field than they are in left.

This bizarre reality would suggest that the Phillies are even better built for Yankee Stadium then the Yankees are. When you combine that notion with the Phillies’ MLB-best road record (48-33 in the regular season, 3-1 in the playoffs), the magnitude of the Yankees’ home-field advantage seems a bit more obsolete than their 57-24 regular-season home record and 5-0 playoff home record would suggest.

This isn’t to say that the Yankees are at a disadvantage at home, but given the structure of the series (see “2-3-2”), this situation could shift the series in the Phillies’ favor.

2-3-2

The 2-3-2 format for a seven-game series (meaning that one team plays games one, two, six, and seven at home, while the other hosts games three through five) used by the MLB instead of the 2-2-1-1-1 format has the effect of giving the team without home-field advantage a different sort of advantage.

In an “ideal” series—one that sees the home team win every game—the team with home-field advantage would actually trail the series after Game Five. In a 2-2-1-1-1 format, the team with home-field advantage would never trail at any point in an “ideal” series. Some consider this situation as unfair toward teams with home-field advantage, while others see it as a way of making a series more fair and competitive.

Both the Phillies and Yankees have had experience with the quirks of the 2-3-2 format. In 2001, the Yankees played in an “ideal” series, as the team didn’t have home-field advantage, resulting in them falling behind 0-2, going ahead 3-2, then losing the series in Game 7.

The Phillies took full advantage of the 2-3-2 format last year, winning one game in Tampa Bay (as the Rays had home-field advantage) before winning all three games at home. This allowed them to take the series in five games, despite winning only one road game.

In this series, the 2-3-2 format makes home-field advantage seem obsolete—including both the Yankees' initial home-field advantage and the potential home-field advantage the Yankees or Phillies could win at some point with a win on the road.

It would be obsolete for the Phillies because they would only gain home-field advantage if they win one or two games at Yankee Stadium. Holding onto that advantage would require them to win all three home games at home if they earned a split, or would require them to win two out of three at home in the very unlikely event that they won both Games One and Two in New York.

For the Yankees, home-field advantage wouldn’t be a good thing to cling to. Even if they maintain it, the Phillies could still gain a 3-2 lead in the series—putting the Yankees in a rough spot.

Historically, the 2-3-2 format tends to be much kinder to teams that don’t have home-field advantage than the 2-2-1-1-1 format is—but it is much less forgiving to teams that drop both Games One and Two on the road.

Two examples come to mind. In the 2001 World Series, which followed a 2-3-2 format, the Yankees dropped Games One and Two on the road to the Diamondbacks. The Yankees went on to pull off a miraculous sweep of the three games in New York, yet still lost the series in seven games.

We saw the opposite example in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, a 2-2-1-1-1 series in which the Detroit Red Wings went up 2-0 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins fought hard and won Games Three and Four, but got steamrolled in Game Five. Nevertheless, they won Game Six at home and shocked the Red Wings in Game Seven.

The moral of the story is that trailing 2-0 in a 2-3-2 format means, in order to win, you essentially face three consecutive must-wins at home. Even if you will all three of those games, you have to win either Game Six or Seven on the road after that exhausting effort.

In a 2-2-1-1-1 format, a team down 2-0—like the Penguins—can win Games Three and Four at home, have an off-day and drop Game Five on the road, then come roaring back in Game Six and use that momentum going into Game Seven. The Phillies, on the other hand, would have to win three games in three days at home in order to give themselves a realistic chance in the series. That would be extremely exhausting and might use up all of their energy, as it seemed to do to the Yankees in 2001.

That being the case, the 2-3-2 format can be a huge plus to the Phillies, so long as they earn a series split in New York. If they do so, the Yankees suddenly have to take one of the games in Philadelphia to force the series back to the Bronx, and they’d have to take two of three to be in the driver’s seat.

This isn’t to say that the Yankees have to win both games at home; their chances are still good if they do so. What the Yankees need to do is avoid letting the Phillies use the three straight home games to take control of the series, as they did against the Rays.

The best way they can do that is to avoid trailing the series at any point. Their starters will tire as the series moves along in the likely event they use a three-man rotation (see “Three vs. Four Man Rotation”), and because the Phillies are very dangerous when they have momentum.

Three-Man vs. Four-Man Rotation

During the 2008 season, those involved with the Yankees universe began to realize that their core of older, declining players wasn’t going to win them a championship anytime soon. Many experts believed scouting was the answer, but the Yankees were determined to win sooner rather than later.

They wanted to win soon, not in ten years. That being the case, they added three huge free agents to their team, two of which were ace-caliber pitchers- C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

Both Sabathia and Burnett are highly skilled pitchers, but they are only two starters in the Yankees rotation. They are supplanted by the also-capable Andy Pettitte, but after that things become a bit cloudier. The Yankees have used Chad Gaudin sparingly in case he would be needed as a fourth starter in the World Series, but when push comes to shove, it seems unlikely that the Yankees would use Gaudin in Game Four unless they had a comfortable lead in the series.

That being the case, if this series becomes a big challenge for the Yankees, they might want to have their best arms on the field at all times. However, that means that their starters would be pitching on short rest from Game Four on.

While that might be something that hasn’t hurt C.C. Sabathia, it would probably hinder Burnett or Pettitte’s performance. I wouldn’t read too much into the Phillies “solving” C.C. Sabathia in Game Two of the NLDS last year. In reality, they won that game in one inning, which hardly qualifies as “solving” a pitcher, and certainly doesn’t mean that Sabathia can’t pitch on short rest.

On the other hand, it is undeniable that the Phillies are going to have an easier time making a strong rotation for this World Series (a seven-game series that has no off-days other than travel days), because they can put a strong fourth starter on the mound in Game Four, giving them a good chance of victory and a rested rotation in Games Four through Seven.

Some would argue that the ability to use C.C. Sabathia in a possible Game Seven would make the Yankees’ three-man rotation advantageous. However, even if the Yankees are able to reach that point, a matchup between a somewhat-fatigued C.C. Sabathia (pitching on short rest for the second straight time) and a fully-rested Cole Hamels wouldn’t be overwhelmingly favorable for the Yankees.

Final Thoughts

Throughout this entire season, I have maintained that the World Series would see the Yankees prevail over the Phillies. I am a huge Phillies fan, but I never let my allegiances dictate my predictions. Last year, I had expected the World Series to be Red Sox over Phillies, but I changed my prediction to indicate a Phillies victory after the Rays beat out the Sox for the AL pennant. I stick by my predictions unless I see a compelling reason to do so.

I usually go with my gut when I make a prediction—and when I don’t I often suffer from the miscue. In this case, my gut has constantly told me that the Yankees are destined to reclaim their spot atop baseball. However, every time I match these teams up (as I have done here) and play out the series in my head and on paper, the Phillies end up prevailing.

You might scoff and say, “Well, that’s because you’re a Phillies fan who is just excited and afraid to lose,” you’d be right—but that’s not why I'm getting these results.

Rather, it is because I have seen the Phillies do things in these playoffs that have defied my conception of them. They have played clutch baseball in situations they once would have flopped in. They have played consistently in all aspects in the game—something they struggled with many times in the past, including during last year’s championship run.

Most importantly, they have played like champions, failing to disappoint Philadelphia fans when we expect them to. I have seen plenty of top-ranked Philadelphia teams flop over the years, but this team has failed to do that. They have earned the respect of the baseball world, but haven’t acted presumptuously. I know this team all too well, and I can confidently tell you that they are not the team they used to be.

As for the Yankees, I think they are a better team overall than the Phillies. They aren’t overwhelmingly better, but they are a bit stronger of a baseball team. However, as this article has revealed, they don’t match up well against the Phillies.

The Phillies pose a challenge to the Yankees that the Yankees have not faced yet this season. They have players with World Series experience throughout their roster, and they know what it takes to win. This Yankees team is the first step towards a new dynasty, but the Phillies are already in their glory years and are now on the verge of becoming a dynasty.

I have a multitude of respect for this Yankees team, but they’re a patchwork of old and new that hasn’t come together the way the Phillies have. To make a long story short, the Yankees may have a tangible advantage in this series, but it is clear that the Phillies have an intangible advantage going for them that will be tough to overcome. A

dd that to the way these two teams match up head-to-head, and it looks like the powerful Yankees aren’t the clear favorite in this series.

This series will undoubtedly go a long way in deciding whether or not the Phillies’ current team will become a dynasty, as well as in determining whether or not the Yankees are once again the kings of baseball. This much is clear—this World Series has more on the line than any series has had before.

Both organizations need this victory so badly, and because of this, many expect it to be a classic. I’m not going to pretend I’m completely convinced that my prediction will be right..but in the end, I think the Phillies’ intangibles—including their experience, team-play, and seasoned manager—as well as the structure of the series and the way the two teams match up will give the Phillies the victory in six games.

Predictions often call for longer series when the teams are closely matched, but I think the Phillies will go into Game 6 up 3-2, and will earn the road victory. Unless the Yankees either take a 2-0 series lead or gain a 3-2 lead in the series, I’m going to stick with that prediction

Phillies in 6

First Annual OBG "Pre-Season" Playoff Predictions

Ben Livingston — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:53:00 -0400

Back on October second, we kicked off the season with the first-ever round of OBG's pre-season predictions, giving a look at what the final standings might look like.

However, the second part of these "pre-season" predictions—the playoff predictions—didn't come soon enough after the first part to make it in before the Flyers and Penguins began the season; in fact, they're just coming now, a good two weeks into the season.

That being the case, we're going to keep them short and sweet, as we've already briefly run down each team's outlook. More detailed discussion of these picks may come later, but for now, here are your First Annual OBG "Pre-Season" Playoff Predictions...

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
#8 Devils vs. #1 Canadiens: Canadiens in 6
#7 Hurricanes vs. #2 Capitals: Capitals in 7
#6 Rangers vs. #3 Flyers: Flyers in 5
#5 Penguins vs. #4 Bruins: Penguins in 6

Western Conference Quarterfinals
#8 Predators vs. #1 Sharks: Sharks in 4
#7 Kings vs. #2 Blackhawks: Blackhawks in 4
#6 Wild vs. #3 Flames: Flames in 6
#5 Red Wings vs. #4 Canucks: Red Wings in 7

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
#5 Penguins vs. #1 Canadiens: Penguins in 6
#3 Flyers vs. #2 Capitals: Flyers in 6

Western Conference Semi-Finals
#5 Red Wings vs. #1 Sharks: Sharks in 6
#3 Flames vs. #2 Blackhawks: Flames in 7

Eastern Conference Finals
#5 Penguins vs. #3 Flyers: Flyers in 7

Western Conference Finals:
#3 Flames vs. #1 Sharks: Sharks in 5

Stanley Cup Finals
#E3 Flyers vs. #W1 Sharks: Sharks in 5

The Truth About the Flyers-Penguins Brawl

Ben Livingston — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:43:00 -0400

Last night, the Flyers and Penguins met for the first time this season. The Penguins were able to grab a 5-4 victory, but it wasn't the final score that headlined this game.

None nine of the goals scored came anywhere close to being the top highlight of the night. In fact, the first 59 minutes and 55 seconds of gameplay paled in comparison to the final five.

Only the video can do justice to what happened in those final five seconds. Click here to view it.

Now, nobody expected this game to be a peaceful affair, and fights were to be expected. However, this game didn't really yield as much traditional fighting as one would expect and instead saw the Flyers go with a whole new stratagem of hockey violence.

In this video see three notable events take place during this scrum:
1) Flyers' captain and center Mike Richards plows into Penguins' netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, knocking Fleury into the net.
2) Flyers winger Scott Hartnell grabs Pens' defenseman Kristopher Letang from behind, right as Letang was running into the goal, causing it to dislodge. Hartnell and Letang lock up and quickly fall to the ice, still tied up. After Letang gets up, he runs towards the Penguins locker room looking as if he has injured his finger.
3) Chris Pronger comes into the picture after a few seconds, and grabs Pens winger Chris Kunitz from behind, apparently trying to strangle Kunitz with his own jersey. After a good fifteen seconds or so of Pronger holding Kunitz, with the referees trying to free Kunitz, Pronger lets him go.

Also, in case you were wondering, the penalties levied afterwards were the following:
Mike Richards (PHI)-two-minute minor for Goaltender Interference
Scott Hartnell (PHI)-two-minute minor for Roughing
Kristopher Letang (PIT)-two-minute minor for Roughing
Chris Kunitz (PIT)-10-minute misconduct
Chris Pronger (PHI)-10-minute misconduct

So, as one can imagine, the aftermath of this scrum has been quite hard to sort out. The biggest development that has arisen from this fight is that the Penguins have alleged that Scott Hartnell actually bit Letang on the finger.

Here's what Hartnell and Letang had to say (the quotes are from the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, from an article that is linked to in the previous paragraph):

Hartnell: "A lot of stuff happens on the bottom of the pile. He had his hands in my face, doing the face wash, and we're rolling around. I can't say what happened."
Letang: "I think he knows what he did."

Obviously, we're never going to know exactly what happened between Letang and Hartnell, but I'm going to have to side with Letang here.

There aren't a lot of things that could have happened to Letang's finger that he could have confused with a bite, because the feeling of two teeth clamping down on your finger is pretty distinctive.

He could also just be making it up, but it doesn't seem like it would be worth the trouble for the Letang and the Penguins to make a false accusation. There wouldn't be sufficient evidence for the league to suspend Hartnell, which means that the allegation wouldn't really benefit the Penguins in any way.

The two most likely explanations for the biting allegation are that it was a legitimate allegation, or Letang and his teammates just wanted to get back at Hartnell for grabbing Letang from behind. Letang never made an outright accusation that Hartnell bit him, instead letting his teammates do so. He only said that Hartnell "knows what he did."

It is clear, however, that Hartnell initiated the fight, almost certainly because Letang looked ready to attack Mike Richards for plowing into Fleury.

As for what Richards did, it's pretty clear that he deserved the penalty he received. Despite not being one of the Flyers' tough guys, Richards is known for getting his hands dirty, and he may have taken his time slowing down as he barrelled towards Fleury. That being said, it's safe to pinpoint Richards as the one who lit the spark that started the scrum.

Now, as for the choking incident, one should hardly consider it a surprise.

People have been saying that Chris Pronger is perfect for the Flyers for years, because his style of play makes him a perfect fit for the "Broad Street Bullies." One can always count on Pronger to make dirty plays, whether it's stomping on an opponent's arm with his skate or teaming up with a teammate to deliver a vicious hit.

In this case, he made no secret of trying to strangle Chris Kunitz with Kunitz' own jersey collar. Pronger, like Hartnell, was apparently trying to prevent a teammate from being attacked, as Kunitz looked ready to grab Hartnell after Letang ran off towards the Pens' locker room.

Knowing Pronger, this was probably more of an excuse to attack Kunitz than it was a reason to go after him in the first place. Having joined a team that embraces rough play this season, Pronger was probably looking forward to get some "Broad Street Bullying" under his belt.

So, what do we make of this whole mess?

If you're a Penguins fan, it goes without saying that this makes you angry and disgusted.

However, if you're a Flyers fan, you're probably finding yourself surprisingly happy with a loss to your team's biggest rival. Nothing helps allieviate the woes of defeat more than seeing your team beat up the opponents—at least if you're a Philadelphia sports fan.

The one thing that made this scrum more acceptable for the Flyers than the Carcillo/Talbot disaster during last year's game six disaster (ethics and sportsmanship aside) was that they didn't put the game on the line just for the sake of doing mischief. They waited until the end to cause major damage, which may be unethical and illegal by hockey standards, but it's a good strategy nonetheless.

The Flyers' players were undoubtedly the aggressors, but they managed to take a couple Penguins to the penalty box with them, frustrating the Penguins while not hurting their chances of winning (as the game was essentially over by that point).

Pronger, and perhaps Richards, deserve to be suspended, but even if they do, they still made the right decision. The Flyers sent a message at the right time and in the right way, showing that they are learning how to live up to the name "Broad Street Bullies" without forgetting that winning the game is more important than winning a fight.

The Penguins and their fans can complain all they want, but unless the league goes out of their way to make an example of Pronger, Richards, and/or Hartnell, their concerns will be a non-issue. The Penguins won this game on paper, but the Flyers were able to turn the loss into somewhat of a mental victory that will go a long way as this rivalry continues over the course of this season.

MLB Playoff Predictions

Ben Livingston — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:11:25 -0400

National League Division Series

Cardinals vs. Dodgers

When the Dodgers got off to a blazing start earlier this season, I was very skeptical of how good they really were. I didn’t think that their ridiculously good record meant that they were suddenly the favorite to win the pennant, and I didn’t expect their luck to last.

I ended up being right on the latter notion, and I think I’m going to end up being right on the first. One could argue that the Dodgers are the better of these two teams, but the three—and four—man starting pitching rotations used in the playoffs undoubtedly give the Cardinals the edge here. Even with home field advantage, the Dodgers are going to be doomed in this series because of the Cardinals’ highly superior three-man rotation.

Very few teams, if any, would be able to beat St. Louis in a five game series, simply because of their incredible three-man rotation. The Dodgers might get one win out of this series, but I doubt they’ll get more. Cardinals in four.

Phillies vs. Rockies

This series is perhaps the most intriguing of the Division Series matchups, because it pits the past two National League pennant winners against each other, and it also just so happens to be a rematch of a 2007 NLDS matchup.

My gut has been giving me a bad feeling about this series, and I’ve been trying to determine why. The best answer I can come up with is that, as a Phillies fan, I’m afraid that a loss to the Rockies could create a bad bell-curve like trend for the Phillies’ success. Such a curve would start to peak with a loss to the Rockies, leading up to the Phillies’ World Series win, and then begins to plummet with another loss to the Rockies.

Beyond that worry, I can’t think of any other valid reason why the Rockies should be favored in this series. In 2007, I picked the Rockies to beat my Phillies in the NLDS. This time, the Rockies aren’t in the midst of a ridiculous hot streak, and their pitching is a whole lot weaker. The Phillies, on the other hand, have a lot of experience and success under their belt, and have a pitching staff that is a whole lot stronger. Think of it this way—Ublado Jimenez, who was third in the Rockies rotation for the 2007 series, is now the Rockies ace, with Aaron Cook, who didn’t even make it onto the Rockies NLDS rotation that year, is their number two.

The Phillies, meanwhile, will have Cole Hamels in their rotation, while their other two starters from that series—Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer—can’t even make the Phillies five-man rotation these days, due to the Phillies much-improved starting rotation. This change could be dismissed as irrelevant because two years have passed, but to do so would be to ignore a clear change in how these two teams match up.

The Phillies will untie that knot in my stomach, and get their revenge on the Rockies (even though they claim that they aren’t worried about doing so). Phillies in four.

American League Division Series

Red Sox vs. Angels

I hate reverting to simplicity, but when things don’t change, history tends to repeat itself. I see little reason to go with the Angels here after the Red Sox recent dominance over them in the playoffs. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on the American League, but I think it’s pretty clear that the Angels haven’t been getting the playoff tune-up they need from playing in a relatively uncompetitive AL West division, while the Red Sox are used to playing big games by the time they get to October. Red Sox in four.

Yankees vs. Twins/Tigers

I think that the fact that I’m not even waiting for the one-game playoff to be completed shows how highly I think of the Yankees this year—or perhaps how little I think of the AL Central. We’ve known since before opening day that the Yankees playoff rotation was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Their pitching, combined with their offense, home-field advantage, and the fatigue of the winner of the one-game playoff will carry the Yankees to an easy victory. Yankees in three.

National League Championship Series

Cardinals vs. Phillies

After we saw the last two NL pennant winners face off in the NLDS, we now see the last two NL World Series champions face off. These two teams create an incredibly interesting matchup in so many ways. We get to see two legends-in-the-making at first base—Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols—face off in the playoffs for the first time, after each just beat out the other once over the past three years to win the NL MVP award.

Both these teams have very strong playoff pitching rotations, which means that the series will likely come down to whether or not each team’s starters bring their A-game, and whether or not the relief pitching for both of these teams comes through in the clutch.

Close games mean close finishes, and that could spell trouble for the Phillies. However, this is the playoffs, and experience is of the utmost importance. As ineffective as the Phillies’ bullpen has been this season, the fact that almost their entire bullpen has a good amount of playoff experience can’t be ignored. That alone could balance out the bullpen issue in this series.

I want to call this one too close to call, but obviously I can’t do that. I don’t always predict that a close matchup like this is going to go seven games, because often times even a close series can be decided in five or six games. However, I honestly think that the Phillies home-field advantage is going to turn the tide in this NCLS, and because of that, I’m actually going to say this one is going seven, with the Phillies winning a second consecutive pennant. Phillies in seven.

American League Championship Series

Red Sox vs. Yankees

I’m going to point out one of my biggest flaws in predicting about baseball’s playoffs—I always pick the Red Sox and Yankees to face off the ALCS, no matter what point it is in the season, so long as it is a legitimate possibility. This year, however, I am very, very confident that it will happen. On the same note, I’ve also picked the Yankees to win the World Series many times, and have been wrong many times—but again, I am confident that this year is different.

The Yankees organization is dying to get back on top, and that includes exacting revenge on the Red Sox for the 2004 ALCS. Poetic justice aside, the Yankees are simply too much of a powerhouse this year for me to pick them to lose against their archrivals.

The first half of these two teams’ season series was undoubtedly dominated by the Sox, while the second half was clearly dominated by the Yankees (which is interestingly enough the opposite trend of the 2004 ALCS). Even though the playoffs are a whole different creature than the regular season, it’s still pretty clear that the Yankees, now back on top in the division, back on top in the rivalry, and back in the ALCS, will have the edge in this series. Yankees in six.

World Series

Phillies vs. Yankees

Once again, I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about the Phillies’ chances- and I know exactly why. As I discussed before, the Yankees are determined to get back on top, and who better to do it against than the champions from the year before, the Phillies.

Their loss to the Phillies in a three-game interleague series this year will only further kindle the fire burning in the Yankees to win. Yankee Stadium will be a crazy place when this series starts, and I expect the Phillies to falter facing a crowd like the one that I expect to fill Yankee Stadium for the Fall Classic.

I see the Phillies dropping the first two games of this series, and despite a good effort at home, they won’t be able to recover. Unless the Phillies win all three of their home games in this series, I don’t think they’ll be able to recover from a 2-0 deficit. I always hate to predict against my own teams, but I’m never afraid to do it because I want to be believed when I predict my teams to win. That being said, a repeat doesn’t look likely for the Phillies. Yankees in six.

Predicted World Series Winner: Yankees

Pittsburgh Penguins: October Predictions & Prophecies

Ben Livingston — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:04:00 -0400

With the Flyers' half of our first monthly Predictions & Prophecies segment complete here at OBG, it's time to jump right into the Penguins half.

Here are your October Predictions & Prophecies for the Penguins:

Predictions

10/2 vs. Rangers: I trust that the Penguins and their fans will be feeling more than energetic when they celebrate their championship and raise their banner. The question is whether or not they'll be focused enough to channel that energy into the game. I've come to expect this sort of focus from the Penguins, but a summer of celebrating a Stanley Cup can change that. Penguins strike first, but Rangers make a hard-earned comeback, and win it 4-2.

10/3 at Islanders: I know I'm going out on a limb here, but with Crosby nursing an injury, two games in two nights will be a lot. The Penguins will get upended yet again, and I get the feeling this night will belong to the Islanders' number one overall pick, John Tavares. He gets his first NHL goal, and the Penguins lose 4-2 yet again.

10/7 vs. Coyotes: Nothing like a team in a massive financial pickle to get you back on your feet. A convincing 5-0 win for the Penguins.

10/8 at Flyers: The rivalry renewed! The Flyers are going to be driven to do anything they can towards amending their Game 6 embarrassment from the year before. This time, the Flyers take the lead and don't look back, taking this one 4-2.

10/10 at Maple Leafs: This one ends up being a close game that goes into shootout, with a 2-2 score. In the shootout, the Penguins take the extra point thanks to a clutch shot by Sidney Crosby. He's baaaaack......

10/12 at Senators: This isn't a good year to be a Senators fan, plain and simple. Marc-Andre Fleury earns his second shutout in four games. 3-0 is your final score.

10/14 at Hurricanes: The 'Canes are undoubtedly embarrassed after getting swept by the Penguins last year, and they have a lot of motivation to get some revenge. They turn the tides on the Penguins thanks to a gem of an effort in net by Cam Ward. Carolina wins it 4-1.

10/17 vs. Lightning: Wouldn't it be interesting if Anterro Niittymaki played in this one? Okay, maybe not, but in a blog about the Flyers and Penguins rivalry, it would pass as eyebrow-raising. That being said, let's assume Niitty plays. I still don't think the Lightning will win this one, even though it would make for a good story. Penguins take this one 6-1.

10/20 vs. Blues: The second game of this five-game home stand goes just about as well as the first. Penguins win again, 4-3.

10/23 vs. Panthers: A bit of an off night for the Penguins, as they get a bit too complacent after a couple strong outings. Panthers win it in overtime 4-3.

10/24 vs. Devils: Marc-Andre Fleury and Martin Brodeur have a brilliant goalie duel, but Fleury is able to edge his elder, and the Penguins win in overtime, 2-1.

10/28 vs. Canadiens: The brand spankin' new Canadiens look great, making for a blockbuster matchup that will be made even more interesting by Hal Gill's return to Pittsburgh. Canadiens take this one 5-3.

10/30 at Blue Jackets: It isn't a long trip to Columbus, so the flight home won't be a long one figuratively or literally after the Penguins take down the Jackets 5-1.

10/31 vs. Wild: Another homecoming, this time for Petr Sykora. He'll score a goal or two but the Penguins will still win by a final score of 3-2. They go into an early November road trip feeling upbeat...

Penguins' October Record: 8-5-1

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Prophecies:

Player of the Month: Evgeni Malkin
Player Most Likely to be Injured: Sergei Gonchar
Surprise Contributor of the Month: Ruslan Fedotenko
Disappointment of the Month: Sidney Crosby
Most Goals: Evgeni Malkin
Most Points: Evgeni Malkin
Goon of the Month: Matt Cooke

Penguins' Overall Monthly Grade: B-

Flyers' October Predictions & Prophecies

Ben Livingston — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:28:00 -0400

Well hockey fans, whether you believe it or not, the season starts tonight. It’s an earlier start than normal this season because of the Winter Olympics, and with September just finishing yesterday, it doesn’t feel like hockey season yet. However, I for one am certainly not complaining, and I’m eagerly excited for the start of Flyers hockey and Pitt hockey tomorrow, as well as indifferent about the start of Penguins hockey tomorrow.

Now, with the season kicking off tomorrow, it’s time to give out OBG’s first monthly Predictions & Prophecies entries. Predictions & Prophecies will include two parts—the first of which includes game-by-game predictions for the upcoming month (originally, the entire season was to be covered in a game-by-game format, but the idea of doing it one month at a time seems a bit more reasonable and less maddening for yours truly).

These predictions will be oddly specific, to the point where having every one of them ending up correct would be even more impressive than me conjuring up the meaning of life, solving world hunger, and creating world peace by tomorrow night. That being said, I may be setting the bar a bit too high, but for the sake of entertainment, I’m going to sacrifice my dreams of becoming a prophet in the name of hockey blogging.

These previews will contain two separate posts- one for the Flyers, and one for the Penguins. The Flyers’ post will always come first (feel free to resurrect Sigmund Freud and have him analyze why I’m doing things that way), and every round of game predictions will be followed by a second part to the post, which will feature other predictions and assorted prophecies pertaining to the upcoming month (hence the name Predictions & Prophecies). They will also come without explanations, although I will happily respond to comments that ask for them, or comments that debate anything I predict or prophesize.

So, with no further ado, let’s kick off with the Flyers’ October Predictions & Prophecies!

Predictions

10/2 @ Hurricanes: Both working off new contracts, Ray Emery and Cam Ward look great, but the ‘Canes get the edge in overtime, by a final score of 3-2.

10/3 @ Devils: Emery continues to impress. The Flyers score early, and never look back. Flyers win it 4-2.

10/6 vs. Capitals: That whole goalie situation the Capitals have doesn’t look too promising, but Alexander the Great is always a threat. He and the Capitals win in a shootout, 4-3.

10/8 vs. Penguins: This will be a slobber knocker no doubt, and tensions will be at a boil. However, the Flyers are thirsty for revenge, and are wiser from their past experience. Flyers win 5-2.

10/10 vs. Ducks: Welcome back to Philly Joffery Lupul! It’s a good reunion, and Lupul will be at his best without a doubt. Chris Pronger will have trouble playing tough against his old teammates. Flyers strike first, but Ducks unleash a flurry of offense with four straight tallies, and they win it 4-2.

10/16 @ Panthers: Panthers look pretty bad without Jay Bouwmeester. Flyers win 3-1.

10/22 vs. Bruins: Only three games over a twelve day span? How the heck does that happen? Having only played one game since the 10th, the Flyers are cold against one of the league’s best teams, who also happen to be their eventual Winter Classic opponents. Bruins win it 6-1.

10/24 vs. Panthers: Flyers make up for the previous game, and the Panthers continue a dreadful start to the season. The Flyers’ offense continues a strong start, leading to a 5-2 victory.

10/25 vs. Sharks: A blockbuster matchup that lives up to the hype. In the end, the Sharks best the Flyers (as has often been the case over the last few years) in a shootout, 2-1.

10/27 @ Capitals: Capitals continue their quest for revenge against the Flyers. They meet success in this quest, beating the Flyers on national television for the second time in the month of October, by a score of 5-2.

10/31 vs. Hurricanes: Chris Pronger wears a scary costume for Halloween—his jersey. What could be more appropriate for Halloween than a giant dressed in orange and black? Flyers win this one, 3-1.

Flyers’ October Record: 6-2-3
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Prophecies

Player of the Month: Jeff Carter
Player Most Likely to be Injured: Daniel Briere
Surprise Contributor of the Month: Mika Pyorala
Disappointment of the Month: Mike Richards
Most Goals: Jeff Carter
Most Points: Jeff Carter
Goon of the Month: Chris Pronger

Overall Monthly Grade: C+

Inconsequential Clash: Introduction / Jerseys & Logos

Ben Livingston — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:07:00 -0400

Due to the G-20 roaring through Pittsburgh this week, hockey has been the last thing on anybody's mind. However, life goes on in the hockey world, as does Orange, Black, & Gold.

So, continuing with our Faceoff Spectacular here at OBG, we're going to take a break from our "Top 10 Most Painful Moments" feature in order to introduce a new feature, which I know will be one of my personal favorites.

So, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, Flyers and Penguins fans, let's start the "Inconsequential Clash"! The "Inconsequential Clash" will be pitting the Flyers and the Penguins against each other in an unusual manner.

The two teams will be stacked up against one another in erroneous fashion, as we look at the Keystone Clash from various angles that are often ignored by hockey fans.

Each post will look at the rivalry from a certain standpoint, and the winner of each blog battle will receive a point. We'll keep a running score, and perhaps, over time, we'll see who is the true champion of irrelevancy is.

To get the Inconsequential Clash rolling, we're going to be taking a look at each team's symbols...

Logos: The current logos of the Flyers and Penguins are polar opposites in a sense. The Flyers' logo is baffling at first glance, yet unique when given thought. It is supposed to resemble a wing, but one doesn't think of a wing when they see it.

Even though I am a huge Flyers fan, the idea that their logo is a wing-like shape very rarely crosses my mind. Instead, the logo just seems to represent the team, as it has a feeling of abstractness to it that makes it unique, and thus does a great job of symbolizing the organization.

On the other hand, the Penguins' current logo, which was also their original logo, is an uninspiring Penguin on skates.

Their secondary logo, which was used mainly during the 90's and the early 2000's as the team's primary logo, is a bit more distinctive, with a Penguins head pointing coming out of a triangle.

The triangle is also present behind the skating Penguin in their current logo, and it symbolizes the "Golden Triangle," which is the area in downtown Pittsburgh near the intersection of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers. Personally, I love numerical symbolism in logos, so that gives the Penguins bonus points.

I think the real debate here is whether or not the Penguins were wise to go back to their uninspired original logo.

In the end, I'm going to have to give this one to the Flyers, because the Flyers have used their puzzling name and logo to form a unique identity for their organization that clearly sets them apart from any other similarly named team in sports.

(Also, if you're wondering what a new Flyers' alternate logo could look like, take a look at this interesting blog post)

Winner- Flyers

Score- Flyers 1, Penguins 0

Jerseys: Logos obviously come into consideration here, but not in the way that you might think. The Flyers primary logo has come to define the organization, but because of that it's tough for the Flyers to create an inspiring third jersey.

Their only attempts at one have been throwbacks and a lackluster silver-lined orange jersey that showed up for a few years before the lockout.

The Penguins, on the other hand, have varied their jerseys well, and they have used many combinations of speciality logos and colors that have served them well over their history.

There are too many jerseys for me to post the images of all the jerseys here, but if you're already familiar with them, I think you'll agree with me that the Penguins have the edge here, in creativity and aesthetics.

Winner- Penguins

Score- Tied, 1-1

We'll pick up with more of our "Top 10 Most Painful Moments," more Inconsequential Clash posts, and more from our Faceoff Spectacular soon! Only six days away from the season...

To readers of OBG on Bleacher Report: The full Orange, Black, & Gold (OBG) Blog is available at http://www.orangeblackgold.blogspot.com.

The Bizarre Culture of Hockey Fighting

Ben Livingston — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:53:57 -0400

In most sports that are played in the 21st century, every move that you make on the field, on the court, on the ice, or on whatever surface you play on, has a direct effect on the outcome of the game.

In other words, attaining successes during the playing of the sport usually help a team inch closer to victory in a tangible way. However, hockey is not like these sports.

In certain formats, the game of hockey plays host to what some might call a “mini-game,” a competition in which victory means, well, absolutely nothing to the overall game. This irrelevant game within the game of hockey is known as fighting.

A hockey fight occurs when two or more players decide to engage in fisticuffs. There are many special rules governing how a fight is to be conducted, but these rules are fluid and have varied over the history of the game.

The only constant in fighting is that you are assessed a penalty for doing it. There exists a bizarre practice of allowing fighting to occur, while at the same time penalizing the participants for doing it.

This has lead to it being called a “semi-legal” practice in cases where it is tolerated.

As for the current rules governing fighting in the world’s most prominent hockey league, the National Hockey League, they are somewhat humorously specific for such a violent practice. The basic gist of it is the following:

· Only two players may participate in a single fight, although multiple fights may take place at once

· Players must drop their gloves when fighting

· Fights must be conducted under mutual consent of both of the participants

· A referee can break up a fight at their discretion, whenever they feel it is necessary

These rules demonstrate the bizarre, unusual nature of the hockey fight. While a fight consists of nothing more than two men trying to bash each other’s skulls in with their bare fists, the circumstances under which a fight is conducted are awfully specific.

The specificity of these rules is even more puzzling when you consider that the result of a fight doesn’t have any effect on the game itself.

So, if the result of a fight has no official bearing whatsoever on the game of hockey itself, why is fighting given so much attention?

Perhaps the most organic (and at the same time most crude) glimpse into the aura surrounding fighting in hockey is explained by the website broadstreetbully.com.

Officially, the site is a paid subscription service offering high-quality videos of hockey fights and other crudely humorous delinquency in hockey.

However, speaking of the site in such wording doesn’t do justice to what the site is really portraying. Among the free preview videos they offer are the following:

· Bellows, You Pussy!- A Pittsburgh Penguins player taunts an opponent from the Minnesota North Stars (apparently named Bellows) using colorful language.

· Dead F’n Meat- An enraged Toronto Maple Leafs player, on the way off the ice after receiving a misconduct, tells a player on the other bench that he is “Dead F***ing Meat.”

· 1997 Revenge Game- The Detroit Red Wings’ players ambush Colorado Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux, exacting revenge for a vicious hit Lemieux had put on Red Wing Kris Draper the year before. This causes a massive brawl that even gets the goalies into a fight.

Seeing such astonishingly rash and angry behavior is certainly appalling to the untrained eye, but the reality is that broadstreetbully.com and other sites like it are quite popular, despite the regrettable behavior they showcase.

To find the reason for this puzzling phenomenon, one must look no further that the origin of the name broadstreetbully.

The “Broad Street Bullies” was the well-known nickname of the Philadelphia Flyers NHL team in the 1970’s. The team was known for their fighting, taunting, underhanded tactics, and overall delinquency.

They took the usually graceful game of hockey and turned it into a slobber-knocker affair that caused their opponents immense frustration.

On January 11, 1976, the Flyers played in what is traditionally considered their greatest game in team history, an exhibition against the Soviet Union Red Army team in Philadelphia.

The Flyers played so rough against the Soviets that the Soviets walked off the ice in the middle of the first period, too frustrated to continue playing against the Flyers. They would return, and the Flyers eventually won the game 4-1.

This bizarre game cemented the Broad Street Bullies as the bad guys of hockey, and the ripples of the Broad Street Bullies’ new form of hockey were felt throughout North America.

Now, if somebody who is unfamiliar with the game of hockey was to watch the video of said game, perhaps the thing about the whole affair that would shock him or her most was the way the Flyers’ fans were reacting to what was going on.

They were shouting and cheering the loudest whenever a Flyer made a cheap move or laid out a Soviet player, and when the Soviets left the ice, the fans roared with approval.

At points it sounded as if a big check or a cheap shot by a Flyer was just as important to the fans as a Flyers goal was.

Now, this game did take place during the Cold War, but the situation was the essentially the same no matter who the Flyers played.

Ever since the days of the “Broad Street Bullies,” the Flyers’ fans have been notorious for their bloodthirstiness, as their team’s reputation has rubbed off onto them.

However, as time passed, the Flyers’ reputation began to rub off not only onto Flyers fans, but also on fans and teams all over North America.

Soon enough, North American hockey came to be embodied by delinquency, and every game between a North American team and a European team (whether it be in the Olympics or otherwise) began to show what hockey had become in the former.

European players would often express frustration during and after these games at how underhanded, violent, and rough their opponents from the other side of the Atlantic were.

These games are an everlasting sign of what hockey has become in its home continent. The delinquency that has become an integral part of the game shows why a website like broadstreetbully.com receives so much traffic.

Many hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike love to watch these “bad boys” or “bullies” throw punches, curse at each other, and play dirty in general.

The fact that fans tend to enjoy hockey violence has lead to the common sentiment that fighting serves as a marketing strategy.

It is a simple idea: if fans enjoy the game more when they see violence and delinquency such as fighting, then allowing fighting will increase the size of the sport’s fan base.

This makes sense when you consider that nearly all the leagues and levels in North America that allow fighting to occur (such as the NHL, its minor leagues, and the juniors) are made up of teams that are trying to make a profit, while nearly all the leagues that break them up when they start (such as collegiate or high school leagues) are made up of non-profit teams.

However, there is also a fairly obvious confounding variable: leagues that try to make a profit are typically for adults, while the non-profit leagues are generally for children and young adults: the only major exception being that the NCAA (college-age) and juniors (high school age to above college-age) have quite a bit of overlap in their age levels.

Despite this confounding variable, it is still important to note that fighting tends to only be allowed in leagues that are trying to make a profit through selling tickets (as well as through other means in the case of some major leagues). This would suggest that fighting is for the fans, and isn’t an organic part of the sport.

The video game series NHL Hitz also echoes this claim. It portrays a much more violent form of hockey than traditional hockey video games, as it is full of showboating, massive checks, and other macabre additions to the game of hockey.

It certainly held fighting in high esteem, as Hitz was probably the only ever format of hockey in which the outcome of a fight affected the outcome of a game. In Hitz, the loser of a fight is kicked off the ice for the rest of the period.

The Hitz series sold very well during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s because hockey fans caught on to the more comically violent, rough-and-tough genre of video-game hockey

Cartoon manifestations of hockey aside, many really do believe that fighting should be part of the framework of the sport. In his online article “Hockey Fights Are Here To Stay, at Least They Should Be,” Dan Leggieri argues that fighting is, overall, a very wise addition to the game of hockey because of the excitement it brings to fans:

“A frequent argument that occurs on talk radio, in newspapers and with groups of hockey fans is whether there is any place for fighting in hockey. Some say that fighting adds nothing to the game itself and disrupts the purity of the sport.

"Purists will stand by the opinion that fighting has nothing to do with a game that is supposed to be about skill. How could two guys dropping the gloves and beating each other silly possibly make a game, whose sole purpose is to put a round rubber puck into a net, anymore enjoyable?

“Those people couldn’t be more wrong.

“Remember the game between the Quebec Ramparts and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, of the QMHL? It was a complete blowout (7-1) in favour of the Sagueneens late in the second period when all hell broke out.

“Watch it again if you have to and see if ANYONE in the arena is not loving every minute of that brawl. The players, the announcer and most importantly, the fans were all thoroughly enjoying the fight, especially when Patrick Roy’s son Jonathon Roy skated the length of the ice to put his fist into the face of Chicoutimi goalie Bobby Nadeau.

Listen to the fans, they almost sound disappointed with Roy until he actually makes his way over to the other side of the rink, and when he does, they erupt in excitement.

The players on the bench cannot contain themselves as they cheer on teammates and the announcer even has himself a nice chuckle. Everyone wins!”

Leggieri is convinced that the stain that fighting leaves on the “purity” of the game of hockey is insignificant when one considers the excitement it can bring to fans.

Traditionally, very few casual fans of the game disagree with this claim. However, a fair-sized portion of people who are very close to the sport think that the stain is indeed too big.

These fans more typically come from Canada than from America, due to the fact that hockey is played more there than it is in America, as well as due to the fact that hockey is Canada is national pastime.

These fans are often referred to as “purists.” They tend to appreciate hockey as a graceful sport, that it was before fighting became part of the game. They feel frustration that the game they love has become so barbaric and violent.

As things are now, these purists interestingly only get their way in leagues that aren’t trying to make a profit from ticket sales.

The fact that the majority of NHL clubs are in the United States, coupled with the focus the league currently puts on bringing new fans closer to the game, means that the purists interests have become secondary to those of the new fans the NHL is trying to attract.

John Buccigross, an ESPN reporter who is one of the top hockey analysts in America, doesn’t think that that ticket sales are a legitimate reason for keeping fighting in the sport.

In his article "The pros and cons of fighting in the NHL," he says that he doesn’t have a problem with fighting itself, but does have trouble believing that fighting really brings more fans into the stadium (the place where professional hockey, like most professional sports, makes most of its revenue):

“I find it difficult to comprehend that people come to NHL games for fights. That is an awfully expensive night out for something that isn’t guaranteed to happen, and if it does happen, it may be short and unmemorable. There are plenty of ultimate-fighting highlights on television today. I understand hockey is the final frontier for sanctioned bare-knuckle fighting, but UFC matches are close enough.”

While debating the claim that fighting helps sell tickets, Buccigross also raises a very intriguing point about the appeal of a hockey fight. He says that, since we live in an age of ultimate fighting, the appeal of a hockey fight isn’t what it used to be.

This claim seems legitimate when you consider that ultimate fighting’s large rise in popularity over the past few years (it has been a little over 2.5 years since he wrote the article) has come hand-in-hand with increased debate over the appropriateness of fighting in hockey.

Now, there is an alternate, more obvious explanation for why these talks have picked up- and, bizarrely enough, Buccigross foresaw this explanation as well in his article. When raising a series of points about fighting, he offers “Devil’s Advocate” responses for all but one claim: the claim that a player could die in a hockey fight.

Sure enough, a 21-year old player for the Whitby Dunlops of Major League hockey named Don Sanderson was killed in 2009 after falling and banging his head after a fight.

Also, a player for the American Hockey League’s Philadelphia Phantoms named Garrett Klotz banged his head after a fight, and was hospitalized as a result.

He had seizures and was found to have a concussion. Players have also suffered what can most simply be called a “broken face:” facial injuries so severe that a player needs surgery to reconstruct their face.

The issue of the safety of fighting is debated perhaps most famously during an NHL on NBC first intermission report during a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers NHL game on January 18, 2009.

In the wake of the death of Sanderson, analysts Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury debated how hockey should deal with the dangers of fighting.

McGuire argued that the NHL needs to form a committee to reduce the dangers of fighting, while Milbury responded by telling McGuire that he is “just another guy trying to pansify the sport.”

Milbury then cued up effeminate music to mock McGuire and what he considered to be McGuire’s “flower child background.”

The fact that this was considered appropriate for the NHL’s flagship broadcast network (NBC) is a testament to how much the “tough-guy” reputation of hockey affects the issue of fighting.

McGuire, however, was not alone. These tragic occurrences have lead to a number of people expressing concerns about how safe fighting is.

However, the danger tends to end up being a moot point, at least in leagues in North America, in large part because the players aren’t begging for fights to stop.

The most likely cause for this is that it would potentially eliminate the need for the “enforcer:” a player that has negligible hockey skills (such as shooting, skating, and defensive skills), and is primarily out on the ice in order to be the delinquent that North American hockey has come to appreciate so much.

Without fights, these men could possibly be left without jobs, so it is unreasonable to expect the players unions to take an anti-fighting stance.

However, these enforcers could still potentially be in demand. Michael Morrison, in his article “To Protect and Serve,” offers some reasons why enforcers have value to a team beyond just throwing punches:

“For the most part, fighters are in the league to ‘protect the skill players’… For the league to thrive, smaller but talented stars… must be allowed the freedom to skate, pass, and shoot without the fear of being blindsided by a 6’4’’, 220 pound defenseman. With an ‘enforcer keeping watch, players tend to think twice before taking liberties with these stars.”

So, as Morrison explains, enforcers can serve a purpose beyond being the “designated fighters” on the team. They serve as protectors to the superstar players who are more graceful than tough.

They can defend their team’s superstars by punishing those who try to push the superstars around. On the flip side of that coin, they can also go after the opposing team’s players and push them around just for the heck of it.

Now, of course the enforcers on two opposing teams can get into fights with one another, but it is important to note that their value often goes beyond just fighting.

Now, there are some, such as Morrison, who believe that fighting’s value lies in keeping these enforcers’ violence aimed at each other, rather than at other players:

“In a perfect world, referees would catch all the cheap shots and flagrant fouls, and vigilante justice wouldn’t be necessary. The stark reality is that they can’t possibly catch everything. Even if they did, it might not completely put a halt to foul play.”

So, it appears that Morrison sees fighting as a measure of necessary vigilante justice. This reveals an important function of fighting that goes beyond marketing. It shows that fighting actually can be considered an integral part of the game of hockey: a sort of insurance against dirty play.

However, it is important to note the problematic nature of such an insurance. Defending violence with more violence begins a vicious cycle that has the potential to turn hockey into a violent sport: a prospect that has undoubtedly come to pass in North America.

Nevertheless, the strategic element that these added conflicts can bring to the game can give birth to intriguing storylines that seem themselves played out over the course of games, seasons, and careers.

For example, in overtime of Game 1 of a 2006 first-round playoff series between the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres, the Sabres’ Brian Campbell laid out a perfectly legal, yet vicious hit on the Flyers’ R.J Umberger, who was knocked out cold and suffered a concussion.

Due to this, any time these two players’ teams would meet in the future, fans were excited because they knew that the bad blood between the two might boil over.

In this case, a fight serves the purpose that Morrison has talked about. Instead of attacking each other during the game through subtle, dangerous means (such as slashing or cross-checking) that only deserve minor penalties (which are only two-minutes long- not much of a deterrent), Campbell and Umberger now have a supervised, organized way to express their frustrations.

Meanwhile, since a fight is a spectacle, the fans enjoy it much more than they would enjoy an errant slash behind the play.

Morrison even ties his argument about the strategical benefits of fighting into the argument that fighting has a positive financial benefit on hockey:

“Some believe the allowing of fighting in the NHL is strictly financial, and that if fighting were abolished, fans would find the sport less interesting, and ratings would decrease. Well, they’re right.

“Not because fans necessarily love to watch fighting, but because without it, more stars…would be on the sidelines and scoring would fall to soccer-like levels. And that really would be less interesting.”

In this passage, Morrison reveals another way in which fighting is a good financial strategy.

By keeping players like Campbell and Umberger (both skilled players) from going after each other by way of cheap shots, it allows for them to go after each other in a format that is supervised, pre-established, and agreed on by both superstars (an instigator penalty, and often a game misconduct, is assessed if a player starts a fight with an opponent without the opponent agreeing to the fight).

This means that the smaller, fragile superstars can stand by while their bigger teammates throw punches at each other, meaning that the revenue-bringing superstars are less likely to be injured.

So, in conclusion, it appears that hockey fighting has two primary benefits it brings to the sport: benefits that have kept it part of the sport to date despite the stain many believe fighting causes on the game and the danger it brings to the game.

First off, there is the delinquent, crowd-pleasing aspect of fighting. In this respect, fighting is beneficial because it perpetuates delinquency in hockey, which, in theory, more fans interested in the sport.

The other benefit it brings is that it provides an outlet for frustrations, which helps prevent the many potential weapons hockey players carry (primarily skates and sticks) from being used to settle conflicts when tensions boil over.

These two benefits explain why hockey fights are given so much attention and are taken so seriously, despite the fact that, to this day, their results have no bearing on the outcome of a game.

"Top 10 Most Painful Moments" #7: Luck, Dumb Luck

Ben Livingston — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:50:00 -0400

#10: Sykora's Called Shot
#9: Letang's OT Winner
#8: Biron the Boob

#7: Luck, Dumb Luck

When the Penguins lost the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals in six games to the Detroit Red Wings, it was a very satisfying sight for Flyers fans to see.

I personally felt that the Penguins performance in that Stanley Cup Final was flat-out embarrassing, because, despite losing in six games, it had taken them nearly seven full periods of hockey to put up a goal.

They fought back well towards the end, but in my honest opinion, the series wasn’t as close as one would expect a six-game series to be.

The next time the Penguins faced a 2-0 deficit in a series was the following year, 2009, against the Washington Capitals.

The Penguins had beaten the Flyers in the first round in what was one of the more thrilling six-game series you’ll ever see, because while the Flyers fell behind 2-0 in the series, they still had three separate games in which they came inches from tying or winning the game (anyone who watched games 2, 4, and 6 will certainly agree with me).

The 2-0 deficit the Penguins fell into against the Capitals resulted from two very close games, both in which the Penguins scored first.

The Penguins managed to fight back in that series and win the next three games, and would eventually win Game 7 in blowout fashion.

Now, I believe that some luck went into their seven-game victory—primarily, the fact that Simeon Varlamov inexplicably blew up towards the end of the series—but I think that it was a hard-fought, skilled victory overall.

Luck always plays a bit of a factor, but the Penguins losses in that series were very close, and to their credit, they did their homework on Varlamov.

The Penguins’ again won easily in the conference finals, which lead them into a blockbuster rematch with the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Both teams were considered to be stronger than the year before, and that fact made the rematch all the more exciting. The Red Wings got off to another fantastic start, grabbing two 3-1 victories highlighted by the play of two players who the Penguins should have had in check.

Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader were prospects who were expected to be good eventually, but not necessarily in 2009. Helm had been playing well for most of the playoffs, but for the Penguins to allow two largely inexperienced prospects to take them to school was quite embarrassing.

Meanwhile, I was loving every minute of it, because the Penguins, even the with Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk out and the experience of playing the Red Wings the year before, were still getting schooled.

In addition, my anger towards the Penguins had grown considerably since 2008, due to the heated 2009 playoff series between the Flyers and them adding a lot of kindling to my fiery contempt for the Penguins.

The Penguins’ victory in Game 3 was much easier for me to swallow than their victory in Game 3 against Washington had been.

The Penguins took a 1-0 lead, then fell behind 2-1, and finally tied it late in the first period on a goal by Kris Letang. In the third, Sergei Gonchar scored the go-ahead goal from the point, and they won 4-2.

Their comeback after an early 2-1 deficit frustrated me, but I found comfort in the fact that the Penguins had won Game 3 against the Red Wings the year before, and still lost the series in six games.

What really sent me over the edge and pushed this experience into the top ten was Game 4.

In Game 4, the Red Wings came back from an early 1-0 deficit (after an early power play goal by Evgeni Malkin) to take a 2-1 lead for the second straight game.

Now, this was the exact same scoring pattern that resulted in the Red Wings’ 2-1 Game 4 victory the year before. I figured that the Penguins had used up a lot of energy winning Game 3, just like the year before, and would lose this Game 4 as well.

However, as you’ve surely learned by now, my dreams of the Penguins having nightmares never come true.

The Penguins tied the game midway through the second on a shorthanded breakaway goal by Jordan Staal, and the pack of Pens’ fans at Mellon Arena was going just about as crazy as any hockey crowd that I could recall.

Again, I didn’t mind it—that is, I was only fuming a bit until they scored again just two minutes later on a two-on-one when Malkin fed Sidney Crosby for a tip-in. Then, just minutes after that, they got an insurance goal on a fantastic
tic-tac-toe play that resulted in a goal by Tyler Kennedy.

At that point, I actually turned off the television I was so bewildered—something that I don’t think I’ve ever done during a hockey game. I even watched the entire third period of the Flyers and Penguins Game 5 the year before, in which the Flyers were down 5-0 at the start of the period and 6-0 at the end of the game.

It was simply too ridiculous to watch—I felt as if there was no way this could be happening.

With me web surfing with a frown on my face, the Penguins went on to win by another 4-2 score, and I began to realize that this wasn’t going to be the same series as the year before.

Now, as you all know, the Penguins went on to win the series, and we’ll certainly be talking about the latter part of the series later in our countdown.

However, I would like to point out now that I truly believe the Penguins’ victory over the Red Wings entailed a lot of help from lady luck.

In my impartial opinion as a huge hockey fan as well as a hockey blogger is that the Red Wings were the better team in this series.

Mike Babcock, the Red Wings head coach, said that his team had “nothing left to give” after the series, and he wasn’t kidding.

Pavel Datsyuk missed a large chunk of the series, and he wasn’t at 100 percent at any point in the series. Also, unbeknown to the media and the fans, Marian Hossa was having shoulder troubles, which explains why he—the player who had the most to play for in the series—was kept off the score sheet.

The injuries to these two, who were arguably Detroit’s two best players (or at the very least their two best forwards) that year, coupled with the age of the Red Wings, undoubtedly played a role in the Penguins victory.

Having an old team isn’t an excuse for losing, but it certainly does explain why the Red Wings were struggling towards the end of the series.

Now, this all isn’t to take away from the Penguins hard-earned victory, but it certainly does bring into question how things would have turned out if either Datsyuk or Hossa was at one hundred percent.

Nevertheless, the frustration that I (and many Flyers fans) were feeling as the Penguins clawed back into the series stung a lot, and it made the Flyers defeat at the hands of the Penguins in the first round even bitterer.

Next Time on “Top 10 Most Painful Moments”: Evgeni Malkin uses the elimination of the two-line pass rule to embarrass the Flyers’ Mike Richards…

Top 10 Most Painful Moments: No. 8 Biron the Boob

Ben Livingston — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:28:00 -0400

Biron was a career backup that many in Philadelphia believed had the stuff to be a No. 1 goaltender. However, Biron never really cemented himself as a No. 1. It was because of instances like moment No. 8 on our list that Biron failed to clearly prove his worth as anything more than an above-average career backup.

It was February 21, 2009, and things couldn't have been much better for the Flyers. They were 31-16-9, but the Penguins, at 28-25-6, were down in the dumps. They had just fired head coach Michel Therrien, and were in the midst of a horrible 12-19-1 streak caused in large part by dropping nine of their last 10 road games.

The Penguins were slowly dropping out of the playoff race, while the Flyers were in fantastic position, as the two met for an afternoon showdown in Philadelphia.

The Flyers got things off on the right foot, scoring first thanks to a backhander from Joffery Lupul. However, the second period brought trouble for the Flyers as it so often had that season, as the Penguins got goals from their three players probably liked least by Flyers fans: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Ruslan Fedotenko.

The third period saw the Flyers tie the game twice, once on a shorthander from Mike Richards, and then after another Fedotenko tally, Mike Knuble knotted the game up at four with 5:35 to go.

It was clear that a fantastic ending was in store. I'll give you one guess who that ending benefitted...

With just under three minutes left, Pascal Dupuis plowed through the Philadelphia defense and tried to get a good angle at the net. Now, what was Martin Biron thinking at the time? Let's look back at the brain archives (don't even ask how I got this—I just know a guy) of good old Marty...

Wow, I really should pick up milk at the Wawa. I've had enough with that A-Plus store, especially after they ran out of 2% milk three weeks in a row. That's a load of bull-...

Oh crap, there's a man skating at me with the puck! What was that thing I learned in goalie school—something about cutting off the angle? Yeah, that was it...

Reminiscing about his many years of making honor roll at goalie school, Marty skated right out towards Dupuis, probably yelling "BOO!" when he got a couple feet away from him.

Realizing that what he was trying only works on five-year-olds in pee-wee hockey; he slid out on his bottom, and momentarily broke up the play. Pascal Dupuis just stood there, in disbelief that Biron had just slid out to stop him when he didn't even have an angle to shoot from. He then calmly just backhanded the puck to Sidney Crosby, who knocked it home, and did a little victory jig.

And what did Sid the Kid have to say about the play?

"It was really a good break. You can't really blame the goalie."

I just laughed so hard that I popped a blood vessel.

Pittsburgh went on to win the game in stunning fashion, and their victory set them off on a tear, as they won seven of their next eight, including winning five of their next six road games. This trend led to the Penguins eventually overtaking the Flyers in the standings on the final day of the season, and because of that they got home-ice advantage in their playoff series against the Flyers—all of this because, without a shadow of a doubt, Martin Biron is a boob.

Next time on "Top 10 Most Painful Moments": I get so frustrated at the Penguins that I actually turn the television off—and I don't think I can stress how shocking of a thing that is for me to do.

Report from Penguins Training Camp

Ben Livingston — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:24:00 -0400

Today I did something that required a bit of restraint, but more importantly required me to die a bit inside. I decided that, for the sake of reporting and getting photos, I would go to Mellon Arena to visit the Penguins' open training camp session—without any Flyers gear. And, as you're about to see, it was much, much harder to do than I expected.

Here's the rundown of time there:

11:50- Arrived at Mellon Arena

11:52- While walking up ramp, I look down and saw Ruslan Fedotenko getting into his car, less than twenty feet below me. I gritted my teeth angrily, because Fedotenko is my least favorite athlete on the face of the earth. This is due to the fact that Ruslan Fedotenko never managed to play well during his time as a Flyer, yet managed to play quite well after that—especially when facing the Flyers in huge games. In my mind, I was yelling obscenities, but in reality, I was just getting out my camera in the hopes that I'd catch the next player on camera.

11:55- I see none other than Sidney Crosby walk out of the garage, towards a mass of waiting fans. I ran down the ramp towards the street trying to get get good shots of him. I even snapped a couple pictures on my phone to send to some of my friends and family. Sid signed a few autographs, and then pulled a guy in a wheelchair aside to give him a special autograph and photo session. After that he got in his car and left, while one crazy guy ran on the sidewalk alongside his car (I don't think he even wanted an autograph—rather, it seemed like he was just chasing a car like a child will occasionally do when their parents pull out of the driveway and go to work).

12:03- I just miss Marc-Andre Fleury, but I snap a shot of his sports car revving its engine as he heads out. I also see a few other players as well whose faces I can't identify.

12:19- I enter the arena through Gate 1 and spend about ten minutes trying to figure out what tickets are available for a couple of the Flyers games there.

12:23- I enter the stadium bowl and see the inside of Mellon Arena for the first time in my life.

12:23- Players take the ice, and begin warming up for a scrimmage. The key players that were still there (i.e. those who were in the afternoon practice group) included Evgeni Malkin, Bill Guerin, Kristopher Letang, Brook Orpik, and Mike Rupp.

11:53- I leave the stadium bowl for a bit, and head back to the box office to buy tickets for the final Flyers vs. Penguins game of the season, which is March 27th at 1:00PM in Mellon Arena. When I return, the scrimmage is already underway. There are now hundreds of fans in attendance, with some scout scattered among them- easily identifiable in their dressy clothes, holding copies of the Penguins' roster in their hands.
1:13- Finally, a goal is scored (click to see the video), which I had wanted to see because I wanted to hear the goal horn and goal song. However, neither sound is heard (which I suppose is to be expected as a scrimmage). Nevertheless, I left feeling that the visit had been a success, as I had kept cool and done some good old reporting.

So, overall, it was a great few hours, and it wasn't as hard as I had expected to enter the building that hosted so many of the "Top 10 Most Painful Moments" that we're in the midst of counting down here at OBG.

Top 10 Most Painful Moments, No. 9: Letang's OT Winner

Ben Livingston — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:13:00 -0400

We continue our "Top 10 Most Painful Moments" feature, counting down the ten times that the Penguins have caused Flyers fans the most pain over the past few years. Before continuing, here's a rundown of the previous moments we've counted down on OBG...

No. 10: Sykora's Called Shot

No. 9: Letang's OT Winner

After the Penguins defeated the Flyers in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, I found myself strongly hoping the Capitals would be able to knock off the Penguins in the second round. It would be a double victory—not only would the Penguins be eliminated from the playoffs, but they would be knocked out by a team the Flyers had beaten in the first round the year before. If the Capitals could earn the victory, it would make the Flyers' botched playoff run that much less painful.

The Capitals started off the series well in Game One with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory. Game Two was one of the most incredible games of the entire playoffs, a game in which both Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby notched hat tricks.

It was a huge game that got a lot of coverage in the following days, which made the Capitals' 4-3 victory that much sweeter. Crosby had been edged by Ovechkin—who now had as many goals as he had managed in the Capitals' entire seven-game series against my Flyers the year before—and the Penguins were in a 2-0 hole. Everything seemed to be going the Caps' way.

Game Three got off to a fantastic start. Under 90 seconds into the game, Marc-Andre Fleury made an embarrassing mistake when he tried to play a puck behind the net. He completely misplayed it and it ricocheted right out in front of the net, where Alex Ovechkin knocked it home to give the Caps the early lead.

Ruslan Fedotenko would tie the game in the second period, and the game remained that way going into the third. It remained tied until late in the final period, when Evgeni Malkin scored one of the more electrifying goals I've seen, cutting back behind Washington forward Brooks Laich and snapping home the go-ahead, power-play goal.

He showboated a bit on the celebration, but the electricity was short-lived. Nicklas Backstrom put a smile back on my face with an impressive power-play goal of his own, as he scored from an impossible angle on a rebound shot with 1:50 left to tie the game.

So the stage was set for overtime—the Penguins, without a shadow of a doubt, needed to win the game to have any chance in the series. If they won, they'd still have a lot of work to do if they wanted to win the series, but the thought of the Penguins being all but eliminated by an overtime goal was irresistible. Even now, I smile at the very thought of it.

However, as always, my dreams weren't meant to be. With a little over eight minutes to go in overtime, Kristopher Letang scored on a point shot right off the faceoff, putting the Penguins back in the series. While I knew that the Capitals were still the heavy favorites, I felt very uneasy about the Penguins, despite their being down 2-1 in the series. Sure enough, the Penguins won the next two games, and eventually blew out the Capitals in Game Seven by a score of 6-2.

So, it was a 3-2 victory for the Penguins, starting a three-game winning streak that launched them into the third round. I hate the number three...

Next Time on "Top 10 Most Painful Moments": Concrete evidence as to why Martin Biron is currently the third-string goaltender for hockey's worst team, the New York Islanders...

Philedelphia Flyer's Top 10 Most Painful Moments #10: Sykora's Called Shot

Ben Livingston — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:51:00 -0400

Welcome back to the "Faceoff Spectacular" here at OBG (which is, for those of you kids who forgot, or who were in the bathroom for our first two posts, the Orange, Black, and Gold blog). As promised, it's time to get going on one of our top pre-season features, the "Top 10 Most Painful Moments" from the Flyers/Penguins rivalry over the past couple years.

Now, the fact that they are all painful to Flyers' fans isn't because the Flyers have been the lesser of the two teams over the past couple years—at least I think that isn't the reason.

Anyway, just a few notes before we begin. Every lovely clip will be accompanied by a video, from either nhl.tv, YouTube, or another lovely provider of years worth of life-wasting videos.

In honor of those of us whose browsers can't handle over a dozen embedded videos at once, the videos will be posted as links. Feel free to comment, and make sure to check back often, because these posts are going to be going faster than the issue of GQ with Sidney Crosby shirtless (although that's not really a hard feat to accomplish...).

#10: Sykora's Called Shot

I, for one, am a fan of hockey above all other sports because of the unique emotional outpouring that a goal can—especially playoff overtime goals. Series winning goals are even better. However, nothing can compare to the sight of a cup-winning goal.

In 2000, I was in third grade, and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, with my dad sleeping on the couch next to me, hoping the New Jersey Devils, up 3-1 in the series and playing at home, could win the cup in overtime.

I didn't even care that the Devils, who had just shockingly overcome a 3-1 deficit to knock off my Flyers in the Conference Finals, would win the Stanley Cup if they scored. That's how badly I wanted to see it.

The game went three overtimes, and Mike Modano killed my hopes by scoring a lucky goal in the third overtime to win it for the Stars. The next night, I was deemed too tired to stay up, and I missed Jason Arnott winning the Stanley Cup in double overtime for the Devils.

In 2008, I faced virtually the exact same situation, but everything was flipped. It was the Detroit Red Wings up 3-1 to a hated rival team of mine, this time the Penguins, and the Red Wings were trying to win the cup at home.

The Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead, much to my dismay, thanks to goals from Marian Hossa and Adam Hall. However, the Red Wings came roaring back in the second and third period, scoring three goals of their own. The fans were counting down, until, somehow, Maxime Talbot tied the game with 34.3 seconds to go.

Now, believe it or not, I didn't mind; it made for fantastic hockey, and I love a thrilling game. Besides, I didn't think the Penguins had a chance in the series, and now, I had a shot at potentially seeing a cup-winning overtime goal at home.

I again found myself battling to stay awake into the wee hours in the morning, but this time things got too interesting for me to even consider falling half-asleep.

Penguins' winger Petr Sykora actually knocked on the glass next to NBC Inside the Glass reporter Pierre McGuire, and told him that he would get the winning goal. I thought he was insane, and I couldn't wait to see his ludicrous statement double the pain of Penguins fans if and when they lost.

However, for the second time in my life, a third overtime goal dashed my hopes of seeing a cup-winning overtime goal live. The Penguins got a four-minute power-play, and just 35 seconds into it, the prophecy came true. Sykora scored on a bullet shot from the point, and my whole dream came crashing down.

It couldn't have happened in a more embarrassing way; not only was I not going to get my playoff overtime winner, but the Penguins had gotten a miraculous victory that validated them as a top-tier team and kept them alive in their cup hopes.

In addition, they had done so on a called shot. So, essentially, instead of just wishing that the Penguins lost the game 3-2 instead of tying it, I wanted the game to continue.

It was a classic case of "be careful what you wish for," and it was a sour feeling to say the least. And, to make matters worse, it wouldn't be the last time (stay tuned to find out what on earth that means)...

Next Time on "Top 10 Most Painful Moments": Even further evidence as to why three is my unlucky number...

Welcome to OBG!

Ben Livingston — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:45:00 -0400

With that lengthily introduction complete, I'd now love to formally welcome you to the Orange, Black and Gold blog which will hereby be more affectionately known as OBG. This concept of this blog has been forming in my mind ever since that painful Game 6 experience I had, but it was lacking one thing, a name. A number of sub-par names had been floating around my mind, but each had major shortfallings:

Behind Enemy Lines: Sounds like I'm a spy (although if I was, I probably wouldn't tell you)
Keystone Clash: Already overused by the media
Orange Crushed: Sounds overwhelmingly negative
%!*@# the Penguins: Probably wouldn't show up too often in search engines
Orange and Black in a Sea of Black and Gold: I'd like to be able to tell people about my blog without fainting

Brainstorming the last one brought me to the ingenious conclusion that the Flyers and Penguins have a color in common, black. At first, the idea of mixing the two teams colors together repulsed me a bit. However, it is actually quite appropriate. Pittsburgh is notorious for turning its college students into Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates fans. Thus, my time in Pittsburgh would be a struggle to maintain my own athletic allegiances in a time when my teams were being trumped by those of the Steel City.

In addition, it made me realize the only thing separating the Flyers colors from the Penguins colors is a bit of red if you take the Penguins' "gold" as the yellow it really looks like, adding red to it gives you orange. This is quite appropriate due to the Flyers' fans notorious bloodthirstiness.

So, in short, the name stuck. Unfortunately, the domain name http://obg.blogspot.com/ was taken by some guy who took five minutes creating a white-and-black blog with a single, two-word post, so OBG will have to resort to the less-glamorous domain name http://orangeblackgold.blogspot.com/.

Over the next few weeks I'll be running a number of features, which will hopefully quench the thirst of Flyers fans, Penguins fans, and neutral fans of the Pennsylvania Cold War alike, until the season finally begins in October. At that point, it'll be time to start the lead-up to the first meeting between these two powerhouses on October 8th in Philadelphia.

So sit back and enjoy the ride (despite the many bumps it is sure to bring). Check back often over the next few weeks, as we'll be counting down the Top 10 Most Painful Moments in the Flyers-Penguins rivalry over the past couple years. It's all part of our "Faceoff Spectacular"...

Well, again, welcome to OBG, and I hope to see you back soon!

P.S. If you need something to tide you over, enjoy this colorful image of the Flyers' Randy Jones and the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin:

Introduction to Orange, Black, and Gold

Ben Livingston — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:04:00 -0400

PittStart: The Start of a University of Pittsburgh Student's College Experience

I was ecstatic for my PittStart, as I was champing at the bit to make any sort of jump I could into college life. I couldn’t wait to get my first taste of Pittsburgh as a college student and to finally complete my transition out of high school.

Just like the vast majority of college-bound high school seniors, I was already thinking ahead to the many wonderful, life-changing, and exciting experiences college would be sure to bring. That being said, I came up with the crafty idea of choosing an early PittStart date—June 15 and 16—which would allow me an early jump into college life, and a chance to register for classes early. It was, in my mind, a foolproof plan.

I departed for my PittStart on the morning of the 15th from my hometown of Cheltenham (a northern suburb of Philadelphia) with just me and my lovely ’95 Buick Regal. I was making fantastic time, and found myself at the Pittsburgh exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in four hours and change (I won’t specify my exact travel time, just in case anybody reading this post happens to be a Pennsylvania State Trooper...).

I paid my toll and took the ramp to Interstate 376 (the road into the city of Pittsburgh). I took off down the highway, happy as a clam. I was doing 60-something without fail for a few minutes until I hit a brick wall of traffic.

I was afraid that this might have happened. I switched on my '90s-style car radio and began scanning the channels. It only took me a few seconds to reach a station broadcasting the death sentence I was expecting...

“...bumper to bumper on about every major road within the city limits. These Penguins fans are coming out in droves, and it’s really a sight to see. Seeing this many cars out on the road, filled with yellow-and-gold sporting fans, gives me just as many chills as seeing Crosby tie Game Six against the Flyers, Letang rocket that OT winner in Game Three against the Caps, or watching Talbot stun the Wings in Game Seven.”

Of course, these weren’t the exact words I heard, but I couldn’t hope to remember what exactly was said, because my mind was on the verge of exploding. I couldn’t take it anymore. It hadn’t even been a minute, and I was already infuriated.

The oasis of college now felt like it was millions of miles away, because each mile I drove was bringing me further away from that oasis. I saw the next four years of my life flash before me, and among all the great things I saw, there was a faint buzz of doubt. It sounded like the Penguins goal horn.

At that point, I was on the verge on going mad. I couldn’t take it anymore because I, unlike everyone around me, was a Flyers fan. A really, really big Flyers fan...

Complex imagery and climactic, exaggerated narratives aside, this is, in essence, how my life as a Flyers fan in Pittsburgh began. While I had been excited to begin my time as a student at Pitt from the second I sent in my enrollment deposit, I had always been dreading the idea of coming to Pittsburgh, the home of my team’s most hated rival, the Penguins.

My move to Pittsburgh was one laced in irony. Prior to 2008, the place most deserving of the title “Philadelphia Sports Hell” would undoubtedly be Philadelphia itself. With the city stuck in a 25-year title drought, Philadelphia sports fans were living in pain and frustration, as their four major sports flopped time and time again in key situations. Finally, though, in 2008, the Phillies World Series championship brought the city out of its living hell, and all seemed right in the world.

Over the next nine or so months, the other three Philadelphia teams were knocked out of their respective playoffs. The Sixers were knocked out in the first round by the Magic—but I never really cared too much for the NBA.

The Eagles were upset in the NFC championship by the Cardinals, who went on to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers—whom the Eagles had beaten in the regular season.

The Flyers, meanwhile, were stuck playing the Penguins in the playoffs for the second straight year, and again lacked home-ice advantage due to a sloppy regular season finale in which they allowed the Rangers to make a surprising comeback victory. The Flyers were steamrolled in the first game and shockingly upended in comeback fashion in the second game, but they managed to stay in the series, coming back home down 3-2 for Game Six.

That Game Six marked my damnation into the new Philadelphia Sports Hell. I was attending the game, and I knew it would be the biggest of my life. The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and, long story short, they blew it (don’t fret; you’ll hear plenty about this game in the posts to come).

The Penguins won the game 5-3, leaving all of Flyer nation stunned. This victory ended up being a huge boost for the Penguins en route to a Stanley Cup title.

All of a sudden, Pittsburgh now had two titles that year, and we still only had one—and, to make matters worse, both had come at our expense. The one title we had barely even mattered.

If you are to point out to a resident of “titletown” that the Pirates haven’t won a title—or even had a winning season—in years, they’ll simply reply, “I don’t like baseball.”

So now, a new Philadelphia Sports Hell began to take form, and I was headed right for it...

To readers of OBG on Bleacher Report: The full Orange, Black, & Gold (OBG) Blog is available at http://www.orangeblackgold.blogspot.com.

NHL Playoff Previews: Ducks/Sharks, Blues/Canucks, Jackets/Wings

Ben Livingston — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:01:45 -0400

No. 8 Anaheim Ducks vs. No. 1 San Jose Sharks

Season Series: Sharks won, 4-2

The Sharks have been a perennial disappointment when it comes to their performance in the playoffs. Every year, no matter if they’re the favorite or the underdog, they always seem to lose. Despite their previous struggles, it’s hard to imagine this year’s squad having many problems come playoff time.

To start, they have one of the most tried-and-true playoff net minders in the league in Evgeni Nabokov, who seems to make any impossible save look easy in a big game.

The Sharks fortified their defense this previous offseason by acquiring Dan Boyle from the Lightning, and that turned out to be a genius acquisition, as he has been extremely solid on the blue line for them.

They’ve also developed the best group of forwards that any team in the league has had this season, thanks to the emergence of Devin Setoguchi as a 30-goal scorer, the resurgence of Captain Patrick Marleau, and a bunch of other skilled guys who give the Sharks tremendous depth up front.

The Sharks won the Presidents Trophy as the league’s best team during the regular season, and they have their eye on the Cup for sure.

The Ducks failed to repeat last year after getting knocked out in six games by the Stars in the first round (just like the Sharks were in the second round). They still have a lot of the key players left over from their 2007 Stanley Cup championship team, but their goalie that team, J.S. Giguere, has not been himself this season.

His save percentage has plummeted to .900, and his goals against average is a whopping 3.10. Jonas Hiller, the Ducks other net minder, has fared better than Giguere this season, but it is Giguere’s experience that will likely give him the starts come playoff time.

Giguere is going to have to be very strong in net if the Ducks are going to return to their championship form, and he’s going to have no margin for error against the Sharks’ high-octane offense.

All things considered, the Ducks definitely have the ability to make another title run. Keeping the same core from their championship team gives them a lot of experience and makes them play well as a team, and the additions of Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski on defense will definitely boost their chances.

However, when the Blues won their final game of the season, it changed the Ducks playoff opponent from the Canucks (who they would have played with a Blues’ loss) to the Sharks, and that dealt a major blow to the Ducks’ chances.

They’re going to make the Sharks work for it, but in the end, San Jose is just too strong to pick against.

Sharks in Seven

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No. 6 St. Louis Blues vs. No. 3 Vancouver Canucks

Season Series: Tied, 2-2

The fact that the St. Louis Blues are back in the playoffs is nothing less than astounding. After losing captain Paul Kariya and key forward Andy McDonald to injuries early in the season, the team fell into the Western Conference cellar.

It looked like they would remain there for the rest of the season, until backup goalie Chris Mason got a routine start on Jan. 17. Mason led the Blues to a key 5-4 shootout upset victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins- and he hasn’t taken a day off since.

A convincing 4-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers in St. Louis—his second in three games—on Jan. 31 marked the start of a new life for the Blues, as they have posted a record of 24-8-6 during Mason’s streak of 38 straight starts.

Mason has undoubtedly been the team’s most important player during their stretch run, while 33-goal scorer Brad Boyes, emerging star David Backes, and veteran Keith Tkachuk have carried the torch on offense for the Blues.

The Canucks season took what many thought to be a pivotal turn when they inked Mats Sundin to a two-year, $20 million contract after it had originally appeared that Sundin might retire.

However, once Sundin joined the team in January, things quickly began to look a bit different than expected. Sundin had trouble getting his offensive game going, but somehow, the team didn’t suffer.

Indeed, the Canucks had already put the right pieces in place to make a strong playoff run, and the addition of Sundin may have served best as a moral boost to push the team to the top.

They were no doubt assisted in their Division Title run by a late collapse by the Calgary Flames, but there’s no questioning the talent that the Canucks have.

They employ the deadly Sedin twins as well as numerous other weapons on offense, and have of the best defenses in the league—and, of course, they have one of the league’s best net minders in Roberto Luongo.

This series will no doubt be a close one, with the Canucks the pretty obvious favorite. However, the Blues have a ton of momentum on their side, and it can be difficult to stop a team like that in the playoffs. Often times, the one thing that can cause a team like the Blues to fizzle is relief.

When a team has worked so hard just to make the playoffs, sometimes they feel so tired and satisfied from the effort that they won’t be able to focus on the task at hand. Sometimes it seems as if the team is just happy to be in the playoffs, and isn’t really thinking all that hard about making a run at the cup.

I see the Blues as that sort of team. Chris Mason has got to be downright exhausted at this point, and while fatigue hasn’t been too much of a problem for him so far, it might be come playoff time. The layoff might give him some rest, but it will also give him time to get nervous, and will also let the adrenaline wear off a bit.

It takes an experienced net minder to successfully make this transition, and Mason just isn’t that guy. He is, without question, the only reason the Blues have made the playoffs, but I think he’s going to reach a breaking point come playoff time.

They simply do not have the weapons to contend with the Canucks if Mason isn’t at the top of his game, and I’m afraid that’s what going to happen.

Canucks in Five

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No. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets vs. No. 2 Detroit Red Wings

Season Series: Tied, 3-3

The Blue Jackets have finally made it to the playoffs, doing so thanks to a boost given this season by the emergence of rookie goaltending sensation Steve Mason.

Mason has played this season with a calm poise that is quite unusual for a rookie net minder to have. The big question is whether or not he’s really ready to continue to carry the team in the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets are a good team, but they would never even have come close to making the playoffs had it not been for Mason’s 2.29 goals against average and league-leading 10 shutouts.

They only really have three strong forwards in Rick Nash, Kristian Huselius, and R.J. Umberger, meaning that Mason and the Jackets’ defense will have to be stellar if they are to beat a team with as much firepower as the Red Wings.

As for the Red Wings, there isn’t much that needs to be said about the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Their one Achilles' hill this season has been their goaltending, as Chris Osgood has been unable to play as well as he did last season.

However, with the immense talent the Red Wings have to back him up, Osgood doesn’t have to be amazing if the Red Wings are going to beat the Jackets- he just has to be good.

Given the amount of experience that Osgood has, as well as his track record from last season’s Stanley Cup run, it’s safe to say that Osgood will be as good as he has to beat the Jackets. Experience will be the x-factor in this one without a doubt, and the Red Wings will continue on their quest to repeat.

Red Wings in Four

Check out Ben Livingston's other playoff previews, which can be accessed in the module to the right of this article. More will be posted on Bleacher Report in the days to come.

No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 3 New Jersey Devils

Ben Livingston — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:44:35 -0400

Season Series: Hurricanes won, 3-1

The Devils have all of the pieces in place to make a run deep into the playoffs. Both their offense and defense has been great all season, but it’s the man in the crease that’s going to be the key for them.

Martin Brodeur’s return set the team on fire at first, but after the excitement of his record-chasing run wore off, the team fell flat on their backs.

Brodeur, despite being well-rested, has not been playing well since he took the all-time wins record, and the team has not been doing too well either. He is undoubtedly the most important player for the Devils, as the team’s fortunes always tend to echo his.

They’re hardly a one man show, though. Zach Parise has emerged as the first A-list skater that the Devils have had since Scott Stevens retired. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner has had a career season, and Patrik Elias has played just as well as he always has.

Their defense isn’t what it was during the days of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Dayneko, but it is hardly sub-par.

The Hurricanes’ story this season has been quite similar to that of the Devils. Their chances of making the playoffs was in question all year long until Cam Ward caught fire down the stretch, and since then they have been a force to be reckoned with.

Ward also has a bit of a history when it comes to playoff success—the last time the Hurricanes made the playoffs they won the Stanley Cup thanks to his incredible performance that earned him the Conn Smythe trophy.

Ward is backed by a strong Hurricanes’ blue line that is lead by Joni Pitkanen, Joe Corvo, and Anton Babchuck. The ‘Canes aren’t all that strong up front, with Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, and Tuomo Ruutu leading the team in scoring (in that order).

A few weeks ago, I would have picked the Devils to win this one, without any doubts. However, the recent play of Martin Brodeur has shown that the injury that kept him out for most of the year wasn’t really a “hidden blessing.”

Brodeur may have more energy going into the playoffs than he has in previous years, but he doesn’t really seem all that comfortable in the net after watching from the press box as his replacement, Scott Clemmensen, elevated the Devils in the standings.

Meanwhile, Cam Ward has had plenty of time to figure things out, and he’s used that time well, finally returning to the form that allowed him to win the Conn Smythe in the 2006 playoffs.

However, despite the recent success for Carolina and struggles for New Jersey, it’s important to note that the Devils have clearly been the stronger team this season. That being said, expect the Devils to get back on their feet very early on.

These two teams met in the conference semi-finals in 2006, with the ‘Canes winning in five games en route to winning Stanley Cup. Unlike that series, this will be a spectacular series between two very even teams, and it will be probably be too close to call until it’s all said and done.

This series will be back-and-forth all the way, and expect it to last at least six games.

This one will likely take seven to decide. The last time both these teams were in game sevens (the Devils in 2003 and the Hurricanes in 2006), they were in the Stanley Cup Finals, and they both won.

This time, I see the Devils taking it at home, because I’m still a believer in Martin Brodeur, despite his struggles of late. He won’t be incredible, but, fueled by a sellout crown at the Rock, he’ll be good enough to keep the Hurricanes at bay (no pun intended) and give the Devils the win in the series.

Devils in seven.

Check out Ben Livingston's other playoff previews, which can be accessed in the module to the right of this article. More will be posted on Bleacher Report in the days to come.

NHL Playoff Preview: No. 7 New York Rangers Vs. No. 2 Washington Capitals

Ben Livingston — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:37:59 -0400

No. 7 New York Rangers vs. No. 2 Washington Capitals

Season Series: Capitals (3-1)

Why should I pick the Capitals in this one? Ovechkin.

Oops. I probably should write more here…Alex Ovechkin.

Is that enough? No?

Well, if Alexander the Great isn’t enough of a reason for you to pick the Capitals in this series, you might want to watch this guy play a bit more often. Ovie has been smoking defenses and goalies alike all year, his only weak streak coming in the first couple months of the season.

However, this streak was defined by the fact that he was a measly second in the NHL in goals for about half of the first couple months (he led the NHL in goals for the other half of that period of time, and for the rest of the season).

Last season Ovechkin was “shut down” by the Philadelphia Flyers, just managing four goals in seven games, including just two game-winning goals and only one game-tying goal. Also, in case you were wondering, I am not being sarcastic here. The Flyers’ defense did an amazing job of keeping Ovechkin in check, lead by level-headed defenders Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen.

Unlike the Flyers, the Rangers defense has nobody who could even dream of keeping tabs on Ovechkin. Unless Sean Avery can find a way to frustrate Ovechkin, there’s nothing that any Ranger skater is going to be able to do to keep him from unloading a barrage of rockets on Henrik Lundqvist, who can only stop so many shots.

As for the other players on both teams, it goes without saying that the Capitals have talented players not named Alex Ovechkin. Mike Green has had an unbelievable season, becoming the first defenseman in 16 years to score 30 goals. He did all this while missing 15 games.

Alex Semin has also played very well, missing 20 games but notching 34 goals. With Green, Semin, Ovechkin, and center Niklas Backstrom all playing different positions, the Capitals can spread their superstars out onto different lines, or put them together in one unbelievably powerful line if needed.

In goal, Jose Theodore has been sub-par all year long, but it hasn’t mattered because of the Capitals’ electric scoring attack.

If there’s one hope for the Rangers, it’s Henrik Lundqvist. The perennial contender for the Vezina Trophy is going to face a ton of shots in this series, and he’s going to have to be even more amazing than he usually is if the Rangers are going to stand any chance in this series.

However, Lundqvist has been unable to carry the Rangers deep into the playoffs during his career, making it seem unlikely that he’ll be able to do so this year, especially given the intense competition the Rangers are facing.

Elsewhere, Sean Avery can only frustrate so many players at once, and with the electricity that Washington plays with, he’s going to end up biting off more than he can chew. He’ll get frustrated himself, and if he takes a dumb penalty, he’ll likely regret it given the Caps’ strong power play.

The Rangers have made a very impressive late-season run thanks to John Tortorella and Sean Avery, and they would probably be able to make a great playoff run if the circumstances were different. However, this match-up just does not bode well for the Rangers, and their season will come to a quick end, allowing Martin Brodeur to sleep well at night once again.

Prediction: Capitals in 5

Check out Ben Livingston's other playoff previews, which can be accessed in the module to the right of this article. More will be posted on Bleacher Report in the days to come.

NHL Playoff Preview: No. 8 Montreal Canadiens vs. No. 1 Boston Bruins

Ben Livingston — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:26:44 -0400

No. 8 Montreal Canadiens (41-30-11) vs. No. 1 Boston Bruins (53-19-10)

Season Series: Boston won, 5-1

Oh, how the tables have turned in this rivalry! After the Canadiens swept the season series between the teams last year, the Bruins won five out of the teams’ six meetings this year.

The Canadiens were the first seed in 2008, and the Bruins the eighth, but the Bruins have taken the first seed in 2009, and the Canadiens the eighth.

Carey Price went from amazing last year to below-average this year in net for the Habs, while Tim Thomas went from slighty above-average last year to amazing this year.

With the tables completely turned, can we expect come playoff time? Last year’s series saw the Canadiens winning a thrilling seven-game series, culminating in a 5-0 blowout in Game Seven.

This year, expect the Bruins to be looking for revenge, and expect them to get it. Everything about this matchup has flipped from last year, and even if you don’t believe in catchy storylines, you’d be crazy to believe that the free-falling Canadiens are going to be able to stop one of the most consistent, balanced teams in the NHL.

The Canadiens are a carbon copy of the 2007-08 Senators, another top contender who, like the Canadiens, started falling apart mid-season, and barely hung on to a playoff spot thanks to a second-half coaching change.

The Senators got swept in the first round, and the Canadiens probably won’t do much better. They’re also quite similar to their team last year, in that no matter how well the rest of the team plays, you can leave it to Carey Price to ruin their chances at winning.

Price single-handedly destroyed the Canadiens hopes at a trip to the Cup Finals when he imploded during their series with the Flyers, allowing many soft goals, especially in Game 5 of the series.

The Canadiens had a 3-1 lead and were poised to force a sixth game before the Flyers put up three goals in three minutes in the second period, en route to an eventual 6-4 Flyers’ win.

Price has been extremely inconsistent this year, leaving those fantasy owners who traded for him (such as yours truly) and Canadiens fans alike to scratch their heads and wonder if this kid is really the real deal.

There’s simply no way that the Canadiens will make a run at the Cup this year, and while Price could potentially get hot in this series, there are simply too many other factors working against the Canadiens to warrant picking them in this one. If they’re lucky, maybe they’ll win a game or two, but in all likelihood this one will end in a sweep.

Bruins in 4

Check out these other NHL Playoff Previews from Ben Livingston, and keep an eye on Bleacher Report for more in the days to come:

Flames vs. Blackhawks: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/155061

NHL Playoff Preview: No. 5 Calgary Flames Vs. No. 4 Chicago Blackhawks

Ben Livingston — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:58:52 -0400

No. 5 Calgary Flames (46-30-6) vs. No. 4 Chicago Blackhawks (46-24-12)

Season Series: Blackhawks won, 4-0

In the MLB’s most recent season, we saw the two teams that are arguably two of the worst in the sport’s history, the Phillies and the Rays, find themselves in the playoffs. They eventually met in the World Series, with the Phillies, professional sports’ only 10,000+ loss team, taking the title.

The Blackhawks are, without question, the worst team in hockey’s history. Not only have they only won only three Stanley Cups despite being an Original Six team, but they haven’t even won one in the expansion era!

In fact, they’ve only made the conference finals once since 1961!

However, if the MLB’s most recent campaign is any indicator, every dog will have his day. The Blackhawks have come roaring out of the Western Conference cellar, posting their first 100 point season in 17 years, and are back in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years (this after making the playoffs for 28 straight years from 1969 to 1997).

They’re lead up front by young superstars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well as by winger Martin Havlat. On defense, the Blackhawks have a potential Norris Trophy candidate in Duncan Keith, in addition to another emerging blue-liner in Brent Seabrook and their big free-agent pickup Brian Campbell.

In goal, Nikolai Khabibulin has emerged as the top man after being put on waivers back in September, although he’s been in a time-share with free-agent pickup Cristobal Huet for most of the season.

The “Bulin Wall” is expected to be the starter in the playoffs, although it would hardly been surprising to see Huet in goal at some point, whether it be for the second of two back-to-back games or for good should Khabibulin struggle.

The Flames were at the top of the northwest division for much of the year, and seemed to have the division title in the bag but late-season struggles hit them hard.

Injuries and a seven-game road swing caused them to slip in the standings despite the addition of Jordan Leopold and Olli Jokinen at the trade deadline, and a strong finish by the Canucks led to them finishing second in the division and fifth in the conference.

So the Flames have had their struggles in the latter part of the season, but that hardly means they’ll be easy to beat in the playoffs. The team has a lot of playoff experience, as this will be their fourth straight trip to the second season.

They haven’t gotten out of the first round since their trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004, but that’s partly because they’ve faced very powerful teams in each of their last three quarterfinal series.

Miikka Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla have already proven that they can lead a team deep into the playoffs, and the addition of forwards Mike Cammallieri and Olli Jokinen this season has made the Flames stronger up front than they have been in previous years.

On the blue line, Dion Phaneuf has had a disappointing season, and there really isn’t another guy who has stepped up to make up for his struggles.

Teams that are in free-fall often seem to struggle come playoff time, but the Flames certainly have a leg up on the Blackhawks when it comes to one key area- experience. The Blackhawks are loaded with young players, many who have been with the organization for the entirety of their careers.

They aren’t used to the pressure that usually accompanies the playoffs, and facing a team as experienced as the Flames could very well be a problem for them.

It’s going to be up to Brian Campbell on the blue line, and Nikolai Khabibulin (or Cristobal Huet) in the net to exude a calming effect in order to keep the team level-headed against the flames.

All things considered, it looks like the Flames might have a leg up on the Blackhawks here. The Blackhawks may have swept the teams’ regular season series, but the playoffs are a whole other creature. After the comparison I drew earlier between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Blackhawks, you might think I’m crazy to say that.

However, the Rays were only able to win in baseball’s playoffs because they faced a significantly weaker team in the White Sox, and later a team they were very familiar with (and in turn already comfortable with) in the Red Sox. Once they met a team with both skill and playoff experience in the Phillies, they were quickly subdued.

Even if you don’t like drawing comparisons between different sports, you can’t argue with the notion that a skilled, experienced team has a leg up on an inexperienced, slightly better team.

Teams who need to take their game to a level they aren’t accustomed to often struggle early in playoff series.

We saw it last year when the Capitals fell behind in their series against the Flyers 3-1 before roaring back and nearly winning in seven, and also when the Penguins got blown out in the first two games of the Cup Finals before they got comfortable and gave the Red Wings a run for their money in the four games that followed.

The Blackhawks will drop one or both of their games at home as they struggle to get their feet wet, and that will be problematic given the sort of place the Pengrowth Saddledome turns into come playoff time. The Blackhawks will get valuable postseason experience that they will almost certainly make good use of in the years to come, but that’s about all the Stanley Cup Playoffs should have in store for them this year.

Flames in Six

Check back soon on Bleacher Report for more NHL Playoff Previews from Ben Livingston.

Winter Classic 2010: Who Will the Boston Bruins Host?

Ben Livingston — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:16:41 -0400

For those NHL fans that have been waiting to know where the next Winter Classic will be played, the wait is finally over. The location that was the front-runner all along, Fenway Park, will be hosting the 2010 NHL Winter Classic, according to multiple sources, including ESPN.com and the Boston Herald.

It was anyone's guess as to where the game would be played, with all sorts of locations coming up as possibilities including Fenway, Gillette Stadium, Penn State's Beaver Stadium, the New Yankee Stadium in New York, Coors Field in Denver, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and even the Beach in Los Angeles (cleverly suggested by broadcaster Jim Fox).

With the NHL's new portable unit that can maintain a rink of ice virtually anywhere, the possibilities seemed endless, but in the end the most obvious option was the one that was chosen.

The reports also indicated that it would not be a rival team, such as the Rangers or Canadiens, going up against the Bruins in the game, but instead the Capitals or the Flyers.

Now, it's no surprise to see the Capitals as a top candidate for playing in the Winter Classic, given the electricity they play with as well as the fact that their star player, Alexander Ovechkin, is probably the most marketable player to ever play in the NHL.

Ovechkin single-handedly transformed the Washington hockey market from a joke into one of the strongest ones in the league, and it is more than obvious that the NHL wants him to do the same for the league as a whole.

The Winter Classic's exciting twist on regular hockey causes it to draw a lot of viewers who would never watch a game not involving their team.

In this regard, it makes it a lot like the Stanley Cup Finals, but unlike the Cup Finals, the NHL can put whatever team they feel like in the game, meaning that this would be their best chance to put Ovechkin in the national spotlight.

On the other hand, it's a lot more unexpected to see the Flyers as a final candidate to face the Bruins. The Flyers' have been one of the NHL on NBC's and NHL on Versus' darling teams, but that has really only been due to the size of the Flyers' market.

The Flyers are an up-and-coming team just like the Capitals, but they lack a singular superstar like Ovechkin, and given the reputation of Philadelphia sports teams, they aren't likely to develop that large of a fan base outside Philadelphia.

Now, at first, the Orange and Black were a top candidate to play in the game, but that notion was grounded in the possibility that they would play a rival team like the Penguins or Rangers.

If the game was to be held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, or the New Yankee Stadium in New York, they would have been an obvious choice to play in the game.

There was an even better-looking proposition by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell to have the Penguins and Flyers play the game at Penn State University's Beaver Stadium as a charity event (which would have been a fantastic option, given the fact that the stadium has almost three times the capacity of Fenway Park).

However, for the Flyers to be chosen to face the Bruins is unexpected to say the least.

So, with the location decided on, there's only one more question left to ask:

Flyers or Capitals?

Before we go with the overwhelming obvious choice here, let's consider the circumstances. Last year's game drew a 2.9 national television rating—the highest rated regular season game in 13 years.

This high rating was probably fueled by the popularity of the sitting Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings and the interesting concept of playing a hockey game at Wrigley Field.

It seems likely that the league is would be content sticking with the same formula they used in 2009: first and foremost, play the game in a historic, well-known stadium (using the interesting concept of the game to their advantage).

Secondly, put teams in the game that are the most likely to get people excited about the league. This would suggest that the Bruins were chosen primarily because they play in the same city that Fenway Park is located, but also because they were an Original Six team and were one of the league's top two teams during the 2008-09 regular season.

In this sense, they both play in the right city (like the Blackhawks did) and have been successful this season (like the Red Wings were in the 2007-08 season), meaning that choosing their opponent might take some creativity.

So what exactly was the league thinking about when they decided on the Flyers and Capitals? First off, both of these teams are stocked with plenty of young players who are not only strong hockey players, but are also charismatic and, dare I say, good-looking.

The often prevalent stereotype that hockey players are hulking brutes with half of their teeth missing can sometimes turn people away from the sport. With the league recently starting to shy away from the idea of fighting—perhaps the game's most violent aspects- that could potentially be part of their reasoning here.

This could have led to the league passing over two otherwise obvious choices in the Canadiens (I'm sure anybody wearing an Alex Kovalev, Andrei Markov, or Andrei Kostitsyn mask during Halloween would get at least a few screams) and the Sean Avery-touting Rangers.

On the other hand, the Flyers (sans Riley Cote) would fit in especially well in this regard (if you brought a date to the Flyers' Valentines Day game, then you definitely know what I mean), and the Capitals, aside from Ovechkin, probably would as well.

In addition, both the Flyers and Capitals have a bright future ahead of them, just like the Blackhawks. All three of those teams are going to be good for many years, and the Winter Classic is a great chance to introduce the more casual fan to these teams.

This way, the next time this sort of fan sees a commercial for the Flyers, Capitals, or Blackhawks playing on Versus or NBC, they'll be more likely to tune in than they normally would be.

This would be another reason not to include the Canadiens, or any Canadian team for that matter, because those teams already get plenty of attention in Canada, and aren't likely to generate that much interest from American fans.

All factors considered, it would seem that the NHL seems to be leaning towards showcasing exciting, flashy teams that symbolize the new direction the league is heading in these days.

The Capitals would still seem like the obvious choice, but the fact of the matter is that they already get plenty of exposure. Hockey isn't in as bad of a state as it was right after the lockout.

The NHL gets enough exposure these days that every hockey fan, no matter how casual, already knows about Alex Ovechkin.

The Winter Classic is likely to draw a lot of general sports fans who normally don't watch that much hockey as well as a lot of hockey fans who tend to only watch their favorite team plan—and neither of these groups really needs to be introduced to Ovechkin, because they already have been.

Putting Ovechkin in the game won't really generate any more interest in hockey, because people will watch the game to see him play, and won't really pay attention to much else. "Alexander the Great" is marketable, but pitting him against Fenway Park isn't really all that exciting or creative, and it doesn't make much sense.

The fact that the Winter Classic is played outdoors, not necessarily that it's a showcase of the league's top talent, is what makes it so exciting.

It has a grassroots feel to it, as it brings back childhood memories for so many hockey players and fans while simultaneously showcasing those players (and the teams they play on) in order to get the more casual fan excited about the sport.

That being said, I'm going to have to say that the Flyers, who were unlikely finalists to begin with, are going to be picked to face the Bruins. There is a bit more history between the Bruins and Flyers than between the Bruins and Capitals, and the Capitals already get plenty of exposure thanks to Alex Ovechkin.

Any hockey expert will agree that Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are the real deal, but that the Flyers' reputation (grounded largely in that of their home city) tends to hurt the marketability of those players.

In the end, it isn't any one specific strength that makes the Flyers the best choice to play at Fenway, but the fact is that there are compelling reasons not to choose the other teams that could play the Bruins.

The Flyers aren't exactly the favorite team of the league's top governing officials (as any Flyers fan will tell you with confidence), but they're a breath of fresh air—and right now, that's just what hockey needs. For that reason, expect it to be the Flyers facing the Bruins at Fenway Park on New Years Day, 2010.

Who do you think should be facing the Bruins at Fenway Park? Do you think it should be the Flyers, the Capitals, or a different team entirely? Do you think Fenway Park is the right place to hold the game? If not, where do you think it should be held?

The sample rink diagram was originally published in Boston Globe.

Also, check out my NHL Conference Quarterfinals previews, coming soon to Bleacher Report.

Phillies Offseason Moves, Thus Far

Ben Livingston — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:27:19 -0500

A summary of the transactions the Phillies have made and other things that have happened to the team since their World Series Championship clincher back on October 29th of last year. The team will look mostly the same in 2009, but the Phillies have brought aboard a number of under-the-radar players, some who could end up playing a role in the Phillies' fight to defend their championship. Read on to learn about some of them, as well as to catch up on the Phillies' other dealings...

Begin Slideshow

Why America Loves Baseball

Ben Livingston — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:11:11 -0500

On Oct. 31, 2008, a massive sea of people swarmed into Center City in Philadelphia, their numbers estimated to be from one to three million. Schools and offices throughout the metropolitan area were mostly empty as all sorts of people, young and old, short and tall, male and female, rich and poor, flocked into Philadelphia in massive numbers.

What historic, earth-changing, unprecedented event could have attracted so much attention and appealed to such a diverse audience? It must have been more crucial than Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech that drew 400,000, or maybe even equal in importance to the Muslim Hajj in Mecca that annually draws no more than 3 million people.

This gathering, a million-man march in its own right, was the 2008 Phillies World Series parade.

The notion that a sports celebration rivaled, or even eclipsed, the attendance of many of the most crucial events in history seems almost inconceivable. Some might view it as regrettable, and maybe even deplorable, that we live in a world where people care more about sports than about history, politics, or other things related to the “real world.”

Yet, at the same time, even the greatest of American heroes and leaders, all who have plenty of “real-world” issues to worry about, aren’t immune from baseball fever. Even Abraham Lincoln was known to attend baseball games and be the loudest fan in the stands, long before baseball became a national spectacle.

So why exactly would America’s leaders spend their time at a baseball game? For the answer to that question, one must look back no further than to Yankee Stadium on Oct. 30, 2001, when George W. Bush threw out the first pitch before a Yankees playoff game.

The City of New York had been severely shaken by the recent Sept. 11 attacks, yet when Bush carried out that vestigial, ceremonious act, the city, and the nation, were suddenly overcome with an overwhelming sense of pride and hope.

Even with Bush’s reputation having been tainted since that fateful night, the image of him throwing out that first pitch is one of the most poignant ones of this decade.

As it did for New Yorkers and for all Americans that night, baseball exhibits an extraordinary ability to bring people together who might have nothing else in common. Only in a baseball stadium will you see two complete strangers acting as if they’ve known each other their whole lives.

An immigrant who is completely unfamiliar with America can learn how to play baseball and all of a sudden feel a powerful connection to 10's of millions of other Americans.

Baseball has also played an important role in American history. It served as a proxy for the Civil Rights movement when Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His playing in the majors made millions of oppressed African Americans think, “If Jackie Robinson was able to break down the race barrier in baseball, maybe I can break down the race barriers in my own life.”

Once one learns about the rich history of baseball in America, the notion that the Phillies’ parade had an incredible turnout becomes less far-fetched. In fact, it seems to make perfect sense.

With the power that all sorts of professional sports (such as baseball) have had in American history, culture, and in the American way of life, it’s no wonder that we Americans have come to love them so much. America and professional sports were a match made in heaven.

Nobody could have put it better than Harper’s Weekly did in 1857:

“We would rather chronicle a great boat race…or cricket match… than all the prize poems or the orations on Lafayette that are produced in half a century…”

New York Mets Fans: Let's Take a Time-Out

Ben Livingston — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:03:54 -0500

I'm going to step out of my normal, objective, tone for a second, to speak directly to the New York Mets fans (and Phillies fans) on Bleacher Report.

I uncovered an interesting tidbit today in an old NY Daily News blog entry by Adam Rubin about Jimmy Rollins' comment on the Mets during the World Series Parade. For those of you who forgot about his comments:

“In the offseason I heard a lot about the New York Mets. Johan Santana is a great pitcher. But it takes more than one player to bring home a championship.”

One user comment on the post, responding to the Mets' fans harshly criticizing Rollins, really caught my eye:

"Neutral observers like me (Dodgers fan) always laugh at the sorry display of you angry, bitter Mets fans. He compliments your best pitcher and you still take offense.

You are all jealous babies who think your players are better than they really are- especially Reyes and Wright. There- that's what Rollins really meant."

I've never been big on taking part in heated rivalries. I can't really say I've ever hated an opposing team. I'm a huge Flyers' fan, but I don't have any problem with the Penguins or Devils. However, you Mets fans, with your whining and complaining this off-season, have changed that forever.

You have all become exceedingly rude and bothersome, taking out all your frustration on us Phillies' fans. Now, true, we are normally the ones known for a bad attitude, but you all have taken this thing to the next level.

You all are going to have to realize that your team lost because they have some major issues that can't be solved with a simple acquisition or two. The Mets have had some clubhouse issues that affected their team chemistry, and that didn't change with the manegerial change.

The Mets aren't going to succeed unless they start playing as a team. If you don't want to hear it from Jimmy Rollins, then think about the Tampa Bay Rays' manager Joe Maddon's motto, 9=8 (referring to nine players playing as a unit equaling a spot as one of eight playoff teams).

Rather than just acknowledge these simple flaws that have led to the Mets' two collapses, you all have just picked fights with Phillies fans whenever the collapse is brought up. In multiple bouts of stunning rationality, you've ranted about how the Phillies are "undeserving", and about how it is a sacrament or an abomination that the Phillies, of all teams, won the World Series.

Now, obviously it isn't just Mets fans saying that, but if you're really set on degrading the Phillies, you've got to come up with something better than them being undeserving. To be honest, it's really just making them look better. In the mean time, you're making yourselves look silly and bitter.

So, Mets fans, I ask you, as a fellow writer hoping to keep B/R (despite it's rejection of objectivity) slightly civil and objective, lets try to keep this debate somewhat clean and contained. Not everything about the Mets involves the Phillies, and not everything about the Phillies involves the Mets.

The Phillies won the World Series this year, and the Mets collapsed. That's not a subjective framing of the situation, that's just a fact. Accept it. Stop trying to argue that point, because it can't be argued. The Mets choked, and the Phillies, having won the division, can be considered a small part of the reason. Again, can't argue that.

Phillies fans, I ask you to take a step back as well, because despite our recent feelings of good will and peace, we also have a bit of a history of rowdiness.

For those of you who have been civil, I applaud you. For those who haven't—including me, a bit, I confess (or maybe a lot)—let's try to make the Mets' and Phillies' B/R communities more like communities of sportswriters and less like a sports bar. I'm all for articles meant to inspire debate, but lets keep it above the waist.

Although I can't say in the least that I wish the Mets the best, I do congratulate them on their recent acquisitions. Any baseball fan with half a brain knows that Putz and Rodriguez will certainly give a major boost to the Mets in 2009.

K-Rod Already Talking the Talk with Mets

Ben Livingston — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:30:58 -0500

During the New York Mets' 2007-08 offseason, the club was down in the dumps, to say the least. Their historic collapse had left them as the laughing stock of baseball, after looking like a straight shot to the playoffs for much of the season.

The Phillies' Jimmy "Nostradamus" Rollins had set the tone for the 2007 season with his famous "Team to Beat" statement, and his team had followed through with Rollins' prediction. The Mets knew that if they were going to take back control of the division in 2008 they would need to be the ones setting the tone this time.

After the huge acquisition of Johan Santana, the Mets outlook for 2008 seemed very bright. Carlos Beltran, hoping to start a classic revenge story, offered his "own" prophetic statement:

"With [Santana], now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division. So this year, to Jimmy Rollins, we are the team to beat."

Jimmy Rollins, hoping to again be the tone-setter in 2008, offered his own, new prediction:

"We'll win probably 100 games...100 games will get us to the playoffs."

In the end, Beltran's prediction was just plain wrong. His team again collapsed, even with the addition of the incredible Santana. Rollins' prediction wasn't exactly on the money, but his team did win over 100 games—including the postseason. However, one thing was certain—the Mets had again failed to hang onto a healthy lead in the division.

At the Winter Meetings, the Mets again struck gold. This time, they added two spectacular closers, Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz. Today, Rodriguez, only days after his signing, offered a chilling new prediction.

"Of course, we’re going to try to win the division. Of course, we’re going to be the frontrunner. Of course, we’re going to be the team to beat."

Such an unprecedented, prophetic, and unique prediction will certainly send a chill down the spine of Phillies fans over the months leading up to the 2009 season. The Mets have made a huge upgrade, and one of their top players has promised change. These developments are sure to turn the tide in the Mets' favor. The Phillies don't stand a chance in 2008—oh, wait, sorry, I meant 2009.

Silly me...

Phillies Ink Raul Ibanez To Take Over in Left

Ben Livingston — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 02:18:28 -0500

Multiple sources are reporting that the Phillies have signed outfielder Raul Ibanez to a three-year deal worth approximately $30 million, pending a physical. Ibanez was one of the most sought-after free agents on the market this year, with about half the teams in baseball expressing interest in here. The signing of Ibanez effectively ends Pat Burrell's career as a Phillie, and all but solidifies the Phillies Opening Night lineup.

For much of this still-young off-season, it appeared that the Phillies were looking for a right-handed batter, such as Rocco Baldelli, who could play in a left-field platoon with Matt Stairs and/or Geoff Jenkins, who both bat lefty.

Now, it appears that Ibanez, a left-handed batter himself, will be the only regular left-fielder. Unless Ibanez or Jayson Werth fall into a slump, the Phillies aren't going to have much work for Jenkins or Stairs.

Stairs is a fine choice for a fourth outfielder, but Jenkins is scheduled to make $6.75 million in this, his contract year, and he was signed not even a year ago. With Stairs and Greg Dobbs (when he isn't starting) ahead on the left-handed pinch-hitting depth chart, Jenkins is highly unlikely to get many at bats next year (the same way he didn't get many at bats during this past September). If Jenkins can draw any interest from other clubs, the Phillies might try to trade him.

Another implication to note is that this signing will leave the Phillies with a lefty-heavy lineup. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Ibanez, and Greg Dobbs all are left-handed batsmen and will likely see a lot of starts in 2009. This could result in the Phillies struggling even more against left-handed pitchers than they have in years past.

It will be interesting to see if the Phillies will still be able to go after a big-name starter such as Derek Lowe after signing Ibanez. Phillies fans are no doubt hoping that the Phillies will raise their payroll a bit after bringing home a title.

So, B/R readers and writers, what do you think of this signing? Is Ibanez the right choice in left? Is he an upgrade over Burrell? Would you have rather seen the Phillies focus their efforts on other free agents?

A Phillies Fan's Letter to Pat Burrell

Ben Livingston — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:40:44 -0500

Dear Pat,

I wanted to thank you for what you have done for this Phillies team, which will forever be my team. You were the longest-tenured player on this year's 2008 World Series Champions, having been on the team for nine years.

You might have had a lot of rough spots that frustrated us fans, but you stuck with us, and took it all with a smile. You deserved every last cheer you received during the World Series parade and celebration, and you can wear your championship ring with pride.

I have a lot of fine memories of you Pat. I'll never forget Harry Kalas proclaiming "PAT BURRELL! PAT BURRELL!" when you hit your come-from-behind, two-run, walk-off home run to beat the Giants by one.

You've been a key gear in the machine that is the middle of the Phillies order, helping the Phillies offense move along whether it was with your two homers in Game 4 of the NLDS, or being part of a span of back-to-back-to-back home runs during the regular season.

And, of course, your double in the seventh inning of World Series Game 5 will never, ever be forgotten. This all isn't to discount your tremendous physique, that we have all come to appreciate.

With all these memories, we would really, really love to have you back, Pat. I doubt there is a single Phillies fan that wouldn't be happy to see you here for the rest of your career.

After all, there aren't many players who can spend eight rough years in Philadelphia and remain as positive as you have.

You've taken a lot of criticism over the years, but at the same time have earned the nickname "Met Killer", hit countless memorable homers and hits, and expressed your love for this city. I really appreciate what you've done.

That all being said, Pat, I have been concerned a bit with some aspects of your track record. You're a great player, but you do have a bit of baggage that worries many writers and General Managers alike.

Your .209 average after signing your last contract is a major red-flag, one that can't be ignored. You have had some great moments, but at the same time you do have a lot of slumps. You're on the wrong side of 30, and your fielding has come into question.

These concerns are why lots of teams have been cautious about pursuing you during the Winter Meetings. I regret sounding like an arbitrator, as I really admire the way you play, but we have to be realistic if things are going to work.

So, Pat, I implore you to hear us out. Your time in Philadelphia doesn't have to end. You can continue to play in the field, and play in the city you love, but you're going to have to meet us halfway.

Take a shorter deal and sacrifice a bit of money to come back. You can continue to play for the Phillies, and in the mean time prove your real value.

I know you can shake the slumps and strengthen your game enough to really make an impression on Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies' front office.

I realize that few players are willing to sacrifice more money and years to play for a team they love, but I'm hoping that you really meant it when you said you loved Philadelphia.

I won't be bitter if you move on (so long as you don't sign with a division rival), and I hope you succeed wherever you go.

However, I'm really hoping that you can work out a return to Philadelphia, and that you can continue to chisel yourself into the Philadelphia Sports Pantheon the same way you have chiseled out your impressive physique.

Phillies Phix: Winter Meetings Update

Ben Livingston — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:21:44 -0500

Often news from the Winter Meetings is too complicated and frequent to sift through, so if you haven't been able to keep up, here are a few quick updates on the Phillies' dealings in Vegas:

Charlie Manuel received a much-deserved contract extension that runs through 2011. The deal includes the Phillies picking up Manuel’s 2010 option and then signing him for 2011.

Ruben Amaro Jr. has made it clear that the Phillies are only looking for one free agent starter, who will slide into a rotation that will also consist of Joe Blanton, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, and another pitcher from within the organization.
C.C. Sabathia, who didn't have much of a chance of becoming a Phillie anyway, has reportedly signed with the Yankees. This will reduce the market for Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett quite a bit.
The Phillies are pursuing A.J. Burnett but it looks like the Braves are setting the bar with a four-year (with a vesting option for the fifth year) offer, and the Phillies are unlikely to match the length of the Braves' offer. Even if Burnett doesn't sign with the Braves, expect the Yankees to outbid the Phillies for his services.
The Phillies reportedly have an offer out to Derek Lowe (supposedly for three years), but there seem to be quite a few factors working against the Phillies. Lowe made it clear that he didn't like Citizens Bank Park after pitching there in the NLCS, and he is hoping to get at least four-years, which the Phillies probably won't provide to a pitcher as old as Lowe.
The Phillies have recently emerged as one of two teams pursuing Padres ace Jake Peavy, the other being the Cubs. The Cubs are heavily favored over the Phillies, but the Padres have said that they’ll take Peavy off the market altogether if a deal isn’t worked out by the end of the Winter Meetings.

The Phillies would still be part of a deal that sent Peavy to the Cubs, as they’d send prospects to the Padres and receive a player or two from the Cubs. Pitcher Jason Marquis and utility man Mark DeRosa have emerged as possible players the Phillies could get from the Cubs, and there have been talks of Kyle Kendrick being sent to the Cubs as part of a possible deal.
Jamie Moyer remains the backup plan if the Phillies can't land a big-name starter, but his monetary demands are a bit high on the high side. The Phillies want him back, but it looks like re-signing him wouldn't be anything close to a slam-dunk.
Pat Burrell is unlikely to return, as he wants at least three-years. The Phillies are unlikely to meet that demand.
Raul Ibanez and the Phillies reportedly have "mutual interest", and reports are beginning to tag the Phillies as the front-runner for his services. Around half the teams in the majors have expressed interest in him.
The Red Sox appear to be the on the verge of signing Rocco Baldelli, but if they can’t work out a deal the Phillies might try to sign him. Baldelli would be part of a platoon to help replace Pat Burrell.
The Phillies reportedly have interest in outfielders Jermaine Dye (of the White Sox) and Delmon Young (of the Twins)

The Philadelphia Flyers' Dangerous Dance with the Salary Cap

Ben Livingston — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:52:12 -0500

Ever since taking the reins at the General Manager position for the Flyers in 2006, Paul Holmgren has done nothing but work wonders.

He brought a team out from the cellar by signing top-notch players and making some very smart trades. He has been tagged as the savior of Flyers' hockey, and there is no denying that.

Yet, as Holmgren has helped, he has also led the Flyers towards the edge of the proverbial cliff that is the NHL salary cap.

Over his tenure he has thrown a lot of money around, and for the most part, it has worked. His signing of Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Joffery Lupul to long-term deals helped solidify a growing crop of talented forwards that already included names like Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Mike Knuble. The Flyers' defense may still be weak, but the addition of guys like Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, and Matt Carle has built an adequate set of defenders to back up the balanced scoring attack. The Flyers' netminders Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki aren't the greatest goalies out there, but they can both give strong performances in goal.

Yes, everything seems to be going alright for the Flyers with Holmgren at the helm, despite their worrisome start to their 2008-09 campaign. However, in truly Jack Baueresque fashion, Holmgren has gotten the job done by living on the edge.

He has created a very strong team but only by inching dangerously close to the salary cap. While the exact team salary isn't always easy to pinpoint, nhlnumbers.com has the Flyers coming within $449,000 of the Salary Cap at the present time.

Meanwhile, there is reportedly more than $11 million sunk into players on Long Term Injured Reserve, with three players (Derian Hatcher [$3.5 million], Randy Jones [$2.5 million], and Ryan Parent [$850,000]) who could possibly return and pose a threat of pushing the team salary over the limit.

While Holmgren may prove to be a "Salary Cap Sorcerer" of sorts who can work under the cap when doing so seems impossible, he's going to have trouble moving the team forward with the Flyers' contracts looking like they do now.

The Flyers will only have three players with salaries over $2 million who will become free agents this year (Martin Biron [$3.5 million], Derian Hatcher [$3.5 million], and Mike Knuble [$2.8 million]), and already have committed an estimated $47 million in player salaries for next year.

That's going to be a problem if they're hoping to improve their goaltending or defense next year through free agent signings, although it should be noted that the 2009 Free Agent class is short on top goaltenders.

The Flyers might also face a problem this year and potentially in the years to come, if they find themselves needing to make a deadline deal or other big trade, because they have so little cap room to work with.

If things do take a sour turn, and changes need to be made, don't be surprised to see one of the Flyers' top forwards shipped off in favor of cap space.

Mike Knuble is widely considered the top candidate for being traded to create cap space, as he is making $2.8 million in 2008-09, his contract year. Scottie Upshall has also come up frequently as another option, but his salary isn’t as significant as Knuble’s. Among players with long-term contracts, Joffery Lupul would seem to be a good choice, although it hasn’t even been sixth months since he signed a four-year contract extension.

Scott Hartnell’s name has come up a bit less than Lupul’s or Knuble’s, but he’s hardly indispensable to the Flyers. Other than that, it’s doubtful that Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, or Daniel Briere will be traded any time soon.

The Flyers’ cap situation is in no way leading towards any sort of inevitable disaster. If this massive nucleus Holmgren has built is able to continuously contend at a high level like they did last year, then things should be fine.

Still, if you're a Flyers fan, it can be a bit worrisome to see how handcuffed Holmgren has become thanks to his dangerous dance with the salary cap.

Wachovia Center in Line for Fourth Name Change

Ben Livingston — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:23:22 -0400

According to the Associated Press, Citigroup has bought out Wachovia Securities. Along with the sale will likely come an event Flyers and Sixers fans should be quite familiar with by now—the Center will get a name change due to the big-fish-little-fish ways of the banking world.

It was the CoreStates Center when it opened in 1996. In 1998 it became the First Union Center after First Union bought out CoreStates. The same thing happened in 2003 and it became the Wachovia Center. Now, it looks like it'll be called the "Citi Center."

This third name change raises a lot of questions. First off, are Philadelphians going to have trouble adjusting to the new name, even though it's a lot easier to say? Perhaps a new nickname will arise out of the frustration over the name constantly changing.

Calling it "The Cit" might lead to confusion with Citizens Bank Park, so that isn't a great choice. Maybe fans and reporters will give up on keeping up with the first part of the name, and just stick with "The Center" (just as many call the building across the street "The Spectrum").

After all, with the way things have been going for banks these days, another name change might not be too far off.

Another important question to consider is if Comcast-Spectacor will even bother renaming and rebranding the Spectrum. I suppose they'll have to legally, but it would be sort of silly.

Stay tuned to see if and when the name change takes place.